Nationwide Marketing Group and APRO associate member, Nationwide RentDirect, recently announced that they are partnering with Podium, an interaction management platform that works with more than 65,000 businesses worldwide. Nationwide members will get immediate access to Podium’s full suite of customer interaction management tools, including web and video chat, reviews, appointment scheduling, and no-contact payment. This partnership helps Nationwide and RentDirect members to capitalize on the continued growth in e-commerce sales caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the latest Adobe Digital Economy Index (DEI), United States consumers have spent 14 billion hours shopping online so far in 2020. That number is expected to rise further, with 95% of all purchases estimated to be made online by 2040.
“With rent-to-own dealers focusing on their websites as well as digital marketing efforts this year, the opportunity provided by Nationwide to partner with Podium is very exciting!” explains Nationwide RentDirect Director, Keven Dalke. “This will give RentDirect members looking to capitalize on their e-commerce presence that additional lift going into the holiday season.”
To capitalize on this new partnership, Nationwide members must have their website managed by one of Nationwide’s two website provider partners. Those who do will receive a 20% discount for Podium’s services — including those who are already Podium customers. Through this partnership, integration, which generally would take a week can be completed in 24 hours.
“Nationwide’s independent retailers are already experts at building relationships with their customers,” explains Nationwide President, Tom Hickman. “Our partnership with Podium will help them further refine their online communications, especially webchat and online reviews, to gather more leads, close more sales, share their brand message with more prospects, and ultimately build more customer loyalty.”
