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National Retail Federation: A Community of Retailers in Action

Posted by Jessica Beaudry | Wed, May 24, 2017 @ 12:45 PM

Global-Community-RetailersRetail means building awareness according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The organization advances “the interests of the retail industry through advocacy, communications and education” with a dedicated action center, resources on safety and other industry concerns, trending news and a nonprofit foundation. As the largest retail trade association worldwide, NRF represents and brings together a collective force of businesses from “Main Street merchants” to department stores, supplying retailers with the tools to stay informed on the latest issues and make positive differences within the industry. 

Advocacy for Retailers 

Retail professionals will find policy information, action alerts and a number of avenues for community involvement on the NRF website's Advocacy page. Focused on jobs and the retail market and economy, the Policy Agenda section houses all reports and updates on current retail policies. The Retail Opportunity Index lists all policies produced by the 114thCongress. This index also serves as the measure by which NRF selects the annual “Heroes of Main Street” award winners, acknowledging members of  Congress for exceptional work in advancing retail public policy.   

Retailers-take-actionWith online portals to find and tweet representatives, write Congress and register to vote, retailers can make a direct impact on the retail industry by utilizing NRF’s Action Center. For quick actions, professionals can sign all active action alerts archived within the center. NRF’s Twitter account shares breaking news and grassroots alerts. Take note that the NRF Twitter account @Retail_Roots has moved to @NRFnews.

Other avenues for action include an opportunity to join policy committees and the store tour toolkit, which assists retail professionals in hosting elected officials at retail stores.  

Safety and Security 

A 2016 report by NRF found that 100 percent of the 59 executives surveyed experienced organized retail crime in 2016. NRF conducts independent research to provide annual reports, guidelines and overviews on a variety of topics from organized retail crime and emergency preparedness to crowd management. Data can be found in the Retail Safety section under the Resources tab.  

Industry Events 

Current events coverage of all business specialties represented by NRF publish under the News tab. Categories range from consumer trends to supply chain concerns. For example, articles within the social responsibility category discuss charitable businesses and professionals, fabric waste and how to connect with socially aware consumers, among other areas of interest to socially conscious retailers.   

Retail Resources 

In addition to retail safety reports, NRF collects data through surveys and research to produce reports on trade issues, economic reviews, compensation and benefits, shopper studies and more. Supplemental website resources include but are not limited to: 

Resources-for-retailers

  • An extensive list of industry events with a search feature for topics, type of event, location and date under the Events tab
  • Current job postings and career advice articles
  • The Annual Retailer List, highlighting leading retail professionals  
  • Retail Buying Guides outlining top industry products and services
  • Consumer Data discussing holidays and seasonal events 

Through the association’s independent research, resources and growing community, NRF provides retail professionals with a platform for action and education. 

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Topics: Retail

Written by Jessica Beaudry

Inbound Marketer at CrossCheck.