Page 4 - YourSource November 2016

FROM THE CEO
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MEMBERS
It was great to see so many of you again in Vegas. Every year the convention sneaks up quicker and goes by faster than the one before. This year’s show was exceptional in terms of attendance, programs, products and most of all connecting with you.
For those of you that were able to attend The Conven- tion in Vegas, you’ve likely noticed a recurring theme that myself and the staff were hammering home . . . “It’s All About The Members!”
Those 5 simple words embody our entire mission and indeed, mean a lot more than just a catchy phrase that we enjoyed shouting out. Everything we do here is predicated on those 5 words. The question we continuously ask our- selves in all that we do is - How will this benefit our members? We are here to serve you and make sure that you are doing what it takes to stay competitive and to thrive.
I am encouraging all of you to shake up the way you do business and embrace technology that we maybe once feared. The conventional way of doing things will simply not be enough moving forward. We have been pushing many new initiatives as of late - all designed to help out you and your business. The most noteworthy one was the introduction and roll out of AVB TV. The response we received at the Stampede blew me away - over 75% of the attendees at the Stampede signed up on the spot. Judg- ing by the initial feedback the technology has been very well received. There is more information on this initiative in a feature story in this issue.
The subject of integrating technology into your store was another recurring theme at the convention. We all know that websites are good at generating lots of traffic - but not necessarily lots of sales. We also know that all of you - as retailers are much better at converting shoppers
into buyers. However, it is far more challenging to at- tract bodies than clicks. What if the two channels worked together with the strength of one making up for the weakness of the other? Online shoppers tend to browse and flee. By employing technologies such as AVB TV and our digital marketing platform we aim to get shoppers to browse and dwell and ultimately buy. Our goal is to make the online and in-store shopping experience seamless. By doing so, we will be converting many more “shoppers” into“buyers”.
All of the initiatives we are undertaking at BrandSource truly are “all about the members.” We work for you and your success is imperative to the success of this group.
If you have an idea or a concern you would like ad- dressed - by all means let me know.
Hope to see you in Orlando in March!
Jim Ristow
Chief Executive Officer AVB BrandSource
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YOURSOURCE NOVEMBER 2016