and their market share. NRA CEO, Trevor Evans, said Australian retailers couldn’t afford not to look at new ways to cut their business costs by saving energy, and expand their reach to new customers by cashing in on the latest digital technologies. “With soaring energy prices and climate change, on top of the ever-evolving digital sales techniques available, retailers need to keep on top of the latest tools so they don’t get left in the wake of their competitors,” Evans said. “The recent structural shift in the way we do business prompted the call for a simple solution to help retailers easily access the latest information and proven best-practice methods, in digital technology or sustainability. “They say knowledge is power, but what’s more important is that you actually use the information that’s now freely available to boost your marketing and customer service strategies, and halve your energy bills to help your profits soar.” The NRA have developed tailored retail specific information and industry best practice case studies for the Digital Business Kit- Connecting Retail web portal to help SME’s use digital platforms to improve their businesses, understand how best to make use of new technologies and provide guidance to help get online results. Self-directed modules on the Digital Business Kit – Connecting Retail portal cover topics such as: selling online, using cloud, online security, telework, eMarketing, customer support, rich media, B2B, business intelligence, and eBusiness. Retailers can select what topic they are looking for and access only that module, without having to spend time looking through all the available information. The Retail Buys the Future retail-specific web portal contains a multitude of resources just a mouse click away, such as the Retail Health Check to get businesses started, industry-specific advice on what changes to make and how, and the Greenhouse Gas Calculator to then help track the benefits. The NRA’s Digital Business Kit is available at www.nradigitalkits.com. The Retail Buys the Future web portal can be accessed via www.nra.retailbuysthefuture.com. The NRA’s Digital Business Kit – Connect Retail is an Australian Government funded initiative under the Digital Business Kits Program. The Retail Buys the Future program received funding from the Department of Industry as part of the Energy Efficiency Grants Program.