Upcoming Webinar to Share 2009 Survey of At-Retail Marketing Services

What if you could read the minds of decision makers at leading packaged goods vendors and retailers in regards to at-retail merchandising and marketing services? Well now you do not have to! Join us for the next NARMS Webinar on Thursday, November 12 at 1:00 P.M CST as we present, “The 2009 Survey of At-Retail Marketing Services.” Chris Dammann of The Christopher Group will share the findings of this attitudinal survey directed at the users and benefactors of at-retail marketing service companies. The NARMS Webinar series is sponsored by Natural Insight and brought to you through the technology of ReadyTalk.

The hour-long session will help you to gain trading partner insights, identify market needs and opportunities, quantify the value of at-retail activities and track marketplace conditions. You are invited to register for this event now! This NARMS Webinar is another in a series of member educational offerings by NARMS – U.

Dammann of The Christopher Group is one of the original at-retail marketing services observers and commentators. Having spent six years with an original member of NARMS, he combines that industry knowledge with the objectivity of nine years as an independent market research writer and consultant. Dammann last conducted this survey for NARMS in 2004 and is a frequent contributor to the NARMS InfoShare library. He is also editor-in-chief of NARMS Newsfeed and the author of the weekly Friday Focus blog on www.narms.com.

The session is complimentary to NARMS members as a membership service but is also made available to other interested persons at a non-member rate of $99.95. We encourage you to share this invitation with other co-workers and anyone else who might gain value from this information-sharing opportunity.

PIC Division to Update Study

In 2006, the Professional Installation (PIC) Division of NARMS published a study called, “Building out the Future of Retail.” The study defined what PIC companies are, what they do, and where they do it. The study and the companion document were well received and have been serving this division well since publishing. The PIC committee has decided that it is time to refresh, renew and augment the project in time for the 2010 Spring Conference in Tampa. If you are a PIC member company, or part of your business falls into this segment, NARMS will be calling on you for your input.

During the last two PIC committee conference calls, plans have emerged for a refresh of the 2006 project. The new project is being dubbed, “Continuing to Build out the Future of Retail.” NARMS has partnered with The Christopher Group, who also conducted the last study in 2006.

The study is a position paper that helps build the case for looking to a professional installation company when undertaking new stores, remodels, acquisition conversions or category remodels, etc. It will define the companies, what part of the process they execute and the unique quality, time and cost saving expertise they bring to the table. This study will also update the size of the potential marketplace and present several case studies that demonstrate the division in action.

The process for the research will include extensive monitoring of top retailer plans for the near future, interviews with PIC industry leaders and an on-line survey that will be sent to all PIC member companies. The goal of the committee is 100 percent participation by the members of the division. Since this research will benefit all PIC members, the goal seems reasonable.

A breakout session is scheduled for the unveiling of the research at the 2010 NARMS Spring Conference at the Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa. Stay tuned for more details and look for the on-line survey soon.

Webinar Looks at Hiring and Firing

Hiring the right people and parting ways with the wrong ones presents one of the biggest challenges to any business. Next Tuesday, you have an opportunity to join your colleagues and hear from experts on the topic. The next NARMS webinar - Hiring and Firing: What you can and can not do - will be presented on Tuesday, October 27 at 1:00 pm CDT. This session is another in the continuing series of member educational offerings by NARMS-U. The NARMS Webinar Series is sponsored by Natural Insight and powered by the technology of ReadyTalk.

The hour-long event will feature Paula Cozzi Goedert and Jeremy B. Lewin of Barnes & Thornburg. They will offer practical tips for developing a strong workforce by asking the right questions before you hire and safely weeding out poor performers after. Get the inside scoop from a former EEOC investigator on best practices for hiring, firing, job eliminations and layoffs.

Goedert is a partner in the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP where she is a member of the Business, Tax and Real Estate Group. Ms. Goedert serves as legal counsel for NARMS. She is listed in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America

Lewin is a partner in the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP and a member of the Labor and Employment Law Department. Mr. Lewin advises employers regarding compliance with state and federal employment laws and represents management in labor and employment litigation matters before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Lewin was an investigator and mediator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The session if complimentary to NARMS members as a membership service but is also made available to other interested persons at a non-member rate of $99.95. We encourage you to share this invitation with other co-workers and anyone else who might gain value from this information-sharing opportunity. You can register for this event by clicking here.

A Room with a View

This week NARMS announced that Saddlebrook Resort is now available for reservations for the 15th Annual NARMS Spring Conference scheduled for April 17-20, 2010. To add to the excitement, the relationship between NARMS and Saddlebrook has resulted in a Room Sale that enhances the affordability of the event.

Your NARMS staff has been working diligently to make the Spring Conference even more attractive and affordable by negotiating lower hotel rates while maintaining the Conference Registration at 2008 rates. To that end, a special offer will be available for those individuals looking to save on accommodations. Through 5:00 PM (EST) on December 31, 2009 you will be able to save $30 a night on each room with a non-refundable full prepayment at the time of booking via a valid credit card authorization. Under this offer, no cancellations will be allowed though you can transfer the registrants name with the original credit card charge. This discount rate of $190 is a great savings for a spectacular Florida Resort property. If you do not want to take the risk of not being able to cancel, you can still make a reservation at the reduced rate of $220 per night. This is already a discount off the original contract rate of $249.

Reservations can be made by calling 1 800 729 8383 during regular business hours and mentioning NARMS Spring Conference. You can also visit the conference center on www.narms.com for more information.

In the days, weeks and months ahead, you will be reading and hearing more about the value-packed agenda in-store for conference attendees. The event is sure to be full of insightful education sessions, business building networking and enlightening speakers. Our Spring Conference Room Sale is designed to give you one more reason to register for a great view of your industry.

It’s Membership Renewal Time!

Check your mailbox in the next few days for the arrival of the 2010 NARMS Membership Renewal packet. Yes, it is time again to renew all the great business opportunities and insights that are essential in your race for success. In the packet, you will find everything you need to maintain your relationship with your industry trade association and continue to enjoy all the benefits of leadership and membership.

With the goal of helping your company prosper in the at-retail services industry, the ongoing mission of NARMS is to position your company in a trusted marketplace characterized by professionalism and high ethical standards. How do we accomplish this? By providing members with valuable resources, innovative services, and learning opportunities to help you become a more effective and efficient retail solution.

Here are some of the business opportunities that NARMS has in store for members in 2010: STRATCONN is a face-to-face event focused on retail execution. This “invitation only” event features meetings between buyers (manufacturers and retailers) and sellers (service companies) over a two day period. NARMS 2010 Spring Conference features Connection Sessions with manufacturers and retailers. The IFBA Top to Top Conference is business-to-business meetings between manufacturers and food brokers. Our IFBA Advertising/Branding campaign promotes IFBA brand in Supermarket News. GlobalShop is the largest store design and at-retail marketing show in the United States .

NARMS also makes available an impressive list of member exclusive business insights and thought leadership: RORI – Return on Retail Investment is a 360 degree analysis of in-market retail execution. The 2010 Spring Conference agenda includes five NARMS-U sessions taught by University of Wisconsin faculty with CEU credits. The 2009 Survey of At-Retail Marketing Services is an attitudinal survey directed at the users/benefactors of the at-retail marketing services. Other such research efforts include the 2010 Sampling Survey and a 2010 PIC Benchmark Study.

Membership includes additional programs and features: The NARMS CertifyU program is an on-line certificate course for at-retail field personnel. The NARMS Accreditation Program is in its early stages for at-retail marketing entities. The very popular NARMS-U webinars are held monthly. NARMS InfoShare Library contains a wealth of at-retail research. NARMS Newsfeed is emailed to members three times per week and keeps you abreast of happenings at-retail. The industry magazine, NARMS Today, is now in a digital format and arrives quarterly.

As the old advertising tag line goes, “Membership has its privileges.” But it is truly our privilege to continue the quest to bring you the tools you need and foster the relationships that you trust. Please take a few minutes with the membership packet and renew your membership today.

Spring Conference Registration Now Open!

Registration for the NARMS 2010 Spring Conference is now available in the conference area on www.narms.com. The agenda, a short video about the Saddlebrook Resort, sponsorship information and conference registration can be found here. The registration fee is discounted through December 31st so sign up early. Trade show information is also available.

A quick look at the Conference Center on www.narms.com reveals a one-stop shop for all things Spring Conference. By visiting now, you can register at a discounted rate before December 31. You also have the option to register as a NARMS member company, a non-member company or a Spouse/Guest.

Also, take time to view the full agenda that right now features several NARMS-U sessions, the Manufacturer and Retailer Connection Session and a RORI General Session. You can also learn more about the beautiful Saddlebrook Resort. The Conference Center also features sponsorship opportunities and information about the trade show and potential exhibitors.

Visit the Conference Center today and start planning your trip on April 17-20, 2010. Stay tuned to www.narms.com for updated information and developing features. We’ll see you in Tampa.

Spring Conference Opportunities Abound

Excitement is building and momentum is in full swing as we head for Tampa, Florida and the 15th Annual NARMS Spring Conference. Our showcase event will take place on April 17-20, 2010 at the beautiful Saddlebrook Resort. The reason for the excitement revolves around a theme that emphasizes the relationships between NARMS members and the manufacturers and retailers we serve. As usual, there are a number of sponsorship opportunities still available for companies looking for additional exposure during conference. Due to the planned focus on the customer relationship, this might be the best year ever to jump on board with your sponsorship dollars.

Registration for the event will open on October 1st and 2010 registration prices remain at 2009 levels. While registration fees and exhibitor fees help to defray the cost for the event, the simple truth is that without the financial support via sponsorship dollars, such an event is not possible. There are Platinum, Gold and Silver level sponsorships and many other different options to fit the level and financial commitment that you want to make. The opportunities include everything from speaker sponsors; lunch, dinner and reception sponsors and golf event sponsorships. There are also specialty item opportunities such as key cards, water bottles, gift bags and other advertising specialties. Additionally, there is an opportunity for a feature ad in the official conference program booklet. Click here to review all the options in detail.

If this is not the right year for a sponsorship, you can consider participating by becoming a FRIEND OF NARMS. For $100 you will be listed on www.narms.com and several places at conference. Your support will certainly assist in making the event a success. Find out more about how to become a FRIEND OF NARMS here.

Please take a few minutes to follow the links included in this article. Your sponsorship dollars are truly appreciated and demonstrate leadership in the establishment of an industry. As always, thanks for your support of NARMS and the Annual NARMS Spring Conference.

Webinar to Explore Virtues of Virtual Store Tests

Just as consumers are doing on-line research to make buying decisions before visiting the store, manufacturers are using web-based virtual shopping as a method for shopper marketing research. Join us on Tuesday, September 22 at 1:00 p.m. CDT for - Virtual Shopping Platforms - the next installment of the NARMS Webinar Series. Guest retail experts John Karolefski and Walter Haug will lead us through the hour long event as we explore this emerging method that is being adopted by leading companies. The NARMS Webinar series is sponsored by Natural Insight and brought to you through the technology of NARMS Associate Member ReadyTalk.

Virtual store tests provide a faster, more cost-efficient alternative to in-store tests and deliver a more accurate representation of at-shelf shopping behaviors than traditional methods of consumer research. Several leading manufacturers have leveraged virtual shopping to make recommendations for optimizing product assortments and for implementing new shelf sets and aisle configurations. They have later implemented these recommendations for retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, and 7-Eleven.

John Karolefski is an authority on consumer packaged goods marketing and technology. He founded CPGmatters.com to keep manufacturers up to date on changes in the industry. He is the co-author of three books, “TARGET 2000: the Rising Tide of TechnoMarketing,” which tracks the convergence of marketing and technology in the retail and CPG industry, and “All About Sampling,” written for the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA). Karolefski’s latest book is entitled “Consumer-Centric Category Management.”

Walter Haug is a classically trained marketer with more than fifteen years of progressive experience building businesses and brands, having held senior marketing positions at Lysol, Fujifilm and Pinnacle Foods. He led the Marketing and Customer Marketing functions at ACCO Brands through the turnaround of the Wilson Jones Bindery Brand. As VP Client Service for Decision Insight, Haug brings formidable research capabilities and a consultative, actionable approach in order to help clients build shopper insights that will win in the marketplace.

Through this webinar, you will learn why a virtual shopping platform will change the status quo. When and why would someone use a virtual shopping methodology? How can virtual shopping research optimize product assortments and change shelf sets and aisle configurations? What unique aspects need to be considered when evaluating findings from a virtual shopping study?

For the answers to these questions and more, click here to register to attend the hour-long event. You will find the NARMS Webinar series time well spent and a compelling value added benefit of your membership.

StratConn on the Horizon

In the Tuesday edition of Top Shelf, we introduced you to the Manufacturer and Retailer Connection Sessions that will take place at Spring Conference. These sessions are part of an ongoing initiative to connect trading partners with at-retail merchandising and marketing service companies. Today, we introduce you to StratConn, an event that will take place on July 28-29, 2010 at the Marriott O’Hare Chicago in conjunction with In-Store Marketing Institute. The concept is a face to face event that will consist of invitation only meetings between buyers (manufacturers and retailers) and sellers (retail service companies) over a two day period.

This week NARMS entered into an agreement with the In-Store Marketing Institute to co-produce StratConn, an annual series of pre-arranged interviews between trading partners and service companies. The event will be customized toward retail execution services. The meetings will be by invitation only and are guaranteed because there will be a fee to participate. There will be more details forthcoming about the fee structure and how to participate.

An ongoing challenge of sales personnel is the process of pre-qualifying prospects and getting in front of the decision maker. StratConn meetings will take care of the recon work and put you across the table from a buyer that is actively seeking at-retail help. What better use of your sales, marketing and travel dollars to know that at the end of your trip, you had a chance to present your company’s capabilities to a qualified buyer who has a direct and immediate need?

Stays tuned for more details concerning this exciting event and in the meantime, consider the value that this opportunity could have for you and your company.

Reconnect With JobBank

While leading economic indicators are hinting at recovery and retail sales figures are slowly getting better, early Holiday estimates are suggesting that we still have a long way to go. For NARMS, the members of the at-retail merchandising and marketing industry, activity on NARMS JobBank is another economic indicator. We are also seeing positive gains as members are coming back to the resource as their own opportunities are increasing.

Three years ago, activity on JobBank consistently hovered around 700 listings per month as the industry was firing on all cylinders. But much like the worldwide retail trade, last winter saw activity hit the skids when only about an average of 100 jobs appeared per month. Currently, it looks like a combination of the retail recovery and several promotional efforts are starting to take hold. Traffic is now hovering around 200 listings and looks to be getting stronger.

Just as the government has offered a stimulus package, NARMS has also offered some special discounts and options to get things jump started. For only $1,000 you can have unlimited job offerings on JobBank. This resource is searched 800,000 times each month and provides greater coverage through RSS feeds of your listings to top job sites and social networking applications. The job you are posting will automatically appear on Alltop, Indeed.com, myspace.com and Simply Hired giving your posting unparalleled exposure.

Other options include five up ads at double the price with your job rotating to the top of the list every five days. There is also One Call Now phone support to further push your job offering out to merchandisers in the field. For those who have four or more jobs per month, a Showcase Button appears by the listing. This is for only $350 plus only $80 for additional jobs over four per month. Banner Ads are available on NARMS Home Page for only $500 per month

As things start to look up for your company, we hope that you will reconnect with NARMS JobBank. You will find the special offers, improvements, and enhancements make this service better than ever at helping you find great people in the field.