None of us is as smart as all of us. Ken Blanchard wrote those words in his book The One Minute Manager, and the principal behind them has been in play for centuries. Never has one individual conquered challenge with greater ease than could a group of like-minded...

When we rolled out the Nationwide Digital Rewards program at PrimeTime earlier this year, it was as if the stars of software had aligned for members.  Previously, many retailers felt that they had to pick and choose among the products in the Retailer Web Services...

By all accounts, the appliance industry has been less than robust so far this year. Although we came into 2019 expecting a slight decline in volume, those expectations actually turned out to be optimistic. As we made the turn out of Q1, the industry was down 7% in...

Your Nationwide organization has very publicly stated the group’s five core commitments to you, our members. Everything our teams do is hyper-focused on delivering on these five promises.   Some of these commitments are easily defined and have been created to be easy...

For more than 25 years, many Nationwide Marketing Group members and vendors have recognized that they can profitably grow their products and services business, build lasting and successful relationships with consumers, and make more money by presenting and selling...

In the “old days” (10 years ago), customers found and bought the items we sell differently than they do today. It used to be that customers would visit multiple stores, where they would be educated on the products that they needed. After comparing features and...

I was sitting at home yesterday when my doorbell rang. I opened the door, and no one was there. Instead, I noticed a box sitting on my front step. I grabbed the box and opened it up. Inside was everything from hand towels and sheets to spices and a little plastic cube...

For the last few years, Nationwide Marketing Group has asked what the outstanding challenges are for you, our members, to see where we can help most. An answer that popped up consistently in those discussions was “marketing.” Because while you’re focused every day on...

Nationwide Marketing Group Furniture Director Johnny Lamp recently provided a great overview of the tariff issue and explains the varying approaches vendors and retailers are taking in their response. However, I want to take a moment to share some data that puts the...

Over the years, furniture retailers have become well versed on how to handle the unpredictable and rocky terrain that is the retail landscape. Recessions, declining consumer sentiment, natural disasters and increasing consumer debt have become familiar obstacles. But...

There is little doubt that the past few years have seen some amazing changes within the network of Nationwide Marketing Group. This list includes the merger of Nationwide and MEGA Group USA, the acquisition of Site on Time, the scaled investment in RWS and AdRocket,...

It has been nearly four years since Nationwide Marketing Group launched its Prepare for Share initiative to members. As Sears, H.H. Gregg, Mattress Firm and others started to flounder, Nationwide put together a series of data, products and services designed to help...

A new partnership between Nationwide Marketing Group and Independent We Stand is creating new opportunities for Nationwide members.  Independent We Stand works with local businesses across the country to promote the importance of buying local. Through this new...

One part of the appliance business that we feel does not get adequate recognition or discussion is service. Appliances are machines, and regardless of improvement in standards, there always will be a certain failure rate. As such, service is an integral part of the...

Within minutes of speaking with Shorty Hayes, it’s clear that he’s not someone who’s scared of a little risk. He’s got an eye for opportunity and a willingness to seize the moment. And those traits certainly have served him well as an independent business owner — a...

The Nationwide Marketing Group product protection program has undergone a tremendous amount of improvement since the merger with MEGA in late 2017. And the product protection team believes that continuing to enhance the program offerings is critical to continued...

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then video, with its 30 pictures per second, weighs in at significantly more than a million words each minute. That’s a lot of information, persuasion and impact from an efficient and effective source.   Video amplifies your...

The question that every marketer wants to answer for their client is, “Are we helping you meet or exceed your goals?” Or, more specifically, “Can we directly credit our marketing efforts with an increase in your sales and revenue?”  The answer to this elusive question...

A lot has changed, but a lot has stayed the same. Today’s consumer may be more impatient and tech savvy, and technological disruption may have fundamentally changed the retail experience, but independent retailers can still thrive if they concentrate on doing what...