Taxes vs Tariffs: Protecting Furniture Retail Margins in 2025 | STORIS + Avalara Webinar

Описание: Furniture retailers face unprecedented complexity in 2025. Between fluctuating tariffs, economic nexus requirements across 12,000+ tax jurisdictions, and constantly changing state regulations, staying compliant while protecting margins has never been harder.

In this 25-minute webinar, Greg Strosnider (Sr. Account Executive, STORIS) and Christine Martin (Solutions Consultant, Avalara) have an honest conversation about the real challenges retailers face—and the practical tools available to address them.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

Tax Compliance Challenges:
• How South Dakota v. Wayfair changed everything for omnichannel retailers
• Managing economic nexus across different states (100K threshold? Transaction count? Both?)
• The hidden complexity of tax holidays, shipping charges, and jurisdiction boundaries
• Real story: How an auditor on vacation triggered a multi-state audit
• Why one retailer needed 12 full-time employees just to file tax returns

Tariffs & Cost Management:
• The critical difference: tariffs raise unit cost, taxes don't (and why this matters)
• The "boomerang effect" of fluctuating tariff rates • How retailers are using surcharges to maintain transparency
• Building resilience into your supply chain and margins

Compliance Beyond Sales Tax:
• Managing exemption certificates (and why you need them years later)
• Business licenses, permits, and the broader compliance picture
• Emerging retail delivery fees (Colorado, Minnesota, and 7 more states considering them)
• Executive liability: why CFOs need to care about sales tax compliance

The Automation Advantage:
• How technology protects margins and reduces risk
• ROI of automation vs. manual processes
• Real-world examples of operational efficiency gains

👥 SPEAKERS:
Greg Strosnider - Sr. Account Executive, STORIS
Works with furniture retailers to align technology with operational needs, specializing in omnichannel retail solutions.

Christine Martin - Solutions Consultant, Avalara
16 years at Avalara, former tax manager with hands-on industry experience. Brings real-world tax compliance expertise from the trenches.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction & Overview 01:07 - Omnichannel Selling Impact on Tax Compliance 03:31 - South Dakota v. Wayfair & Economic Nexus 05:15 - The Vacation Audit Story (Real Cautionary Tale) 07:06 - Shipping Charges & Jurisdiction Complexity 08:08 - Sales Tax Holidays & Delivery Timing 09:43 - Margin Impact & Customer Experience 11:36 - Filing Requirements & Compliance Complexity 13:10 - Executive Liability & Criminal Charges 13:23 - Tariffs & Cost of Goods Discussion 14:27 - The Boomerang Effect of Tariff Rates 15:09 - Surcharges & Transparency Strategies 17:24 - Building Margin Resilience 17:57 - Independent vs National Retailers 19:00 - Exemption Certificate Management 20:33 - The Hotel Story (Certificate Retention) 21:17 - Beyond Tax: Licenses & Permits 22:44 - The 12-Person Tax Team Example 23:24 - Automation & AI for Efficiency 24:20 - Other Fees: Mattress, Recycling, Retail Delivery 25:51 - Wrap-up & Key Takeaways

🔗 RESOURCES:
STORIS: https://www.storis.com
Avalara: https://www.avalara.com
Schedule a demo: https://info.storis.com/book-a-demo-r...
Learn more about STORIS + Avalara integration: https://www.avalara.com/us/en/product...

📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

"Tariffs raise your unit cost. Taxes do not. Price and merchandise accordingly."

"If you don't collect tax upfront, you're on the hook. If you collect wrong, you harm the customer experience. Either way, you lose."

"Compliance isn't just rates and rules—it's exemption certificates, business licenses, permits, and now retail delivery fees."

#FurnitureRetail #TaxCompliance #Tariffs #Avalara #STORIS #RetailOperations #OmnichannelRetail #BusinessAutomation #RetailTechnology