Over the course of IndePet’s 2023 Level Up Conference in Fiji, Todd Clarkson, CEO of IndePet, provided attendees with valuable insights into the group’s goals and plans.
Clarkson emphasised three important areas, dubbed the golden threads, that independent retailers need to be across to thrive – providing the best in-store experience, attracting and retaining the best team, and winning in the local community.
During the conference sessions, Clarkson, along with Tia Wishart, Business Development Manager at IndePet, and a number of other industry experts, fellow retailers and key suppliers explained how stores can improve in those three key areas and how IndePet can support their members with those developments.
“Our structure and why we’re here is to move from group of independents to an independent group and get something done, and IndePet is a tool that services that group. We’re a member-owned support services business.
“We’re here to provide services that support you to run your stores, suppliers to engage with your stores, and to be a conduit between a large group of suppliers and a large group of independent stores,” said Clarkson.
The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Level Up,’ which means to advance or improve in – as if playing a game.
“Retail is a game. It’s an infinite game that we must play forever. The rules change, the players change, the system changes, and the whole idea is about advancement and trying to be better than you were yesterday. It’s an unfair game.” said Clarkson.
Looking at retail as an infinite game, Clarkson explained that retailers need to pro-actively anticipate these change so they can adapt and thrive.
To help its members adapt and thrive IndePet launched a suite of new additions to their member support system, aptly named ‘The Hive’.
These new initiatives – Virtual Rep, IndePet PetCademy, and IndePet InSights – will allow IndePet members to adapt to these changes through access to better deals, professional staff training and access to high quality data analytics.
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