Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/918328
Construction Marketplace Wednesday, January 10, 2018 5 6 contractors, repair remodelers and spe- cialty tradesmen, as well as property management professionals, colleges and universities, K-12 education and facility maintenance professionals. All 1,750- plus store locations have a dedicated ProServices team to manage Pro cus- tomers' business from quoting, picking orders, getting you out of the store quick- ly and even dedicated loaders. ProServices can even meet you at your jobsite, office or facility to help you with your business needs. CM: Tell our readers about your relation- ship with NAHB. JD: Lowe's partnership with the NAHB began in the 1950s locally with the North Carolina Home Builders' Association and has continued to grow through the decades. Lowe's is one of the largest supporters of the Association as well as the International Builders' Show. Lowe's is also a sponsor of NAHB Education, because we believe if the trades remain up to date on new tech- nologies and techniques, then homes and commercial buildings will continue to be built to the highest standard. This falls within our purpose of helping our cus- tomers love where they live. CM: What is new and exciting about Pro? JD: We continue to further build out our capabilities with our B2B ecommerce solution, www.lowesforpros.com, to be Lowe's (Cont'd. from p. 1) able to reach our Pro customers whenever and wherever they choose, by offering Pro exclusive promotions they can't get any- where else. Lowe's continues to add Pro specific brands, recently adding SharkBite and A.O. Smith, Pro Products; this builds on the work we did over the last year by bringing in the brands of Marshalltown tools, Vaughn Hammers and Sika Pro Products. Also, Lowe's continues to drive awareness of our 'Buy In Bulk' strategy, where Pro customers can purchase bulk quantities of any products and receive cus- tom pricing on orders of $1,500 or more. We also have 'Contractor Packs' on more than 2,000 items that can save Pro cus- tomers 5 percent to 50 percent when the minimum quantity is purchased, and we have continued to build out our 'Bulk Pack' offering for cases of products avail- able both in store and online. CM: What is one thing you want NAHB members to know they can get at Lowe's that they cannot get anywhere else? JD: Lowe's ProServices has an exclusive program not offered anywhere else with members of the NAHB. When members sign up for a Lowe's Business Credit Account or Lowe's Accounts Receivable, they get an additional 2 percent off their billing statement on top of the 5 percent everyday in-store and online discount. As an added benefit, members with credit also receive free delivery on all orders of $500 or more. For more information, visit booth #W2970 and www.lowesforpros.com. was named as a Silver IDEA Award win- ner in the Kitchen & Accessories catego- ry, demonstrating the way Ember contin- ues to rack up awards for its innovation and design. Design experts from around the world judged the international design competition, sponsored annually by IDSA. Criteria include design innova- tion, user experience, benefit to the client, benefit to society and appropriate aesthetics. Ember worked closely with design firm Ammunition Group on the development of the Ember mug. "Ember solves a simple, yet univer- sal challenge faced by coffee and tea drinkers everywhere: keeping a hot bev- erage at the ideal temperature for an extended period of time," says Clay Alexander, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ember Technologies. "We wanted to show how a mug could be a Ember (Cont'd. from p. 1) work of art, beautifully designed and an object of desire. We worked hard to bring this product to life and Ammunition worked with us every step of the way. It's an incredible honor to be recognized by such an esteemed organization as IDSA." Ember's flagship product is the only temperature adjustable mug that keeps coffee or tea at a consistent drinking tem- perature from the first sip to the last drop. The company's patented temperature- control technology combines phase change cooling with microprocessor-con- trolled active heating, creating the world's most precise temperature control system. Launched in November 2016, Ember saw unprecedented success in sales and wide adoption from consumers. Ember is cur- rently available at Starbucks stores across the country and online at Starbucks.com, Ember.com and on Amazon Prime. For more information, visit www.ember.com. that make every home unique. A commercial featuring Frigidaire's Black Stainless Steel collection of kitchen appliances with a pirate party twist was released and is running nation- ally. The campaign will also come to life with a digital-first approach through social media, Hulu, YouTube and paid search, among other platforms. Frigidaire rolled out its new, more modern visual brand identity with updated colors, fonts, and photography online and in stores earlier this year. The "Your House Rules" campaign marks the next big step in re-introducing the brand to consumers. "Frigidaire is a brand that under- stands everyone has their own expression of home. Our vision is to change the con- versation from having the perfect home to enjoying the home that's perfect for you," said John Weinstock, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Electrolux Frigidaire (Cont'd. from p. 1) North America. "Frigidaire helps con- sumers feel pride in the things that make them unique." To support the campaign and the brand's new look and feel, Frigidaire has also redesigned its website, placing an emphasis on ease of use and consumer engagement for both appliance shoppers and existing owners. A few of the new, interactive features tied to the advertising campaign include the Custom Doormat Creator, which allows users to create a dig- ital doormat featuring their family's mantra and share it across social media. The web- site also features an Excuse Generator, a clever way to clear the calendar. Frigidaire will continue to roll out new components of the "Your House Rules" campaign, including advertising spots, digital influencer partnerships and experiential content into 2018. For more information, visit www.frigidaire.com. Authenticity Sells to Environmentally- Conscious Consumers By Greg Gonzales These days, sustainability is a selling point, and your store can gain the loyalty of conscious consumers by offering stur- dy, lasting products that tell a story that both you and your customers can be proud of. "Retailers need to be aware that the consumer is much more aware than before," said Merijn Everaarts, Founder of Dopper, a company that campaigns against the single-use lifestyle with its "water bottle on a mission. "The con- scious consumer has been rising up over the last 10 years, and people now refuse brands that aren't any good, from stores where you can buy stuff that you throw away after a few weeks. ….When the consumer buys a product, they also send out a message to their friends about it. That's why a retailer should be very aware of this change in the market: No more of 'the cheaper the better,' it's now 'the more quality, the better.'" While you're telling your sustain- ability story, though, you don't want to put yourself in a position where you're defending the products on your shelves from accusations of green-washing, the practice of making dubious environmen- tal claims. Distinguishing high-quality green products from low-quality prod- ucts with green-washed labels can be dif- ficult for both retailers and consumers. An Ohio State University study revealed that most consumers don't spend much time researching their product beyond the packaging, so retailers who want to make a difference and make the sale have to do at least some the work for them. Whether putting together a merchan- dising strategy or filling a shopping cart, it helps to have a qualification checklist to tell the fakes from authentically green brands. "You have to look at what a green product is," said David Dalquist, President of Nordic Ware. "Is it some- thing that's produced in a green fashion, in other words, minimizing carbon foot- prints and materials waste? Is it green because it's healthy to use and recycla- ble, or is it green because it's ethically produced? Animal products come to mind here, but ethically, in terms of, are you using child labor, prison labor — there are a whole bunch of things that go into this socially-compliant requirement that consumers are looking for." "All of the big retailers require prod- ucts to go through testing agencies," added Dalquist. "Is the product what you say it is, and is it made with safe materi- als? No toxic substances in the product? They've been a very good thing for our industry; they've forced a lot of the qual- ity products to conform to acceptable standards. But interestingly, there's almost no requirement in any of that test- ing by the big companies to meet mini- mal environmental standards. We go through this testing all the time — no one's looking at your emissions or pollu- tants, they don't even ask about them. There's some effort of social compliance involved, like hiring eligible workers, and they do audit for that. Beyond that, I'd say it's minimal, and that's something the retailers in this country — if they really care about environmental issues, they'll start testing for that when they buy products from overseas. The retail industry needs to embrace sustainability, and demand that factories meet certain minimal standards. And those should be tightening standards as time goes on." Once the products are on your shelves, in-store messaging makes a dif- ference in green product sales. "We did an impact survey two years ago and found quite a lot of people missed our messag- ing in shops," said Everaarts. "We worked on new displays that make it really clear that you're getting a Dopper bottle, some- thing with our message, and not just a water bottle. We train retail staff, which is very important, and well-received by retailers. We don't want any bottle to go over the counter without the story." KitchenAid Mini Food Processor Featuring a 3.5-cup capacity, the KitchenAid mini food processor was designed to simplify smaller chopping, mixing and pureeing tasks for daily meal preparation. Compact and lightweight, the mini food processor's size makes it an easy and accessible go-to tool for quickly chopping ingredients, preparing dressings or making sauces. Two speeds and a pulse operation provide precise control to pro- duce coarse or fine results for everything from chopping nuts to making creamy, homemade hummus. The uniquely designed stainless steel blade precisely chops and purees, and locks in place for convenient pouring. The easy-to-clean work bowl, lid and blade are all dish- washer safe. Multiple color options avail- able. Suggested retail price is $49.99. For more information, call 800.541.6390 or go to www.kitchenaid.com.