Smart Insights

Imagine growing sales while reducing the cost of business by carrying less inventory. Determining the magic balance between having sufficient product to meet customer demand without overstocking slow-movers has plagued retailers since the General Store.  When it comes to “building the ticket,” retailers know that additional revenue can be created by offering complementary merchandise to …

SmartShip™ Delivers Big Value: A Drop-Ship Solution for Home Furnishing Retailers Read More »

If the pandemic experience has taught us anything, it’s knowing how important it is for a business to shield itself from the impact of the disappearing customer. In the home furnishings retail business, success is determined by having enough customers that purchase enough products and provide enough margin to produce a profit. But when a …

Recurring Revenue is Your Retail Future Read More »

Like most organizations in 2020, ZucoraHome transitioned its teams to work remotely while facing business uncertainty. This happened at a time when we were implementing a company-wide digital transformation to meet customer needs. We also knew we needed to remain agile to ensure we retained our flexible employee culture. Every day, our team at ZucoraHome …

Maintaining a Winning Culture While Managing Change Read More »

As organizations transition to virtual workplaces, most of us have experienced the rewards and challenges of working remotely, and the pressure to work efficiently and effectively is even higher.  When you manage a team in a service-minded business, you want to keep the focus of your representatives where it belongs – on the customer. I …

Achieving Success in a Remote Customer Service Environment Read More »

As we celebrate our 153rd year of confederation, Canada Day is a time to pause and reflect on the many riches we enjoy as Canadians. From our long history of inhabitation by our indigenous peoples, to European colonization, followed by our present-day Canada; we have evolved to become a multicultural society marked by our peaceful …

Canada: The Land of Rich Diversity Read More »

It’s often said, “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it” – a message being severely tested during these challenging times. We are inspired by international leaders and health experts who under intense pressure, have risen to the challenge in dealing with these unprecedented difficulties.  Similarly, we watch the dismal failure of those who hold …

Why Doing the Right Thing Matters Read More »

An industry that is often considered by many to be slow-moving, laggard and evolutionary (not revolutionary), it only takes a visit to forward-thinking home furnishing retailers to see how technology has become an inherent component of new furniture, appliances, and bedding.

For the past 40 years, we’ve learned how Canadians have found innovative ways to mess up their home furnishings.

With the Internet at our fingertips, and customers often consulting reviews before making buying decisions, having a strategy to engage with customers through online reviews is more important than ever. Reviews provide valuable information about a business, making it useful for both the business and their customers. They also provide insight on what the company’s …

Embracing Online Reviews in a Customer Service Strategy Read More »

I recently watched an online video of two furniture industry veterans sharing their thoughts and discussing how retail is being impacted by the Internet. I was somewhat struck by their alarmist tone that the Internet is “killing” brick-and-mortar retailing and that traditional home furnishing retailers have forgotten what retail is all about.   I’m not sure …

Smart Retailers Get It. Read More »