Retail Observer

show specials available only to those members in attendance. Perhaps most critical of all, dealers gobbled up all of the available inventory that Nationwide's vendor partners brought to Nashville, ensuring that they can meet their customers' needs during the critical final few months of the year. "We tip our hats to our vendor partners who joined us for PrimeTime and helped make this an exceptionally important opportunity for our members," said Patrick Maloney, executive vice president of membership for Nationwide. "Their commitment to the success of the independent channel was clear and commendable. Vendors across all categories stepped up to the plate with some exceptional offers for our members. But even more important, they secured plenty of available inventory for our channel at a time when supply chains continue to feel the squeeze." As of press time, Nationwide dealers have earned over $3.2 million in Cash Back – a figure that will continue to rise as orders from the show are processed. On the education and networking side, PrimeTime in Nashville was another exceptionally busy show, with more than 100 free Nationwide Learning Academy (NLA) classes offered. In total, 3,744 NLA sessions were attended, which translates to roughly 4.2 sessions per member company. Among the highlights of the educational opportunities was a track focused on the evolution of the shopper journey over the past year and a half. The conversation around the shopper journey started as a panel during the opening keynote which featured key executives from GE Appliances, Google, Synchrony Financial, Tempur-Sealy International, Traeger Grills and Nationwide. Members then continued those conversations in their respective regional meetings. And the education continued with several courses focused on digital-first marketing and leveraging services available through Nationwide across the shopper journey. "The single driver of success will be how effectively we reach shoppers at the moments that are most influential to their decision- making process," says Rob White, vice president of brand and strategy for Nationwide. "Today's shoppers have more choices, more information and more power than ever before. But, thankfully, as we displayed during PrimeTime, we have strength in numbers. On behalf of our members, we will relentlessly push to lead with data and insights to provide the right message to the right shopper at the right time." In addition, hundreds of member and vendor companies participated in various networking engagements, including two WIN: Women in Nationwide events, a first-timers' and new members reception, meal packing to support No Child Hungry, and events held for specialty groups, including Home Technology Specialists Nationwide (HTSN), NextGen and I.D.E.A. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access). Nationwide also hosted two massive celebrations in honor of the group's 50th anniversary: a night at the Grand Ole Opry, highlighted by GRAMMY Award-winning country music band Little Big Town and the Grant Webb Band, and a decades celebration. The excitement of PrimeTime carried on throughout the month of September as Nationwide opened its hybrid Virtual PrimeTime experience just after Labor Day. For 30 days, members were able to catch up on some of the most popular educational sessions that were offered in Nashville, including the opening keynote panel, Center Stage interviews with key vendor partners and more. Nationwide next turns its PrimeTime attention to Phoenix, where the 58th edition of the biannual event is scheduled to run February 5-8, 2022. OCTOBER 2021 RETAILOBSERVER.COM 39 RO Rob Stott, corporate communications manager, Nationwide Marketing Group PRIMETIME BY THE NUMBERS • 2,100+ show specials and Cash Back giveaways. • Over $200,000 in giveaways to members from 40+ vendor partners. • A highly successful Palooza that featured more than 7,500 mobile orders placed in 90 minutes. • GE Appliances sold 5,000 laundry units. • Element Appliances sold 100% of its in-stock products. • Over 150 members benefitted from special financing offers from Synchrony Financial and Wells Fargo. • A 37% increase in major appliance brand sales. • One TV was sold every second while the show floor was open. • More than 45,000 bedding units sold during PrimeTime. • $35 million+ sold in 17 hours by furniture and bedding vendor partners. • More than 150 new accounts set up with distribution partners during the show. • Appliance and outdoor vendor partners had more than 150 new dealer sign-ups during the show. • Over 100 members signed up for free education credits through the NMG-CEDIA partnership.

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