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Independent Thinking Podcast

45: Podium Makes the Case for Adding a Texting Strategy to Your Retail Business

45: Podium Makes the Case for Adding a Texting Strategy to Your Retail Business

Jama Featherson, director of retail at Podium, jumps on the podcast to talk about their recent State of Local Business report. The deep dive, which tracked changes in consumer shopping behaviors in a pre- and post-COVID world, shows just how prevalent texting has become in the path to purchase.

44: What Makes a Virtual Event Work? The Mind Behind Virtual PrimeTime Shares Her Secrets

44: What Makes a Virtual Event Work? The Mind Behind Virtual PrimeTime Shares Her Secrets

There may be no one who knows what makes a PrimeTime show tick quite like Nationwide Marketing Group VP of Member Experience Melissa Stenson. After closing the books on the first-ever Virtual PrimeTime, she sat down with us talk about the keys to planning a successful virtual event.

43: For Pay-Less, Return on Website Investment Was Like Opening a New Store

43: For Pay-Less, Return on Website Investment Was Like Opening a New Store

Fred Pearson, owner of Pay-Less Furniture & Appliances, will be the first to admit he was very much against major investments into his online presence. But now, a little over a year since upgrading, his website has become one of the most successful “stores” in his company’s portfolio.

42: Defining Marketing Elasticity with Gardner’s Mattress and More

42: Defining Marketing Elasticity with Gardner’s Mattress and More

We don’t know how many independent retailers are also published authors, but Jeff Giagnocavo — co-owner of Gardner’s Mattress and More in Lancaster, PA — is one. And he spoke with us about one of his favorite topics, Marketing Elasticity, which he applies to his own retail outfit. 

41: A Digital Deep Dive with Jennifer Danko

41: A Digital Deep Dive with Jennifer Danko

The past 8 months have been a grueling test of the digital retail platforms that have long been touted as must-haves. And from what the team at Site on Time has seen, those who’ve made the investment are realizing a ton of success during this tough time.

40: A Crossover Episode With the Sleep Retailer Podcast

40: A Crossover Episode With the Sleep Retailer Podcast

Not long ago, we had Chris Schriever, publisher of Sleep Retailer, on the Independent Thinking Podcast to talk about the trends their following in the sleep space. Because they were SO impressed with us, they decided to have us on their podcast! Here’s the crossover episode of the Sleep Retailer Podcast, which you can find on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Go subscribe!

38: Catching Up on the Latest CE Trends with Dealerscope and Connected Design

38: Catching Up on the Latest CE Trends with Dealerscope and Connected Design

The consumer electronics industry is constantly finding ways to innovate itself — even when not forced to do so by the cloud of a global pandemic. We catch up with the editors at Dealerscope and Connected Design to talk about what they’re keeping an eye on in the CE space.

37: Google Chats About COVID’s Impact on Retail and Search Trends

37: Google Chats About COVID’s Impact on Retail and Search Trends

Ahead of the final quarter of 2020, we sat down with Patrick Tam, strategic partner manager at Google, to talk about trends in e-commerce and search that he’s been following and how COVID-19 has impacted them. Nationwide Marketing Group President of Digital & Technology Dev Mukherjee also joins in on the conversation.

36: Celebrating 130 Years in Business with Greer’s Home Furnishings

36: Celebrating 130 Years in Business with Greer’s Home Furnishings

Greer’s Home Furnishings first opened its doors in Loudon, Tennessee, in August of 1890. As the local retailer celebrates a major milestone, we caught up with three generations of the family-owned operation — which remains in the Greer lineage.

35: Talking with Element Electronics About Their Expansion Into Home Appliances with Nationwide

35: Talking with Element Electronics About Their Expansion Into Home Appliances with Nationwide

Element Electronics Co-president Vlad Kazhdan jumps onto the Independent Thinking Podcast to talk about the brand’s move into the home appliance industry. Element and Nationwide Marketing Group have partnered to roll out a new line of Element appliances exclusively for Nationwide dealers.

34: Fred’s Appliances Shoots On the Challenges in the Retail Supply Chain and More

34: Fred’s Appliances Shoots On the Challenges in the Retail Supply Chain and More

Troy Varness, general manager of Spokane-based retailer Fred’s Appliances, shares his experience running an appliance shop during COVID-19 and the challenges they’ve had to overcome in recent weeks. He also shares his experience as an early adopter of the NMG-exclusive Assortment Rationalization Tool.

33: Addressing the Challenges at Furniture Retail with Furniture Today

33: Addressing the Challenges at Furniture Retail with Furniture Today

Independent furniture retailers faced some major disadvantages during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke through those challenges and more with Furniture Today Senior Editor Powell Slaughter.

32: On the Challenges Appliance Retailers Face, with Grant Morgan of TWICE

32: On the Challenges Appliance Retailers Face, with Grant Morgan of TWICE

Appliance retailers across the country have had their fair share of obstacles to overcome over the past year, from tariff concerns, to coronavirus, to inventory shortages. We run through it all with Grant Morgan, senior editor at TWICE.

31: Sleep Retailer Talks About the Push to Modernize the Mattress Shopping Experience

31: Sleep Retailer Talks About the Push to Modernize the Mattress Shopping Experience

Mattress retailers have been forced to take a hard look at their business model in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We chat with Chris Schriever, publisher of Sleep Retailer, about the modernization of the mattress category, and more. 

30: Diving Deep Into Custom Integration Trends with CE Pro Chief Content Officer Jason Knott

30: Diving Deep Into Custom Integration Trends with CE Pro Chief Content Officer Jason Knott

Continuing our trade media partner series on the Independent Thinking Podcast, Jason Knott, Chief Content Officer at CE Pro, hops on to talk about his recent coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges technology integrators face and more.

28: SUNHEAT International Dishes On their 13th Annual Golf Charity Event

28: SUNHEAT International Dishes On their 13th Annual Golf Charity Event

Josh Rookstool, director of sales for SUNHEAT International, talks about the family-owned brand and shares the latest on their plans to hold their 13th annual SUNHEAT Open charity golf event, set for July 31. Head over to sunheat.com for all the details!

27: Understanding ART, Nationwide’s New Assortment Rationalization Tool

27: Understanding ART, Nationwide’s New Assortment Rationalization Tool

Art can certainly be beautiful. But the ART that we’re referring to here is Nationwide’s new Assortment Rationalization Tool. Data visualizations, which is the simplest way to describe ART, can certainly be beautiful in their own way. And this type of ART promises to streamline an independent retailer’s business.

26: Bray & Scarff Dishes on Their Digital Upgrades and Getting Back to Business

26: Bray & Scarff Dishes on Their Digital Upgrades and Getting Back to Business

Joe Ochs, the VP of Sales for Bray & Scarff, a DC-Baltimore-based appliance retailer and kitchen design outfit, chats about what it’s been like managing more than a dozen stores during the coronavirus pandemic, the digital efforts of the retailer, and how they’re preparing to fully reopen their stores.