Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/679158
H a r d w a r e & H o u s e w a r e s R e v i e w T h u r s d a y, M a y 5 , 2 0 1 6 3 4 won't split, are not affected by moisture, won't grow mold and will last forever. Another unique feature is that the shims are designed to snap in half in case there is a need for a thinner shim. This is ideal for the contractor looking to eliminate waste and save money. The SmartWedge family also includes Wedges, Hanger or Horseshoe Shims, Flat Shims, Blocks and Combi- Wedges. SmartWedge products can be used for window and door framing, cabi- O verland C o nstructio n (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) nets, floor and deck installations and for many other building applications. They are also great leveling devices. These products are available in indi- vidual case quantities, assorted sizes in a see-through plastic TransPack, or in smaller quantities as Hanger Cards to be displayed hanging from your shelves. Visit Overland Construction Supply at booth #7657 and take advantage of its spe- cial show offer. For more information, go to www.smartwedge.com, email info@ smartwedge.com or call 800.610.7250. HHR: What emerging trends does Hydrofarm believe retailers should capi- talize on? GT: There is an increasing interest in planting and growing year-round indoors, including urban growing in con- tainers, among all age groups. A large part of this is the rapidly growing enthu- siasm among "foodies" and organics devotees for greater self-sufficiency in food supply, sustainable products, organ- ic nutrients, LED lighting, next-genera- tion fluorescent fixtures, and HID sodi- um and halide lighting. Customers are beginning to look for – and increasingly expect to see – these products in hard- ware and garden center stores. The bot- tom line is: make it easy for your cus- tomers to be successful in indoor garden- H ydro farm (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) ing, and you will see growth and increased profits. HHR: What can Hydrofarm offer hard- ware retailers to help them grow into emerging markets? GT: We offer everything they need! We can provide the products, information and expertise that will help them add extra profits and feed the passions of consumers who want to grow indoors during fall and winter. We also offer training related to specific products, Plan-O-Grams to fit retailers' needs, Point Of Sale displays and other forms of support. For more information, go to www.hydro farmgc.com, call 800.634.9990, email info@hydrofarm.com or stop by booth #10338. NEATFREAK AND THE E-COMMERCE EXPERIENCE An interview with Glenn Burton, Director, International Sales and e-Commerce, neatfreak Group. HHR: What are the most noticeable trends in e-commerce purchases over the past year? GB: The constant you can always count on with e-commerce is change – where and when customers are shopping, how they're paying and how they tell us about their purchase is ever-changing. The elephant in the room has always been: who pays for freight and how is that factored into the product costing and profit margin model? There continues to be a shift for bigger brick and mortar retailers to use their store inventory as omni-channel inventory. Retailers have discovered their customers really like the "click and pick" option. When customers buy online and then pick up in store, they will add to their purchase and increase the checkout cart value. However, cus- tomers are savvy and they want to pay the same price online as in-store. This puts pressure on the retailer, especially when they offer free shipping. This has led many retailers to put minimum checkout value thresholds in order to qualify for free shipping. I am seeing more innovative tools and creative approaches by retailers to solve this conundrum. Bundling has become a very effective tool. Why offer only single items to sell when you can offer your customer a natural bundle of products? Additional online tools that help with add-on sales are not only becoming the norm, they are becoming very creative. This is especially exciting since the playing field for content inter- action is taking place on an ever-decreas- ing space: your mobile device. Leading retailers know these tools help drive the order value up and thus create a desirable shipping-cost-to-order-value ratio. HHR: How has this trend changed sell- ing home organization prod- ucts online? GB: I think home organiza- tion products have tradition- ally had some challenges selling online. High cube with low retail are two fac- tors that challenge the profitability of selling items like hampers, bins, baskets and low priced household products. Neatfreak has taken some of these online challenges and created some fantastic solutions. We have turned some of our best selling baskets and hampers into "knock-down" versions. These products are now ideally suited for the omni-chan- nel environment, especially from the shipping cost perspective. We have also addressed the packaging issue on our products. We know a single product is going to be handled multiple times and in various conditions in omni- channel processing. The package has to protect the product and it has to withstand the rigors of shipping and handling. This is the part that is unique to brands like neatf- reak. We want our products to have the "wow" factor when the customer opens their just-delivered courier package. We avoid the "lunch bag letdown" of opening a package only to find the item purchased is wrapped in a yellowed brown box or flimsy poly bag. We support the connec- tion our retail partners have with their cus- tomers by using the best packaging and branding experience – one that customers love telling us about online. HHR: How does neatfreak support the online experience? GB: People are using mobile devices more often to buy. They depend on prod- uct reviews and social media to confirm their purchase decisions. They want see how-to-assemble videos, aspirational images and creative product descriptions. Neatfreak saw these trends develop- ing, and in turn, is continuing modifying our digital assets. We are challenged to connect our on-package marketing with online digital packaging and then infuse both of these with social network conver- sations. When a brand can create conver- sation and loyalty with its customers/fol- lowers, you have something very special. For more information, go to www.neat freak.com or email info@neatfreak.com. FIBERIXX BY DAFF In recent years, incredible products have been made out of recycled plastic bottles. Daff has taken that to the table- top by developing Fiberixx. Made from 100 percent recycled plastic water bot- tles, Fiberixx is a new line of eco- friendly tabletop textiles with clean, fashionable style. Fiberixx helps to reduce plastic waste by recycling water bottles into a product that is machine washable, color- safe and protects surfaces from conden- sation and heat. The patented process has the same high absorption as wool, and comes in select colors and neutrals. These premium quality recycled textiles are made in Germany and will launch in the U.S. in Q2 in sets of four in recycled packaging. Daff's line of tabletop accessories are a combination of vibrant colors and high-quality materials blended with modern design. Daff makes everyday products in an extraordinary way, creating beautiful décor items that are high-heat resistant, moisture-repellant and don't separate. For more information, call 323.203.0554 or go to www.primarygroup.net. BOB VILA PARTNERS WITH VIATEK FOR NEW PRODUCT LINE Bob Vila has been a household name and an icon of home remodeling for more than four decades. Now, he is thrilled to enter into partnership with Viatek Consumer Products Group to bring his fans a unique line of prod- ucts designed to meet their DIY needs in all aspects of the remodeling process. From the beginning of his TV career on This Old House to his pres- ent website, Vila's mission has always been to help people upgrade their homes and improve their lives. He sees his website, BobVila.com, as a coach that takes people from inspiration to how-to instructions and finally links them to the products needed to turn their dreams into a reality. Now, the natural progression for the Bob Vila brand is to introduce a line of tools and accessories specially designed and developed for the 3.9 million people who visit his site look- ing for how-to help and product rec- ommendations. Bob Vila products are the latest chapter in the growth of Vila's company and will enable him to help renovators even further along their journey by offering reliable products suited for all aspects of home improvement. To create this new line of products, Vila has partnered with Viatek, a company that specializes in designing unique products, developing those products at the highest level of quality and distrib- uting them to the consumers who need them. The collaboration with Vila to create Bob Vila Products has Viatek looking at products for interior home improvement projects as well as exte- rior curb appeal upgrades. Continuing on the "tried, true, trustworthy advice" theme of Bob Vila's website, Viatek has been dili- gent in designing and developing a line of high quality, useful and unique products that will fit seamlessly with the Bob Vila brand. From tools to accessories, the line will consist of a range of home improvement items created with the consumer 's needs in mind. By combining Vila's vast knowl- edge of home improvement and remodeling with Viatek's history of innovation and quality, Bob Vila Products will no doubt offer the public just what they need to bring all of their home improvement ideas to life. Visit Viatek at booth #4124-4126. To request a meeting, email sales@viatek.com.