Retail Education
Home furnishings and lighting retailers face many challenges in this ever-changing economy. From new consumer expectations to online competition, today's retailers work hard to ensure their customers have access to on-trend products and great customer service. In this section, you'll find all things retailing — news, features, analysis and tools — needed to make your retail business a success.
How Marketing Automation Software Helps Small Businesses
Small business owners wear many hats, but the one they often dread wearing is that of marketer. With all the other equally important things to do throughout the day, it's hard to find time to manage …
What We Can Learn From Commercial Design
Designing a small shop or restaurant requires a different thought process than designing a home. With the strides that products and technology have made though, what can we learn from the former that…
Predicting Retail in 2030
In 1989, Back to the Future Part II imagined the world of 2015 as a place of flying cars, self-drying clothes and dehydrated pizza, but as we know, none of those developments really came true (…
Why You Should Never Buy Email Lists
Every company dreams of having a robust emailing list, daily likes on their Facebook page and glowing online reviews, but when business is slow, it's sometimes tempting to want to jump ahead in line…
Sit Back and Relax! 4 Smart Lamps that Do It All
In every well-appointed lighting design, there are the doers (think recessed ceiling fixtures and undercabinet LEDs) and those like that retro torchiere in the corner or the demure lamp on the…
3 Tips for Blog Topic Brainstorming
It's finally time. You have your computer opened, and the cursor blinks up at you from the blank word document. Now all you need to do is write your blog, but the minute you raise your fingers to…
Meet Lumen the Showroom Cat
Seven years ago, Scott Metz, his father Larry and their team at Northern Lighting in Westerville, OH, played a prank on cat-loving employee Kerri. They bought a cage and a cat toy and tricked Kerri…
How to Keep a Happy Work Environment
Happiness and productivity go hand in hand. A 2015 study by the Social Market Foundation and the University of Warwick’s Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy found that employee…
5 Website Design Blunders – And How to Fix Them
A poorly functioning website reflects badly on your company. It makes it harder for customers to shop or browse your selection, and it frustrates them when they can’t find basic information. Even if…
My Experience at Millennial 20/20
As we’re gearing up to debut our new supplement, Millennial Home, in April, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a Millennial — what defines us as consumers, what makes us different…