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• Consumers Confused About Fuel Product Offerings
  

  Consumers remain confused about the multiple fuel product offerings in the marketplace, says a study by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). The U.S. study, which has been conducted annually for seven years, shows lack of education, inadequate labeling, and dangerous marketing tactics around new fuel products, such as higher ethanol-blended gasoline, are likely causing consumers to mis-fuel.

• Canadian Small Retail Businesses Optimistic About Growth
  

  Despite 2018 bringing new challenges and uncertainties to the Canadian small- and medium-sized business (SMB) community, eBay Canada's annual ‘SMB Optimism Index’ report reveals that optimism among small retailers is on an upward climb, hitting 76 points – a consistent one-point-per-year increase since the Index launched two years ago.

• Bricks, Clicks, and Everything In Between
  

  
  
  
  

• Six Barriers To Becoming A Digital Business
  

  As organizations continue to embrace digital transformation, they are finding that digital business is not as simple as buying the latest technology — it requires significant changes to culture and systems, says a survey by Gartner, Inc.

• Experienced Employees Improve eCommerce Productivity
  

  Research from the Wisconsin School of Business suggests that companies like Amazon, Zappos, and other eCommerce companies looking to control costs and improve productivity, should be doing more to reduce employee turnover and keep experienced workers on the job.

• The Top 10 Customer Experience Trends in 2018
  

  The customer service industry will experience the biggest digital shift yet in 2018 as customer experience (CX) brand leaders seek to expand channels, leverage analytics, adopt automation, and integrate the front office with back office operations.

• VPNs Can Protect All Size Companies From Breaches
  

  An average data breach costs companies around $7 million per year, due to loss of customers, business disruption, the effect on brand reputation, fines, and so on. Small businesses are especially at risk, because many of them do not even have basic security tools in place, such as antivirus, firewalls, or encryption software.

• Entrepreneurs Stand To Gain From Demographics And Technology
  

  Entrepreneurs can’t afford to ignore the major changes in Canada’s workforce and digital technology. The impacts of these trends offer opportunities for business owners, finds a survey by BDC. ‘Future-Proof Your Business: Adapting to Demographic and Technology Trends’ shows digital technologies are transforming how Canadians live, learn, and work.

• Loyalty Program Participation Related To Household Income
  

  Retailer loyalty program membership is nearly universal across Canada, but it appears that participation wanes among the nation's lower income households, finds research by Mintel.

• Younger Generations Key Market For Garden Categories
  

  Garden centres should target people in their thirties and households with children under 12 years-old, finds a report by GfK. It shows nearly a third of the online population across 17 countries do gardening or yard work either daily or weekly.

• Proposed Changes to Business Income Tax Rules: A Gamechanger for Private Business Owners
  

  On July 18, 2017, Canada’s Minister of Finance released proposed changes to the Income Tax Act (Canada) that, if implemented, will mark one of the most significant reforms to Canada’s tax system for business income in decades

• Loyalty Card Programs A Race To The Bottom
  

  If he could do it again, David Segal would never have offered a loyalty program for DAVIDsTEA, the brand he co-founded and built into a Canadian retail giant before his departure from the company in 2016. Segal, who will speak on the subject at the upcoming annual Dx3 Canada conference, argues that the emotional bond of loyalty has been diluted to mean discounts in exchange for data.

• Ransomware Poses Cyber Threat To Business
  

  Why is ransomware so potentially dangerous? Well, if you are an entrepreneur running a business – public or private – or if you are in charge of a department at a large organization, you could be vulnerable to an attack. Likewise, if you have financial assets that are largely controlled by technology – and who doesn’t? – you could also be victimized. And the consequences can be huge.

• Inside Information
  

  Analyzing your company’s performance data provides insights into changes that humans miss, and helps you make smarter decisions on everything from stock control to store location.

• Preparing for the Unexpected: Protecting Employees When Layoffs Are Unavoidable
  

  The economy has been limping through its recovery, with the number of unemployed down, but the number of underemployed holding steady. We’re facing potential economic turmoil in light of the recent events in Britain and the EU, as well as massive cuts in the technology, retail, and oil and gas sectors.

• Home Improvement Retailing: Top Retailers
  

  The paints and coatings category is forecasted to drive growth in the solvent market, says Grand View Research, Inc. It says the global solvent market is expected to reach US$31.63 billion by 2020, driven by increasing demand for industrial solvents from pharmaceuticals and the paints and coatings industry.

• Paints To Drive Solvent Market
  

  The paints and coatings category is forecasted to drive growth in the solvent market, says Grand View Research, Inc. It says the global solvent market is expected to reach US$31.63 billion by 2020, driven by increasing demand for industrial solvents from pharmaceuticals and the paints and coatings industry.

• Online Employee Scheduling Saves Time
  

  Trying to find someone else to cover a shift costs retailers time and money – 3.8 per cent of payroll, says Mercer. That’s money retailers can ill afford to lose anytime, but particularly while struggling to cope with the effects of an economic downturn. 

• Infonomics: Customer Data Has Monetary Value
  

  Many organizations do not manage customer data as a corporate asset, and the monetary value of that data is often ignored, according to Gartner, Inc.

• Myths Versus Reality: Help Your Customers Get Their Lawn Off To The Right Start
  Associates at home improvement retailers and garden centres can help their customers by knowing what is true and what’s not.  
• Take Steps To Save Now
  Canadians are in danger of paying more taxes than necessary if they put off reviewing their potential tax savings strategies for the 2014 tax year until the spring, says CIBC's tax and estate planning expert Jamie Golombek.
• Canadians Slow To Move To Cloud
  When Janet Kennedy became president of Microsoft Canada about one year ago, she was told when she started the job Canada was not moving to the cloud.

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Home Improvement Retailing
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