Providing a Foundation for Growth

At KnowledgeFest Atlantic City, DAS and VOXX aimed to provide a good experience for attendees, who sought support and shared challenges with reps.

Words by Rosa Sophia

Although KnowledgeFest Atlantic City had lower attendance this year, training opportunities were close to the show floor and offered more opportunities for networking. Seth Halstead, director of marketing at VOXX, said this resulted in more in-depth conversations with attendees. VOXX, he noted, prioritizes providing a great experience for show-goers. This, he said, regardless of the size of the event, is the most important thing.

“We brought a nice mix of products and displays to help represent our brands,” he said, adding that this offered a hands-on experience and a good overall feel for what’s available. “The attendance might not have been what everyone hoped for, but regardless, we made it our commitment to give those who did attend the best experience we could.”

DAS Companies, too, reported good results. Ken Litten, sales and marketing manager for consumer electronics at DAS, has been in the industry for about 28 years. At the start of his career, he managed a couple of retail locations in Richmond, Virginia. When he had the opportunity to shift his focus to distribution, he worked with one distributor for about 10 years before joining DAS. He’s been with DAS for the past 13 years.

The distributor had a central booth at KnowledgeFest Atlantic City this year, where they offered promotions for visiting accounts. “It was a great place to announce to everyone that we’re now an Alpine distributor,” Litten said. Company representatives spoke with attendees who took advantage of the trainings and enjoyed the venue, he said, adding, “There are still a lot of people out there supporting the industry.”

Retailers Seek Solutions: “How do We Evolve?”

Things are more difficult now due to integration, Litten said. “There are more challenges because of the current technology going into new vehicles. Also, a lot of younger customers aren’t into big bass systems [like they used to be]. All they want to do is integrate their cellphone” using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. “They want navigation on-screen. That’s it.” Despite this shift, Litten feels the industry will see a resurgence of interest in sound quality. “Pretty soon, you’re not going to be able to change a radio.” Integration will be required for any vehicle, he noted, whether it’s a subwoofer install or DSP. Retailers need to grasp it now. “Get ahead of the game or you’ll be left behind, and quickly,” he said.

Halstead agreed that business has shifted, “and this is no surprise to anyone.” People at the event, he said, were saying, “how do we evolve?” They were looking for “ideas and solutions. For us, as a vendor, it’s one thing to be able to offer products, but they’re looking for more than that. They want support in other ways.” This kind of support is what VOXX continues to develop for its dealers, Halstead said, whether it’s “marketing support, [ideas for] what we can do to help drive customers into the store, how we can help them” transform into “what the store of today should be.”

DAS supports its retailer partners by offering top-tier lines like Sony, Alpine, JBL Infinity and more, according to Litten. “A lot of these companies are getting into DSP and plug-and-play to make it easier to integrate.” Speaking for DAS, Litten said, “We have to change to. We have to stay educated. If anything, we have to stay more ahead of the curve because we have to make sure we understand the product,” so company reps can assist retailers effectively when they need help.

Improving the Experience for Retailers

While some businesses are struggling, Halstead said he’s also heard from shops that are doing so well they’re having trouble keeping up. “The reality is, though, a lot of them do not have enough business.” He said he’s witnessed “a big disconnect” between the stores that are doing well, and those that are struggling. “And why is this? They’re both focusing on different things.” Some, he added, are hosting their own shows or meet-and-greet events. “Some are really active socially. They’re successful when they take those initiatives.”

One of the biggest things VOXX has been focused on, Halstead said, is providing a better overall experience to retailers. “We have something we call our Dealer Smart Links. That’s a one-stop URL that dealers can go to and get everything we want them to have instant access to. We have specials for dealers, and this includes links to VOXX Rewards. One of the things we do is we incentivize retailers on specific products. So, for example, if they sell a Smart TV seat-back system, they get a $25 reward. If they sell the Viper Smart Start or Directed Smart Start, they get a $10 reward.”

VOXX DISPLAYS CARLINK CONNECTED DASH CAM AT KNOWLEDGEFEST ATLANTIC CITY

The CARLINK CONNECTED DASH CAM was on display at KnowledgeFest Atlantic City. It consists of two products: The ASCL7 CARLINK Telematics Module and the F790AIR-TGM Thinkware Dash Cam with TGM Expansion Module, both available from VOXX. Real-time alerts provide notifications through the CARLINK app. This offers recording, playback, and the ability to download footage, as well as instant view request and crash notifications. For more nformation, ask your local VOXX representative today.

These rewards can also be split between technicians and salespeople. “We also offer display programs. We’ve been working hard at getting in-store displays. We have a display that shows our unique dash camera with blind spot detection.”

Marketing materials may assist a store in letting customers know that a car stereo shop sells dash cams, he said, adding, “Our marketing hub includes classified digital assets.” Retailers are able to repurpose these for their own social media posts.

“We also do monthly e-news encompassing everything we want our accounts to know about, and we communicate on a regular basis. I usually do a video at the beginning called Two Minute Tuesday,” offering everything retailers should know for the week.

At KnowledgeFest Atlantic City, VOXX presented trainings on its Viper security and remote start line-up. During a top product training, presenters ditched the PowerPoint and offered a QR code for attendees to scan which included links to top assets for the company’s most popular categories. During the training session, they discussed features and benefits.

Something like remote start is often seasonal, Halstead said, even though the convenience is handy during the summer, too. Retailers must also educate about misconceptions, he said, adding that people often have a “misconception that their factory key fob is an alarm when it’s actually not. They think they’re already protected. We have some promotional materials that speak to that. A factory remote start doesn’t have the advantages of the aftermarket.” This, he added, is a misinterpretation by the end users and “retailers can be ready with this—to talk about it when they have the opportunity.”

The VOXX team at KnowledgeFest Atlantic City. Seth Halstead, second from the right, said attendees were most concerned with seeking solutions and maintaining forward momentum.

Creating Value for the End-User

It’s important that products be reliable for customers, Litten said. During a recent appearance on Dean Beyett’s podcast, Litten spoke with Beyett and his colleague, Fernando Lopez, about the future of the mobile electronics industry. “I said, ‘Learn.’ Don’t sit there and expect things to be easy.”

A mere three years ago, Litten recalled visiting with retailers who didn’t even have a computer in their stores. “How are they flashing remote starts, or updating firmware on vehicles? They weren’t. Put the technology in your store and learn the technology.” Retailers must be able to work with products and know how to update them, he added. “Some dealers might plug it in, hand the keys to the customer and say, ‘The manual is in the car.’ Customer service is a big thing, too.”

Click on the picture to watch Conversations With Car Stereo Friends: Ken Litten, with Dean Beyett and Fernando Lopez.

DAS is currently working on moving to a new location in Pennsylvania, which should be completed in the fourth quarter, according to Litten, who said everything will be in-house now. In the past, the company’s corporate location was different than it’s shipping and travel-center locations, but after the move, everything will be housed in the same building. The company continues to seek “the latest and greatest” products to add to its brand lineup, he added.

DAS enjoys getting attendees involved at KnowledgeFest by hosting its popular Installer Challenge. Visitors to the booth are invited to wire up a radio, for example. “The fastest competitors move on to the championship round,” Litten said, adding that the event is held at their dealer event the following evening. The last Installer Challenge took place at KnowledgeFest Las Vegas earlier in the year. “The winner gets a trophy, tools and prizes. We want to get our dealers involved.”

When it comes to the challenges of drawing business into retail stores across the country, Halstead said people will continue to spend their money on what’s important and fun to them. “But you have to create the value [to get them to spend their money] on those solutions.” Trends may vary in different areas and seasons, he said, but this initiative remains the same.

“We appreciate the retailers who make the effort to go to the events and better themselves,” he said, adding, “That’s why we show up.”

Visitors to KnowledgeFest are drawn to the DAS booth via the excitement of the Installer which awards a trophy and other prizes to the fastest competitor.