Research and Guides

Distributor buying markets are the top ways retailers gather information about new products, product lines and programs, according to data from a 2014 North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) study. To better understand retailers’ common practices at distributor buying markets, …

Working to increase your store’s average transaction size makes sense, especially considering that you have three primary ways to grow top-line sales. These methods are: Increase prices. Increase the number of customers who frequent your store. Increase average transaction size. All three strategies …

“Price-match guarantee” and “We will beat any competitor’s advertised price by 10 percent” are common promises that pop up in retail advertising. These statements are used to tell consumers the stores are confident they have the lowest prices in that …

Identifying and training leaders is a vital part of an organization’s success. To learn how other retail operations have recognized leadership potential, Hardware Retailing spoke with multiple retailers in its February 2016 issue. To provide suggestions for ways you as independent home …

The challenges of finding and keeping excellent employees are obstacles to running a business smoothly. As an owner, you can choose inventory, set prices, plan promotions and organize events, but you can’t make employees show up to work or force them to provide excellent customer …

An independent home improvement store’s success is dependent on its employees, who can differentiate a local business from the big boxes with the excellent customer service they provide. However, customer service is an increasing focus for the big boxes, and …

In the January issue of Hardware Retailing, editors spoke with professional plumbers and retailers who service these customers. One of the points made by the pros is that it is important for home improvement stores to make pros aware of their …

Part of retaining high-quality employees is maintaining an ongoing conversation with them about their work performance and their goals for their careers with your business. To learn more about finding and keeping top-notch employees, click here. This employee evaluation form is …