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IHA’s blog features informative posts written to keep the housewares industry educated and informed about key strategic issues and IHA member services.

Let’s Go – Let’s Grow: Reaching Success Factors for Global Growth

As a preview into the upcoming IBC Global Forum, to follow is additional information on the Executive Education Session presented by Dr. Richard Ettenson, Professor of Global Marketing and Brand Strategy of Thunderbird School of Global Management. Dr. Ettenson is an entrepreneur who has founded three start-ups and has published extensively, producing nearly 100 articles,…

What’s Ahead for the Smart Home in 2018

By Ashley Daigneault A few years ago, we were talking about the concept of a “smart” home and integrating connected devices into living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms to make everyday life safer, easier and more convenient. But most of the chatter was happening inside the tech and surrounding industries, and the phrase “smart home” had almost no visibility in actual consumer…

Continued Innovation Crucial to Smart Home Device Adoption

By Brad Russell Continued innovation and messaging are crucial for smart safety and security device manufacturers that want to capitalize on new opportunities in the emerging Internet of Things. Early adopters of smart devices are often drawn to the innovative design and technological gadgetry. However, mass market adoption depends on clear and compelling…

Global Retail Intelligence – May

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: May 28 – Walmart and Amazon Battle India’s Strong Players, Traditional Family Run Stores Thousands of “kiranas” throughout India pose a legitimate threat to the models of the Western, organized retailers’ models, as they are well-established, pay low wages and pay little rent. From The Wall Street…

May Currency Outlook

In their May 2018 Currency Outlook report, Tempus, an exchange rate and global payments company, provides a detailed report including the following topics and sections: In Brief First quarter U.S. GDP showed higher level of growth than anticipated The USD appreciated 2.4% in April GBP sunk due to Brexit uncertainties Euro-zone’s economic recovery has reached…

2018 gia Global Honoree – Manufactum

by Michelle Hespe At the 2018 IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) in Chicago, German retailer Manufactum was announced as one of the top five most innovative stores in the world. Here we take a look at what makes this retail store so great, and so grounded. In today’s technology-driven world, where so much of life is lived online, and there’s a distinct lack of human…

Advancements in Smart Security Creating a Safer Smart Home for Consumers

By Brad Russell Recent advances in smart security and safety devices offer consumers new and expanded solutions to help them trade in worry for peace of mind. Companies invested in IoT technologies are leading that effort by producing smart, connected products and services that promise to make the smart home safer than ever. Home security is the most influential market…

Smart Home Mass-Market Adoption: Are We There Yet?

By Lou Lenzi, FIDSA The Consumer Technology Association predicted significant growth in the sales of smart home technologies last year, forecasting 29 million units shipped into the channel in 2017, an impressive 63 percent increase over 2016. Revenue forecasts were equally robust at $3.5 billion, a 57 percent increase over 2016. Such dramatic growth forecasts have met…

Ocean Contract Negotiations

Ocean contract negotiations covering cargo moving from Asia to the United States are nearing completion. The negotiation process has become very cumbersome for shippers due to the lack of communication provided by the carriers. A large part of the lack of communication can be blamed on the recent wave of acquisitions that have taken place in the containership industry. Fewer…