Opinion/Analysis

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements.

Webrooming is when a customer starts their shopping on-line to gather information, but uses that information to visit a local brick-and-mortar store to buy.

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements.

There is some apparent movement on the problem of brick-and-mortar businesses being required to collect sales tax while internet retailers often do not.

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements.

Are casual bike consumers being frightened away from bike shops because of sticker shock?

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements.

Weather will continue to play an important role in the U.S. bicycle business in 2014, but other issues are driving a continuing soft market, according to a new analysis from the Gluskin Townley Group.

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements.

Bicycles are emerging as a new target for conservatives in the ongoing "culture wars" in America.

You can't ride them on the street, dirt or track, but you can take them to the bank, and trademarks have been a currency and a source of dispute in the bike industry at least since 1898. That's when the Kodak camera company successfully sued the maker of Kodak bicycles, arguing that the bike's name devalued its trademark.

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements

A defensive response is not going to win us any battles.

There has been quite a bit of ink used recently discussing trademarks and their enforcement and the folks at BRAIN wanted me to write about the topic generally. I want to make it clear that nothing written in this column is meant to comment upon or pass judgment upon recent issues in the news.

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements

If we agree with Amazon's Jeff Bezos that complaining is not a strategy, what are some strategies that will lead to success for bike shops with physical locations?

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements

A small but resolute group of bicycle industry leaders stormed Capitol Hill Wednesday to make the case for the bicycle business as a creator of jobs and commerce that benefits the U.S. economy.

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements

It is outrageous that the federal government continues to give the middle finger to brick-and-mortar businesses across the country by failing to fix a broken sales tax system.

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements

Many believe that buying from local independent businesses is a good thing, but is there credible research to back that up?

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements

A British market study shows that retail staff members are the key to making customers feel comfortable while shopping, and also cause them to buy and spend more.

A blog by retailer James Moore, the new president of the NBDA
Moores Bicycle Shop

When driven by passion and executed with excellence, the local independent bike shop is the greatest retail institution in America today

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements

Sometimes the Internet seems like a vast global Complaint Department and bike shops receive plenty of bashing for real or perceived failings.

I am troubled by three recent negative experiences with IBDs. One each of the warranty, special-order and rental varieties.

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements

I needed help and the solution was one I regularly apply to cycling: when in doubt, buy a new piece of equipment. In this case, a fountain pen.

There were many questions awaiting the industry as we all arrived at Interbike last week. Would the new hall and hotels be an improvement? Would Consumer Day resemble a plague of locusts? Would any of this matter if we get an early Spring in 2014?

Tagged Interbike

Discount internet retailing is a big challenge for brick-and-mortar retailers and the brands they carry.

A blog by NBDA executive director Fred Clements

New research from Nielsen Corp. shows that half of consumers are now willing to spend more on products and services from companies that give back to society.

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