Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
As it continually strives to make independent home improvement retailers better and more profitable, the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) is leaning into technology to bring efficient and time-saving training offerings to the channel.
The new RetailWise program will deliver fast, high-impact two-minute training videos developed with artificial intelligence that are designed to strengthen the frontline skills of independent hardware, paint and lumber retailers. Built for use in team huddles, during shift meetings and throughout the onboarding process, this series will help improve performance, culture and consistency—without disrupting store operations.
“Our goal with RetailWise is to make training so easy and effective, it becomes part of the natural rhythm of a retail operation,” says Cody Goeppner, NHPA director of education and training. “Whether you have five employees, 50 or over 100, these short sessions provide real-time tools that build smarter, more confident teams.”
From shortening the ramp-up time for new hires to re-energizing teams with fun, fast learning, RetailWise will provide a way for employees to improve knowledge retention and reinforce standards in a digestible way.
“The goal was to build something incredibly flexible,” Goeppner says. “We didn’t want to prescribe how retailers should train. Instead, we designed RetailWise to adapt to any store’s pace, priorities and culture.”
The full suite of 52 micro-training videos will cover topics, including customer experience and sales techniques, leadership and people development, operational excellence, merchandising and inventory, marketing and local promotion, safety and risk management, store culture and team engagement, product and project knowledge and financials.
“We’re speaking to the real issues retailers face every day—from customer interactions to internal team dynamics,” Goeppner says. “We made sure the tone, timing and takeaways all reflect the realities of the salesfloor.”
All of the videos will be hosted on NHPA learning platforms that will be 100% accessible from any device and include guides, download options, quarterly content updates and seasonal modules like holiday prep and spring resets. RetailWise will also include an integrated feedback loop with retailers for continuous improvement.
“We’re focused on practical impact—helping stores strengthen culture, improve performance and retain great people,” Goeppner says. “RetailWise makes that possible in just two minutes a week.”
To sign up for RetailWise, click here, and to view a sample video, click here.
