Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
From the breakout sessions to the main stage, during Day 2 of the 2025 Home Improvement Conference, attendees gained insights on the the hottest topics facing independent retailers.
From creating a customer experience for every generation to innovating to win to expanding B2B sales, the breakout sessions took a deep dive into the most-pressing topics facing retailers in the independent channel.
“While robots are cool, they don’t make sense for everyone,” says Adam Gunnett from Busy Beaver in The Future Is Now: How Independent Retailers Are Innovating to Win panel. “Start with where your problems are, where those biggest pain points are.”
During the sponsored breakout sessions, vendors presented on a variety of topics, including AI, disaster recovery, pricing strategies and more.
Thank you to those vendors: Deluxe, It’s a Real Cinch, Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual, Rundoo, GenetiQ, National Cooperative Bank, OneBeat, Live Oak Bank, ECI Software Solutions and Watcher Total Protection.
During the Voices of Impact: A Conversation With Young Retailer of the Year and Beacon Award Honorees, these award-winning retailers shared their stories, strategies and lessons learned from building strong teams, embracing innovation and driving meaningful change in their communities and businesses.
Former Head of Innovation and Creativity Duncan Wardle sparked creative thoughts in an engaging and fun keynote address.
“Diversity is innovation,” Wardle says. “If someone doesn’t look like you, they don’t think like you and they can help you think different.”
