All businesses will tell you that keeping on top of the latest trends in the industry is key to the success of a business.

Installers and builders are always looking at ways to save their pennies, so will often shop around for the best deal. So how do merchants increase customer engagement to keep their customers coming back?

It's a common misconception that a successful merchant has their eye on the bottom line, and only the bottom line. Whilst balancing budgets and negotiating pallet costs are naturally important aspects of a merchants' mechanics, this shouldn't be conducted in isolation.

Tiling with natural stone is a matter of knowledge and balance; the knowledge to identify the variables that can affect the overall adhesion, and the ability to get the right balance between the stone, the background substrate, and the adhesive. It can be tricky, so it's a good idea to make sure that you fully…

Varying surface conditions make preparing a wall for decorating a difficult task. There's a huge variety of wall preparation products on offer and many merchants can feel unsure of the best tools to advise for the job. To avoid feeling dazed and confused it's important that you research the task in hand.

Keeping abreast of industry innovations can be a daunting task for merchants, not least in peak periods, such as the run up to Christmas, when finding the time to brush up on the latest trends can be a tricky task indeed. But plenty of suppliers now use social media, apps and other software to share…

With competition more fierce than ever in a growing industry, it's important that merchants think of extra ways to engage with customers, drive sales and ultimately do all they can to have a successful summer.