AVB BrandSource, the nation’s largest merchandising and marketing co-op for independent CE, appliance and home furnishings dealers, introduced a host of cutting-edge retail tools and services at its annual Convention and EXPO last week in Dallas to help its thousands of members stay ahead of the competition.
According to AVB CEO Jim Ristow, the group’s tool chest of marketing and operational assets has already helped its appliance dealers outpace their national competitors by more than 8% in revenue year-to-date, while home furnishings members are ahead by an average of 7% so far this year. What’s more, BrandSource dealers who leverage AVB’s tools and technologies are outperforming members who don’t by a delta of nearly 15%, and the gap is widening, Ristow said.
At the Convention, held Aug. 25-28 at the Gaylord Texan Resort under the theme of “Win,” a roster of new digital innovations was launched to help BrandSource members maintain their marketplace lead. Among them:
- New dedicated pro-channel websites are designed to help members better serve their home builders, contractors, and/or building management clients.
- A free service charge calculator, aka the “Add-On Optimizer,” that charts what national chains are charging for delivery, installation, and haul-away services, and calculates how much additional revenue members could generate by setting fair but comparable rates.
- Promotional banners that can placed on the homepages of member sites at no cost, to help convey dealers’ competitive pricing.
- New “Price Netter Technology,” a first for the independent channel, can present both instant and mail-in rebates simultaneously online.
- An online trade-up function, dubbed “Step-Up/Spotlight,” suggests to customers similar models with additional features at a comparable or modestly higher price.
- A direct-buy program with leading furniture brand Ashley that allows members to purchase full or partial mixed containers direct from the manufacturer for significant savings.
Ristow also reminded attendees of the power of HUB, AVB’s comprehensive customer relationship management platform (CRM), which can provide detailed product information to sales teams on the showroom floor; collect and store customer information and manage the shopper’s journey by sending quotes and follow-up communications; and can serve as a cash register by managing the entire transaction and integrating with a dealer’s POS system on the back end.
Ristow urged members to choose one or two AVB tools or services, all of which “are designed to make you more competitive and profitable because we need to focus on both.” “It’s all about focus,” he added. “Focus on what’s happening in the market, have a simple plan and execute on that plan.”
BrandSource, along with its ProSource, NEAG, IAC and Mega Group/BrandSource Canada affiliate groups, will next convene March 23-26, 2025, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville.
About BrandSource
BrandSource is the nation’s leading merchandising organization for independent appliance, home furnishings and consumer tech dealers. Its parent company, AVB, is a $25 billion member-driven co-op that provides merchandising, financing, operational and digital marketing services to thousands of independent dealers and across the U.S. and Canada, including members of the ProSource, Mega Group, New England Appliance Group and Intercounty Appliance Corp. retail organizations.
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