Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JANUARY 2017 58 NATIONWIDE EAST SOCIAL MEDIA PROGRAM A SUCCESS FOR INDEPENDENTS Nationwide East is excited to announce that their social media program, launched at PrimeTime! , has proven to be a great success for independent retailers. With over 40 Nationwide East members signed up for the program, these retailers are already seeing a return on their investment. Facebook and Twitter engagements are growing, social page likes are increasing, advertising on both social media platforms are running, and in return, retailers are seeing an increase in traffic and sales. Retailers are also excited to be visible in the furniture, appliance, bedding and consumer electronics industry again. With the help and advice from Nationwide East's team of social media experts, several dealers have recognized the enormous value of creating videos on their cell phones and enabling a following of subscribers. Viewers then eagerly watch their pages just to see their next tips, offered products and sales. From this, members have gained many new opportunities to connect with consumers in their marketplace. Angelia Stewart, owner of Jones-Light Furniture in Stevenson, Alabama, said, "Since signing up with Nationwide East's social media program, my business has seen a drastic increase in sales and traffic! I have gained 132 page likes in a month and my page now reaches over 13,000 people in my community. When it comes to my Facebook page, Nationwide East does it all—I cannot thank them enough for helping me grow my business! " Dave Robison, director of Nationwide East, says, "When we launched this program two months ago, we wanted to provide our members with the necessary resources to grow their business through social media. I am happy to announce we have done just that! It's exciting to hear success stories from our members on a daily basis." Those interested in learning more and taking advantage of Nationwide East's social media program, simply email marketing@nationwideeast.com. NMG MEMBERS OUTPERFORM EVEN FURTHER THROUGH EXCLUSIVE FINANCIAL SERVICES TRAINING The Nationwide Marketing Group announced at their August PrimeTime! show a new financial services training curriculum for their retail members. Dollars and Sense, the Definitive Guide to Payments and Retail Credit, debuted exclusively to their membership at the largest Nashville trade show to-date. This program, comprised of 16 in-depth training modules, allows front-line team members of Nationwide's 3,500 member companies access to the first complete training program that covers all forms of retail payment. This includes cash, checks, touchless payments, credit and debit cards, and guides users to a new understanding of retail credit and financing. Frank Sandtner, executive VP of Nationwide, says, "The broad suite of services provided exclusively to our membership continues to grow. Dollars and Sense covers all aspects of financial services and we feel it is the best and most complete financial services training tool for our membership." With support and insight from the group's member service partners, including Synchrony Financial, Dollars and Sense modules are scheduled for release through the fall and winter. Each module covers a new topic, with deep-dives into best practices and easy-to-understand approaches to assisting consumers with this important part of the purchasing process. B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S RO

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