Fall 2018 Hardlines Strategies

HARDLINES

DISTRIBUTING RETAIL PROFITABILITY

FALL 2018, VOL. 18, 2

Bigger, Better in Nebraska

Triple O’s Building Supply Takes on Challenges of Larger Location Page 8

Also in this Issue: Hermitage Lumber Expands Page14 FallMarket Preview Page24 Protecting Employees FromHarassment Page 34

Brand Power You Won’t Find Anywhere Else.

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THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Investing In Your Business

Contents Ask the Expert .4 Customer Feature .8 Triple O’s Building Supply Customer Feature 14 Hermitage Lumber Smart-Tech Products 20 Fall Market Preview 24 John H. Mize Retirement 32 Protecting Employees From Harassment 34 Communicating With Millennial Employees 36 NRHA Scholarship Program 38 Hardware House 40 News. 42 On the Cover: Triple O’s Building Supply’s assistant manager Sean Doyle and store manager Tim O’Connell.

I n our industry lately, there is a lot of talk about investments—the when, where, why and how of making them. As you go through the year, you should think carefully about who is making an investment in you—or, more specifically, in you and your business. At Blish-Mize, we pride ourselves on being involved with and invested in our customers. We are a family-owned and -operated company that’s been

part of the industry for five generations. Unlike other distributors, we don’t ask for money up front, or hold money until you spend a certain amount with us. We believe in simple principles of success and trust, and we invest in your progress and growth. We support our customers in whatever way they need, whenever they need it, however they need it, and in a way that makes them profitable. Just as we at Blish-Mize are investing in you, we’re excited to see our customers investing in expansion. For example, Triple O’s Building Supply in Sidney, Nebraska, recently moved from a 2,800-square-foot store to a 10,000-square-foot facility. They are adding more jobs and more product offerings, and most importantly, investing in the people of their community. Read more about their success on Page 8. Another customer, Hermitage Lumber in Hermitage, Missouri, opened a new store in their community in March. Larry Lightfoot, who has been managing that store since 1995 and has been coming to the Blish-Mize Buying Markets for just as long, knew that making an investment in improvements was a sure path to success. Read more on Page 14. We hope you will join us at our Fall Buying Market, Sept. 20-22, in Overland Park, Kansas. We will celebrate our customers two nights in a row, with a special MVP Buying Event on Thursday night and a tailgate extravaganza on Friday night. As always, Blish-Mize will offer amazing pricing for this buying weekend. We also will be holding some top-notch educational seminars in partnership with industry experts on retail accounting, Google AdWords and social media basics for your store. And, of course, we will have BBQ. As we like to say about this event: “Fall Has It All!” We look forward to seeing you there and showing you how we invest our time, energy and resources into helping your business be the success it should be. If I can ever be of any assistance, or if you have any comments on how we can improve our service to your business, please feel free to reach me at 1-800-995-0525, ext. 138, or jonathan@blishmize.com. 

Advertising Information Hardlines Strategies is published twice every year by Blish-Mize. Copyright 2018. For advertising rates and deadlines, please contact:

Blish Connor Blish-Mize

223 S. Fifth St., Box 249 Atchison, Kansas 66002 Toll free: (800) 995-0525 (913) 367-1250

Jonathan D. Mize CEO and President

(913) 375-2505 (cell) (913) 367-0667 (fax) e-mail: blish.connor@blishmize.com

Blish-Mize isamember-owner ofDistributionAmerica

Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2018 3

ASK THE EXPERT

What’s Your Plan? Effective Marketing Can Help Bring in More Customers, Boost Sales Y ou put a lot of time and energy toward your marketing efforts.

It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle of the different types of marketing available, especially as digital marketing continues to become more and more popular. So how can you make sure you are making the best decisions for your business? To learn more about what you can do to market your business and how Blish-Mize can help, we spoke with Jason Drury, marketing director with Blish-Mize. You want your community to know about your store, the products you sell and the services you provide.

Why is it important to put together a marketing plan?

Jason Drury (JD): It’s a good way to make sure you’re promoting the right products at the right times. Having a plan of

Are there any marketing trends retailers should know about as they create marketing campaigns? JD: Video marketing is the newest thing now. It’s quick and easy to film a 30-second clip on your phone and post it on your company’s Facebook page. You can use these clips to promote different vendors or talk about products. It’s just a quick little window into your business to let customers see what you have going on. You can do a series of videos and develop a style,

what you want to market and when is great. For example, it’s a good idea to look at upcoming holidays and products you can promote in conjunction with those holidays. I think promotions are so important for customers to look at—not just seasonally, but on the pricing side, too. Remember, if you aren’t selling something in your store, then your customers are buying it somewhere else, so it’s important to know what you should be selling and the best ways to advertise those products.

add a little humor. Post the videos regularly, and soon your customers will be waiting for the next one. How can retailers decide who should be in charge of their marketing? JD: Business owners are so busy and have so much to think about each day. It’s a good idea for them to delegate marketing to a staff member or someone who is savvy with social media, especially in this day and age, when digital marketing is so popular.

4 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

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Terms and Conditions: This is not a game of chance. Void where prohibited. Offer only available at the participating Blish Mize show location. Offer valid on purchases made from 09/20/2018 through 09/22/2018, while supplies last. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Redemption items will be provided at the time of purchase. Original invoices evidencing qualifying purchases must be provided. No cash value. Offer not valid with any other offer or promotion. D E WALT, BLACK+DECKER, STANLEY, BOSTITCH and PORTER-CABLE reserves the right to provide alternate redemption items of equal or greater value. Blish Mize and D E WALT, BLACK+DECKER, STANLEY, BOSTITCH and PORTER-CABLE reserve the right to limit number of redemptions per customer and/or transaction. Offer subject to change without notice. For multiple purchase promotions, products must be purchased in one transaction, on one invoice/receipt not cumulative. Qualifying purchase amount does not include taxes. Products purchased are valid towards one offer only. GDS/17-627706

ASK THE EXPERT

Even if retailers put their employees in charge of marketing, the owner can still monitor what’s being done before anything is published. Plus, that employee can take that project and make it their own. They may start contributing more of their own ideas, and they can put together a schedule of when they want to send out different e-blasts or publish different social media posts. What are some steps retailers can take to ensure they’re selling the right products? JD: Retailers should listen to their customers and watch what’s going on with their buying activities. They should ask them questions about the products they’re looking for. How many people are looking for that same item? Then retailers might be able to gain information about their market and have a better idea of what products to offer. They should also ask what people are using a product for. They can learn what different uses there are for different items and share those ideas with their customers.

Everyone is coming in looking for something. As you carry on a conversation with a customer, you can learn more about what they’re looking for and find out how to best meet their needs. How does Blish-Mize help retailers with their marketing efforts? JD: Blish-Mize offers tons of services. On our website, we have a list of our advertising programs. (Learn more in the tear-out card included in this issue!) We can create custom signage for a store or help customers put together personalized circulars. We also offer programs like AdExpress and Sign Studio, and customers can use these really simplified programs that are very interactive and easy to use. They can create statement stuffers or mass mailings, or the digital versions of these items to send out via email or post online. We have services to build and develop websites or social media pages. Our customers supply the information and maintain the page, but we can help get them up and running. The Buying Markets Blish-Mize hosts in Overland Park each spring and fall offer

the perfect opportunity for retailers to learn more about a host of things relating to their business, including marketing, and to help them find new assortments and new merchandising techniques. Our customers can call their sales representatives or the marketing department at any time, tell us what services they are looking for, and we will help them out. Just email us at marketing@blishmize.com. The support staff at Blish-Mize is always here to help. We want our customers to be successful in their selling, and we’re here to help however we can.

Scan this QR code to watch a video about the Blish-Mize Buying Market.

6 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

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Crossing the Train Tracks Triple O’s Building Supply Making Most of New Space

Triple O’s Building Supply moved to a new location in April 2018. Previously, the Sidney, Nebraska, business had occupied multiple buildings in a hard-to-reach area of town. Now the store has a more open setup and parking area for customers to enjoy.

That all changed earlier this year. In April 2018, Triple O’s moved to a new location south of the train tracks that is more accessible for customers railroad with few crossings limited traffic, while a small salesfloor meant hardware items were a lower priority. G etting to Triple O’s Building Supply wasn’t always so easy. When the business sat on the north side of Sidney, Nebraska, a

Reimagining Triple O’s “We’ve always been the go-to for building supplies in the area, from roof shingles down to flooring, which we had a dedicated show room for at the old location,” O’Connell says. “Retail and hardware items were not a priority before, because we couldn’t devote space to them. Now, they’re what we’re basing the entire remodel around.” Filling the much larger space during the move was one of the first challenges for the Triple O’s team, one which Blish-Mize was able to assist in overcoming. Having been a Blish-Mize customer since 1986, Triple O’s has held on to its independent roots throughout its near four decades of operation. That played heavily into O’Connell’s decision to originally join with Blish-Mize as a distributor and has

and in clear view of passing traffic moving between the downtown area and a business district straddling the main highway. The business expanded from 2,800 square feet of salesfloor separated into several buildings to 10,000 square feet of retail space, along with its lumberyard storage. The new location for Triple O’s also used to be an independent hardware retail store, but with a much different layout and design than Triple O’s original location. This not only shifted the store’s location, says co-manager Tim O’Connell, who runs the business alongside business partner Sean Doyle, but the increased space on the salesfloor and new customer visibility has changed the entire customer dynamic at Triple O’s.

8 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

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kept those ties strong through the ups and downs of the business. “We’ve been approached over the years by other companies, but we’ve maintained we can grow better with Blish-Mize. They fit our size, and they’ve never strayed from the family feel of the business,” O’Connell says. “They don’t tell you how to run your business, but they’re a great resource to help you do so. “They’ve been good to us, through the bad times and the good, and this new location should bring more of the good,” he says.

At the new location, the staff opted for wider aisles to emphasize the open and bright salesfloor. Cabinets and seasonal items sit near the main entrance for customers to see upon first entering, showing off the store’s increased product diversity. The main checkout and service counter sits right at the end of a wide power aisle through the middle of the store. This allows staff to see customers when they enter and draws customers through the store on their way back to see an employee for assistance. The back area by the counter also features picnic tables that were

custom-made for the store by a local craftsman, with snacks and drinks available for purchase. The power tools are in sight of this area, making it a great spot for customers to mull over their purchasing decisions. “It really was a blessing that we got this location without remaining inventory. This gave us a chance to really take a look at how we wanted to use the space,” Doyle says. “We were so used to trying to pack everything into a smaller area that we needed to see how a salesfloor could look with fewer gondolas and more space for customers. It’s an inviting look that customers have really responded to.” While the move has done wonders for the retail hardware sales and walk-in traffic at Triple O’s, there are a few aspects of the new location that the team is still working on. O’Connell and Doyle are still looking into how to best organize the lumberyard and maximize its efficiency after moving from the old location. “We’re still learning how we want to merchandise items, and how we want to change the store to suit our needs,”

“We’re still learning how we want to merchandise items, and how we want to change the store to suit our needs. The positive response we’ve gotten so far has us all feeling this is going to be something that really attracts customers and

draws in new faces for us.” —Sean Doyle, assistant manager

Customers coming into Triple O’s Building Supply’s new location first see a wide main aisle with a service and checkout counter straight ahead. The team behind Triple O’s used the new space to widen aisles and better merchandise their main product categories.

10 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

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Doyle says. “The positive response we’ve gotten so far has us all feeling this is going to be something that really attracts customers and draws in new faces for us.” Helping Hand Given the task of operating a store in transition over several months, O’Connell and Doyle can be forgiven for allowing frustrations to rise during the process. The store remained open at the old location even as products were being transported across town, requiring employees to be constantly on the move bringing products to customers and providing them with any items they needed. The co-managers were eager for some help in setting up their new location. A Blish-Mize team was able to spend over a week assisting Triple O’s in merchandising and configuring the

new store, O’Connell says, with the goal of being fully open and stocked on April 1. “There were more than a few late nights, because we had set a date we wanted to meet,” O’Connell says. “The Blish-Mize team has been nothing but friendly and easy to work with, but more than that, we can trust their advice and guidance on setting up the store. They’re still helping us as we find our footing in this space, and that’s been a huge factor in keeping us on track as a business.” While assistance with merchandising the new salesfloor has kept stress down at Triple O’s, there have been other ways Blish-Mize has been a strong partner for the building supply store, O’Connell and Doyle say. The business’s primary competition in Sidney is a family-owned regional business, as well as several other independent stores, but the true

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challenge comes from keeping area customers from driving 40 miles south to Sterling, Colorado, to visit the big-box stores there. Doyle cites Blish-Mize’s ability to shop prices for quality products as being a factor in maintaining Triple O’s market share in the area, as well as how the distributor’s purchasing system allows it to monitor its sales history and maintain margins. Hardware House items like vanities and cabinets have been popular product areas as well. “We have people who might come into the store because they’re long-time customers, but if we’re going to compete for the walk-in customer, we have to be priced right,” Doyle says. “Customers are extremely knowledgeable when they come in the door, and with every purchase, they’re weighing whether a trip out of town is worth it.”

The Triple O’s team consists of (front row, left to right) managers Tim O’Connell and Sean Doyle and (back row left to right) Nick Ford, Judy Abrams and Kolton O’Connell. Not pictured are Dave Gray, Brady Holtz and Jakob Centeno.

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Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2018 13

CUSTOMER PROFILE

Wide Open Spaces Missouri Lumberyard Expands to New Horizons

The family, led by owner Maurice Pitts, runs multiple businesses. Along with a real estate agency, a mobile home/RV dealership and a farm raising Angus cattle is the business that now shares a roof with those operations: Hermitage Lumber. Pitts and his family have been in the Hermitage, Missouri, area since the 1970s, becoming pillars of the community with their business ventures serving nearby lake and vacation communities in the area. In 1995, Hermitage Lumber, which was then called Sallee Lumber and sat in the middle of town along the main east-west road, was looking to close its doors after the primary owner had passed away and the family didn’t intend to continue running it. Having seen the importance of having a lumberyard and hardware store close by and serving the town, Pitts decided to purchase the business and add to his collection of operations. The company proceeded from there in its original location until it became clear that its small size was holding it back. Specifically, the small parking lot meant customers would often keep driving if there were too many cars in the lot, Pitts says. A small salesfloor and the lack of storage space also hindered business and forced backstock to be stored in other locations and facilities tied to Pitts’ family businesses. many balls in the air as the Pitts family is, it helps to have a lot of space to work in. W hen you’re juggling as

Hermitage Lumber recently moved into a new location just outside Hermitage, Missouri. The new store location shares a building with other businesses owned by the Pitts family.

14 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

CUSTOMER PROFILE

“We were locked into the property and had nowhere to expand. The old location was on a hill as well, which made things difficult for a lumberyard,” Pitts says. “About three years ago, we started the conversation about finding a new location for Hermitage Lumber.” That conversation ended this past March, with the opening of the new Hermitage Lumber location. Built on property that the Pitts family has owned since 1978 and that abuts Pitts Angus Farms, the new store takes up 10,000 square feet of a 40,000-square-foot main building, with 22 acres of lumberyard space, an expansive parking area and multiple new buildings in which to store additional products. The building, which is just south of the Hermitage border along a road

leading to an area lake, now serves as the offices for many of the other Pitts business ventures, and even has room for other businesses to rent for their own office space. The 10,000 square feet set aside for Hermitage Lumber is just its retail space and doesn’t include several open areas and offices that have been built in case further expansion is needed. New Store, New You Hermitage Lumber’s new location has also brought a new kind of clientele. The change has been prevalent enough that while the store still serves the building needs of its communities, just like it always has, the business has taken on more of a home store feel, says Larry Lightfoot, general manager of Hermitage Lumber.

Lightfoot, who runs the store alongside his wife Cindy, has seen the product mix grow at the same rate as the salesfloor. With more space, Hermitage Lumber was able to expand its paint, plumbing and power tool departments and merchandise in a way to take advantage of the sight lines along the store’s power aisle. It also brought in some items Lightfoot was more than skeptical about at first. “I was absolutely against bringing in items like wind chimes, outdoor lawn ornaments and those types of products. I firmly thought there was no way to sell those items out of a hardware store,” Lightfoot says. “Well, those are some of the biggest sellers among all of our stock, and not just among the things that are new in the store. We’ve really grown as our customers have changed.”

The large, open salesfloor at the new Hermitage Lumber location allows for a much more robust paint section as well as upgraded merchandising displays for items like power tools and home water heaters.

16 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

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A lot of the conversations about diversifying the product lines started months before the grand opening, Lightfoot says. Blish-Mize personnel were involved from the moment the plans for the new building were finalized, looking into how the salesfloor could be laid out and how to use the abundance of new space. “(Regional sales manager) Janet Elias and all of the Blish-Mize team were just as excited as I was that we were going to have this new store,” Lightfoot says. “Blish-Mize had a team here twice, measuring the space, assembling shelves and merchandising fixtures and offering their expertise on how we could grow. They really got us ready to open, and five months later they’re still integral to our success. Jan Pitts, Maurice’s wife, says the difference in how customers are approaching the store is as great as

The Pitts family (from left, Robb, Jan, Maurice and Billy Pitts) own Hermitage Lumber along with numerous other businesses. Day-to-day operations are handled by Cindy and Larry Lightfoot (far right).

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18 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

night and day. More female customers visit the store, often by themselves, which wasn’t the case at the old location, she says. Grills and leisure items for vacation homes have also grown in sales since the move, Lightfoot says. However, some things have not changed a bit, including how strongly the store and its employees support one of the largest local attractions, Lucas Oil Speedway in nearby Wheatland, Missouri. “Every weekend, you can find the Hermitage Lumber truck at the track, and a lot of our customers know of us through our work to promote local organizations like that,” Lightfoot says. “We serve a very local customer base and people that do a lot of projects on their own. We’re going to supply those customers, but we’re doing it in such a larger and more diverse way now that we have the new location.”

With the new space available after moving locations, Hermitage Lumber was able to expand its product selection to include housewares and other less-traditional items, attracting new customers.

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6/25/18 4:17 PM Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2018 19

TECHNOLOGY

Creating Smart Homes and Jobsites Learn More About These High-Tech Smart Home Products at the Blish-Mize Fall Buying Market

S mart homes continue to get smarter, as more and more high-tech products come on the market.

Now, with a smartphone and WiFi connection, in seconds, you can close your garage, adjust your thermostat, turn on your lights and lock your doors, all with just a few quick taps on your phone. According to several manufacturers of smart home products, one common trend is hubless technology. Many products can run without additional hardware or any extra devices—a router and WiFi signal is all that’s required. A second trend is using a home assistant, such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa or Apple HomePod, to control these products. Consumers prefer streamlining smart home control by utilizing one easy-to-use device to control everything. However, smart products aren’t just for homes. The smart, high-tech trend carries over to work, too, as manufacturers have put together digital solutions to manage tools on the jobsite. Read on to learn more about how to sell these smart-home products, and to see some new products that are the talk of the industry. Take some time to visit these vendors and see other smart-home products at the Fall Buying Market Sept. 20-22.

How To Sell It As a retailer, how can you best sell these products? Several manufacturers suggest setting up a smart home section in your store. Rather than spacing out these products in each of their own specific departments, try putting together a 4-foot or 8-foot section, or an endcap, where you can show off all the products you offer in one place. Additionally, it allows customers to see firsthand one of the best features about these products: how they can work together. A display like this may increase your transaction size, too, as many consumers who come in looking for one

smart home item could choose to buy several that are compatible and add the smart capability to several areas of their homes or jobsites. Also consider making the display one that customers can try. Use an old smartphone so they can remotely control a light, a lock and a garage door, or see how a tool inventory system works. Work with manufacturers to help market their products in your store. Many will provide you with POP materials for your displays. Some will have more information, such as how-to videos, on their websites. Share that information with customers so they can go online to learn more.

20 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

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Decora Smart ™ Leviton’s Decora Smart line of dimmers, switches and outlets allows users to control lighting and electronics in their homes through an app on their smartphones. One switch can control multiple lights, which can be turned on and off from a phone or set to a specific schedule. Plug-ins for the lights allow consumers to control their lamps and appliances whether they’re at home or away, making it easy for them to ensure a porch light is always on when it’s dark, or a home looks lived in while they’re out of town.

Kevo With Kwikset’s Kevo system, a smartphone can become the key to a door. Users install the app on their phone, and with it running and Bluetooth enabled, all they need to do to unlock the door is touch their phone to the lock. They can even give out eKeys, or electronic keys, to give someone else access to their home. It’s easy to send an electronic key to a relative, friend or contractor who’s stopping by so they can access the home while the homeowner is away. The key can be set to work for a certain amount of time, or on a certain day.

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MyQ ® Chamberlain’s MyQ WiFi garage door openers allow users to remotely open and close their garage doors. They can receive notifications if the door has been opened, closed or left open for a set period. It can also act as a hub to control their lighting, thermostats and more. A WiFi connection in the garage is all that’s required. The MyQ Smart Garage Hub can retro fit most any brand of garage door opener. It uses a home WiFi network to monitor and manage your garage door from anywhere.

ONE-KEY Smart products aren’t just for the home. Milwaukee Tool’s ONE-KEY digital platform is perfect for the jobsite. It helps contractors build a digital inventory, allowing them to quickly see which tools they carry, and track their usage and location. Tools can be assigned to workers and locked and unlocked through the app. With Bluetooth and geofencing, tools can even be set so they can only be used within a certain perimeter, making them less desirable to steal and ensuring they won’t be used outside of the jobsite.

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MARKET PREVIEW

Find It All This Fall Get Ready for Big Savings at the Fall Buying Market

Blish-Mize customers can expect great savings and plenty of fun activities at the 2018 Fall Buying Market in Overland Park, Kansas.

Y ou’ll feel like the most important person in the room in September, as the Blish-Mize Fall Buying Market brings back its MVP Showstoppers event for the second Market in a row.

The Fall Buying Market, set for Sept. 20-22 at the Overland Park Convention Center in Overland Park, Kansas, will feature vendors from all over the globe, along with discounts, buying programs and special prices that can only be found at the Market. The weather is cooling down, but sales are heating up. The Most Valuable Profits (MVP) Showstoppers event will make its return after a successful opening at the Spring Buying Market, offering a first look at the Market floor without the pressure of making purchases.

Entertainment, food and drinks will be provided. “Our MVP Showstoppers event at the Spring Market was a big hit with our customers, so we’re excited to once again offer a first-look opportunity at the show floor in a way that helps our customers plan their strategy early,” says Blish Connor, director of communications for Blish-Mize. On top of the deals and the fun over the weekend, guest speakers will be available to talk about online

24 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

advertising tricks, as well as how social media can impact your business. Other favorites from Markets in the past will also return, like THE 24 and Assortment Central. “Our deals allow our customers to really take advantage of the Buying Market, and we’re also hoping to put on a great show for everyone with a lot of fun for the whole family,” says Connor. Be the MVP The MVP Event will return this fall, kicking off the Buying Market on Thursday, September 20, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Market floor will be open and will have amazing deals, food and live entertainment. Showstopper spiffs will be available only from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., so plan to arrive early to take advantage of the special pricing on our Showstoppers, which will include 16 individual items you won’t want to miss. Purchase any eight Showstoppers items to earn an additional $50 cash spiff, as long as the minimum quantities are met. (Orders must be placed at the Blish-Mize spiff booth, and only one order/spiff per retail location will be accepted. Showstoppers orders must be placed during the MVP Showstoppers event.) “We see the MVP event as a way to thank our customers for making the Market such an important event in their year and in their business’s schedule,” says Jason Drury, director of marketing with Blish-Mize. “The MVP event is a great opener to all of the Blish-Mize Buying Market events and deals!” he says. App in Hand Don’t forget to download one item that can make your Market experience a breeze. The Blish-Mize Markets app is set up to streamline your entire visit and make the most of your time on the floor and in Overland Park.

Speaker Schedule Learning opportunities abound at the Buying Market. Don’t miss these speakers.

Friday, Sept. 21 10 a.m. Basic Retail Accounting Practices

Scott Wright, executive director of the Retail Leadership Institute for the North American Retail Hardware Association, will offer a lesson and recap on basic accounting practices every retailer should have in their skillset.

2 p.m. The Value of Google Advertising

Small business marketing expert Jeff Randolph speaks about how digital advertising can help your business make an impact online. Saturday, Sept. 22 10 a.m. Social Media Tips and Tricks For Your Business Jody Maude, advertising and communications director for Distribution America, will discuss the benefits and challenges of social media for independent retailers.

Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2018 25

MARKET PREVIEW

Starting Smart Make the most of your time at the Market by looking ahead using your customized SmartBook. The booklet, available online or in print, is specific to your store and can help you make smart buying decisions both before you attend the Market and during your time in Overland Park. The SmartBook includes your past purchases out of the warehouse for the past 12 months. It also has ordering amounts for the next three and six months to help better plan your purchases. The booklets showcase three groups of items. The first group is the key-selling “Market Coupon Items.” The second group is any new items that Blish-Mize has added from that vendor in the last year. The third group will be the balance of the items you have purchased, sorted in quantity order.

“We’re always looking for ways to make the Market experience less stressful and more enjoyable for our customers,” says Drury. “The app does both by offering scheduling information, easing registration hassles and keeping our customers on track to accomplish their goals,” he says. The app, which the Blish-Mize team first showcased during the Spring Buying Market, is available for free for Apple and Android devices. Find it in the Apple App Store or in Google Play. When you arrive at the Market, your sales rep is informed, and the app allows you to make an appointment, right on your phone, to meet at the convention center. This works for any Blish-Mize team member and even allows you to add notes on what you’d like to discuss.

Venue information allows you to check on meal times, and it offers notifications for events like product demonstrations. You can even add a personal to-do list to make sure you circle back to a vendor you might have missed or look further into a product to find some more information. Another key tool for your Market experience is the Blish-Mize product catalog app. This lists real-time product and inventory information and has UPC barcode-scanning capabilities and customizable sorting options that show your personalized purchase information. With the catalog app, you can place orders from your smartphone or tablet, at the Buying Market or at your business. Search “Blish-Mize” in the Apple App Store or in Google Play to find these apps.

Assortment Central returns for the Fall Buying Market, showing off some of the hottest items of the season and how they can be displayed to draw in customers and boost sales.

The Blish-Mize Markets app is available for Apple and Android smartphones.

26 Fall 2018 • Hardlines Strategies

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MARKET PREVIEW

Can’t-Miss Opportunities Friday morning before the floor opens for customers is a great time to check out Assortment Central. This area offers popular displays and merchandising techniques in multiple categories, showcasing a few tips that might help your store back home. Pair these merchandising tricks with Market-only discounts to take your store to the next level. THE 24 makes its return to the Buying Market with another 24 popular products selected by Blish-Mize that

can help your business prepare for the coming winter months. These products, which are from all different categories, will be offered with special deals that can be had only during Market hours. Orders qualify for prize tickets when submitted at participating vendor booths. What are the hottest new products to hit hardware store shelves, and where can they be found? At the “What’s New!?” section, you’ll find all the latest advances in product technology and new-to-the-industry items.

Take a look at what your store could use and how you can build your product diversity for the future. Hardware House The Spring Buying Market brought the unveiling of a new line of vanities under the Hardware House umbrella of products. To see the full lineup of Hardware House products that are available to Blish-Mize customers, which includes products in bath fixtures, fans, lighting, ceiling fans and locksets, among others, be sure to take time to stop by the Hardware House booth at the Fall Buying Market. The vanity additions include a range of colors, styles and finishes, with options for pre-assembled sets or unassembled products. Each Hardware House item is covered by the Blish-Mize manufacturer’s warranty. There are thousands of items currently available in the Hardware House lineup,

What are the hottest new products to hit hardware store shelves, and where can they be found? At the “What’s New!?” section, you’ll find all the latest advances in product technology and new-to-the-industry items.

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Digital Marketing and Your Small Business At the Buying Market, learn more about different types of digital marketing, including search engine marketing, Facebook marketing and email marketing.

“These three top types of proven digital marketing strategies directly contribute to your bottom line,” Randolph says. ”This session will equip you with actionable strategies you can put to work right away. Make every minute and dollar you invest in marketing count!”

Marketing expert Jeff Randolph will speak at the Market about these types of marketing and how they can positively impact your business and its online presence. Search engine marketing includes location listings, such as Yelp, Apple Maps and Google. It includes a balance of paid (such as Google AdWords) and unpaid (such as search engine optimization, or SEO) marketing. Email marketing helps you connect to your best customers by delivering valuable content to your target audience.

Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2018 29

MARKET PREVIEW

and Blish-Mize is continuing to add even more products. Learn more about Hardware House’s offerings in the story on Page 40. Tailgate Time Don’t let Friday’s fun wear you down, because the party really gets going once the Market doors close. At 5:30 p.m. Friday, Blish-Mize will offer barbecue dinner and the Kansas City Royals on the big screen for customers to enjoy. There will be tailgate games for the whole family to play, with different games being sponsored by Market vendors. “It’s tailgate season, and getting the family together to enjoy barbecue and baseball is something everyone can enjoy,” Connor says. “We appreciate our customers taking time to join us at the Markets. It will be great for everyone to enjoy each other’s company and cheer on the Royals,” she says.

Don’t forget to stop by the Hardware House display area on the show floor. At every Buying Market, this section features the latest in the line’s vanities, lighting and more.

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Market Schedule Thursday, Sept. 20 4-8 p.m. . Market floor is open for MVP Showstoppers event. Showstopper spiffs available 4-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21 7:30 a.m. . Coffee and doughnut wall 8 a.m. . Market opens 10 a.m . . “Basic Retail Accounting Practices,” presented by Scott Wright, NRHA’s executive director of the Retail Leadership Institute 12 p.m. ������������������������������������������������������������������������������Lunch 2 p.m. . “The Value of Google Advertising,” presented by marketing expert Jeff Randolph 5 p.m. . Cash and prize giveaway

5:30 p.m. . Market closes 5:30 p.m. . Customer appreciation celebration with barbecue and the Kansas City Royals broadcast Saturday, Sept. 22 6:45 a.m. . Gourmet coffee and bagels 7 a.m. . Market opens 10 a.m. . “Social Media Tips and Tricks For Your Business,” presented by Jody Maude, Distribution America 11:30 a.m. . Cash and prize giveaways 12 p.m. . Market closes

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