Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM MAY 2020 54 T he AVB/BrandSource buying group has launched a series of initiatives to help its members compete in the burgeoning connected home market. The effort leverages its dealers' expertise in home appliances as their entrée into the smart home arena and taps its custom integration affiliate ProSource for its installation and integration know-how. As AVB CEO Jim Ristow noted in his State of the Union address at the group's recent Summit gathering in Las Vegas, most new appliances are already equipped with smart features and represent the most expensive and high-profile smart devices consumers will buy. To supplement members' smart appliance assortments and offer a complete connected home solution, BrandSource has added the Google Nest family of home automation products to Expert Warehouse, the group's distribution arm. The assortment includes WiFi mesh routers, Nest Hubs, Mini Speakers, Learning Thermostats, Hello Doorbells, security cameras and Nest Protect smoke alarms. BrandSource suggests that its members merchandise the Nest line in concert with their smart appliance offering, particularly kitchen products, as the kitchen has long since replaced the living room as the heart and hearth of the home. Accordingly, some manufacturers, notably Samsung with its Family Hub refrigerator, are positioning the appliance as the central IoT (Internet of Things) device for the connected domicile. To effectively showcase their Google Nest and smart appliance products, BrandSource has also introduced an exclusive kitchen vignette display for member dealers. The initiative builds on a nearly two-year-long showroom enhancement effort that includes the introduction of digital price tags, engaging store signage, and a low- cost, labor-light Store Makeover remodeling program. Bundled appliance packages developed by the BrandSource merchandising team are a profitable means for dealers to sell complete kitchen suites – and a popular way for shoppers to buy them. The Kitchen vignette display will allow members to spotlight their ensembles in an attractive, kitchen-like setting that can help customers envision the products in their own homes, and to demonstrate the smart home products' features. With the vignette program, products and logos can be easily changed out, and the modern design will fit into any showroom décor. What's more, bulk buys have cut the price of the vignettes by more than half that of individual purchases, making this a high-impact, low- cost option that will help connect the in-store experience with dealers' virtual storefronts online. Properly presented as complete appliance packages within BrandSource's new kitchen vignette displays, complimented by a wide assortment of Google Nest products, and supported by local ProSource members to provide installation and home networking services, smart appliances can help independent appliance dealers compete effectively in the growing and increasingly mainstream smart home category, the group said. To further help seal the deal and avoid those after-hours phone calls, BrandSource in partnership with ProSource is also introducing an exclusive, premium tech-support program through Allstate that provides 24/7 customer assistance for all connected products for a low annual fee – and is free for products protected under Allstate's extended warranty plans. "These initiatives are the next steps in the evolution of the in-store experience for our members and their customers," CEO Ristow said. "We're taking it to the next level of product, solution and support." Alan Wolf is a Communications Specialist at AVB/ BrandSource, a top merchandising organization for independent appliance, home furnishings and consumer tech dealers. RO BRANDSOURCE LAUNCHES SMART-HOME APPLIANCE INITIATIVE Adds Google Nest, Allstate Tech Support Alan Wolf Connected Home Trends

• Cover