Strategies Spring 2026_No Crops

OPERATIONS

LOYALTY IS STILL PERSONAL 5

Loyalty doesn’t have to rely on complex technology, and simple efforts often work best. Handwritten thank-you notes to loyal customers go a long way. Consistency, familiar faces and remembering customer details all reinforce that sense of connection. Hathaway says independent stores succeed when they embrace their roles in the communities they serve. “What you’re really selling is your community,” she says. “It’s not hardware as the product, it’s the relationship. You’re teaching. You’re trusted. You’re local. That’s how you win.”

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