i3 - January/February 2020 - 95

Business

Tom Hickman,
Dave Workman,
Jerry Satoren and
Jim Risstow

come up with more of a turnkey solution" when installing smart appliances
that are attached to the internet. That is
in comparison to a typical ProSource
member because its members do "more
full-service installations."
Everyone will be watching how 5G
develops this year, but question marks
are still there for these groups. Hickman
says 5G, "could be a game-changer" and
is hopeful it can drive the connected
home, but is unsure. Workman notes
that in the short term for 2020, the
question is, "will 5G produce any benefits for our type of dealers that we can
monetize," since his group and others do
not rely on video games or smartphones
for growth.

NATM Buying Group

Jerry Satoren, executive director of the
NATM Buying Group, says that 5G "will
change our lives and the process starts
now," but wonders what will happen in
2020. As far as the connected home category NATM, an organization of a dozen
C TA . t e c h / i 3

What we've
learned is there
isn't just one silver
bullet to get truly
engaged in smart
appliances. It
has to be a multipronged approach
- a turnkey
strategy.
- Jim Ristow, CEO of AVB/BrandSource

of the nation's largest local independent
electronics and appliance retailers,
members have done well with Googleand Nest-related do-it-yourself items.
For more extensive and upscale
installations, "Our members have tried
smart home displays in packaged settings" with some members "making the
investment to drive that business,"
Satoren says. "What's gratifying is that
members share expertise on this and
other new technologies to come up with
best practices."
These executives and their members
will be active at CES not only to see
new technology first-hand, but to network with existing vendors, and possibly new ones. Satoren of NATM says,
"Our entire membership attends. In
addition we have a meeting before the
show opens with each of our top five
vendors." Separately dealers see new
vendors at the show, "and for those
buyers that haven't seen the new TV
models in Asia in October, CES is the
first chance to see them."
Workman of ProSource, whose group
also goes to Asia in the fall, CES is not
only significant because it is a follow-up
to that trip, but also because, "We are
starting a new calendar year of programs and finishing the holiday season."
Just as important, "While we see fewer
vendors at CES, our meetings are far
more in depth and useful."
Hickman of Nationwide says the
group's strategy at CES is to, "See 'what's
next.' And we go 30/30/30. We meet
with current vendors to see how we can
better partner with them; look for new
opportunities; and catch up with our
members." What's the other 10%? It's a
familiar refrain for any longtime CES
attendee, no matter how organized:
"Chaos and recovery."
Steve Smith was the former editor-in-chief
of TWICE.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020

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i3 - January/February 2020

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