CHANTILLY, VA., (April 9, 2020) – Adoption of the ShopZio B2B digital platform has surged – with more than 100 new vendor registrations in less than one week – following the recent announcement by International Market Centers (IMC) and its digital innovation division, IMC_di, that free subscriptions and transactions will be offered to IMC customers through year-end. These newcomers, which include top industry brands and broad category representation, nearly double the number of vendors on the discovery and e-commerce platform.
“Buyers and suppliers are hungry for solutions to the economic challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and IMC_di is eager to help facilitate recovery with virtual market tools like ShopZio,” said Eric Dean, president of IMC_di. “ShopZio’s tools for product discovery and sales transactions, coupled with the unparalleled scope and reach of IMC’s marketing capabilities, offer our industry a unique opportunity to conduct business digitally in the short-term and to build a critical mass of content to augment markets when recovery comes.”
Recently acquired as part of the IMC_di initiative, ShopZio is a fully-functional B2B platform that facilitates product and resource discovery as well as transactional e-commerce. In response to economic challenges caused by the current disruption, IMC announced on April 2 that ShopZio marketplace fees will be waived for the balance of the year for all IMC customers, as well as existing ShopZio customers, who wish to use the B2B platform.
Leaders in the gift, home and apparel industries are among the 100+ suppliers who registered for ShopZio this week, with more sign-ups expected over the coming weeks. Vendors onboarding over the next few weeks broadly represent all categories. Gift vendors include: All Across Africa, Catherine Lillywhite’s, Channel Craft, Giftcraft, Golden Rabbit, Oh Sugar!, Pillow Pets, Sullivans, The Whitehurst Company and others; Home vendors include: Amity Home, Arcadia Home, Authentic Models, Bassett Mirror Co., BedInABox, Dôme Deco, Eichholtz B.V., Feizy Rugs, Kalco Lighting Ltd., Johanna Howard Home, OW Lee, Park Hill Collection, Simply Amish, Specialty Sleep Industries, Uttermost and others; and apparel vendors include: Callie B Wholesale, Chic Star, Lucky Feather, Santore Company and others.
“We are so excited about being able to offer ShopZio as a B2B solution for our customers,” said Danah Hurst, director of sales & customer care for Park Hill Collection. “During these uncertain times, we are striving to give our customers the very best tools to explore and buy product. ShopZio allows us to do just that.”
ShopZio currently has 35,000 active buyers and is already conducting millions of dollars per month in online transactions. ShopZio vendors represent a depth and breadth of apparel, gift and home products, from both established brands and innovative newcomers. Among notable suppliers in home décor and furniture are: Aidan Gray, Brunelli, Karastan, KAS Rugs, Saatva Mattress, Viana and Yamazaki Home; in gift are: Burney Giftware, Delphia, Indaba Trading Ltd., Melrose International, Walton Wood Farm and Wildly Delicious Preserve Co.; and in apparel and accessories are: Caracol Accessories, Pokolo and Stonz Wear Inc.
As an added benefit for both new and existing customers, ShopZio will be linkable directly from IMC’s market websites – AmericasMart.com, IMCHightPointMarket.com and LasVegasMarket.com – destinations which currently receive more than three million unique visitors annually. In combination with IMC’s attendee marketing, which reaches hundreds of thousands of qualified buyers, the websites will enable vendors to actively engage buyers and easily drive e-commerce sales.
The IMC_di staff is continuously onboarding newcomers to ShopZio. For details about IMC’s ShopZio offer, visit www.imcenters.com/imcdi/shopzio-offer/.
About International Market Centers: International Market Centers (IMC) is the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for furniture, gift, home décor, rug, and apparel industries. International Market Centers owns and operates nearly 20 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, N.C., Las Vegas and Atlanta. IMC’s mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furniture, gift, home décor, rug, and apparel industries. For more information, visit http://dev-imcenters.pantheonsite.io/.
About IMC_di: IMC Digital Innovations (IMC_di) is a stand-alone division of International Market Centers (IMC), the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for the home furnishings, gift, and apparel industries. Launched in January 2020, IMC_di will build an industry-changing platform including a global B2B e-commerce marketplace, a full suite of integrated marketing and sales automation software and smart showroom tools. With bold people and bold ambitions — and by investing as much as $100 million — IMC_di will change and grow the industries IMC serves.
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