CES 2016 – Are you adapting to the “New Retail” economy?

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With the up incoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 6-9^th, 2016, it makes you wonder, what’s next?  In our article: http://www.canadiancarstereo.com/ces-2015/, we talked about Alpine Electronics direct OEM factory replacement 9-inch video head units. They retail for over $3000, but now it seems they want to sell them directly to the customer via Amazon.com?  Here is the article from www.ceoutlook.com:

 

http://www.ceoutlook.com/2015/12/19/alpine-will-sell-restyle-radios-through-amazon/.

 

I know its allot of links here, but is this a preview of things to come?  Maybe $3000+ factory upgrade radios aren’t selling at the retail level?   We have seen a large number of dealers support these products with specialized displays from Alpine Electronics, and the fit and finish are simply amazing.  Maybe we will try to get an interview with an Alpine Executive who can shed some light on this thought process.

 

The cost of going to the CES 2016 show getting more expensive for Canadians to attend, a lot of retailers are questioning the expense.  CES is an amazing experience, but training all their staff on new products and closing their stores for 2-3 days is not an option.  All this on the same week as Alpine Electronics announced their amazon.com plan.  Four Canadian Distributors are joining forces to hold a North of the Border training for sales staff and installation staff.

            Here is a link to this event: http://www.trendsinc.com/store/12vexpo

 

Here is an example of products lines being presented:

 

Trends Electronics

Hertz

Helix/Braxx

Iconnects

Sony

Memphis Car Audio

 

Pioneer Electronics

Pioneer Car Audio

 

Gentec

Phoenix Gold

Alpine Electronics

Stinger

Best Kits

 

Gemsen

Kicker

JL Audio

 

Automobility

Directed Electronics

Rockford Fosgate

 

All four Canadian companies have other products in their portfolios, but I just wanted to highlight the more well-known products.  Our hats go off to these four distributors who are seeing a need for training for their retailers and by working together to share the cost in order to grow their/our knowledge base for retailers in Canada.

 

Two years ago, we attended MERA (Mobile Electronics Retailers Association).  It was a fantastic experience for meeting retailers/distributors with the same passion for our awesome industry.  Hopefully, this event with growing into something similar to MERA in the United States.

 

CanadianCarStereo.com