Gourmet Business December '20 - Atlanta Winter Show Preview; Entertaining

Showcasing Some New Tech – Welcome Juniper

I can’t believe I am writing for the last issue of the year!  Even though the world has slowed significantly, in some cases even grinding to an abrupt halt, this year did seem to go by quickly…and what a year it was. 

In this issue you will find a new product preview for the upcoming Atlanta Market Winter ’21 show that will take place from January 12 through January 19.  As you browse the issue you will find something new and noteworthy with some of the product listings that have an imbedded URL directing you to the “ShopZio Link”.  If you haven’t heard about ShopZio yet, it is a b2b ecommerce platform that enables retailers to order directly from suppliers on-line, an idea near and dear to my heart.  Let me explain.

IMC revealed earlier this year that they had started a new division called IMC_di (International Market Centers’ Digital Innovations Division), which would be headed up by my long time associate Eric Dean.  Eric was part of Whereoware that rose up out of the dotcom boom at the start of the current millennium.  I founded Housewaresdirect around that time, which created a b2b marketplace for the Housewares Industry that was run on the same software plaform that was developed for Whereoware targeting the gift and home industry.  Both Eric and I understood how important access to information is to the success of the industry, and through our passion for the space and understanding of technology, dedicated our energy to helping industry participants leverage technology to improve business.  Although I never expected the adoption of a central ecommerce enabled platform to take so long, I am none the less thrilled that the time has come, and IMC is brilliantly positioned to drive this forward and seamlessly integrate it into the market experience.

Recently, IMC_di also announced that they have launched a new brand for the suite of newly developed digital tools called Juniper.  Soon ShopZio will be known as Juniper MKT, and will join the Juniper suite of products including Juniper WEB, Juniper SNQ, Juniper SLS, and Juniper CRM.  I expect retailers will be thrilled to have the ability to order directly from their key suppliers, all in one place, and we have linked you right in so you can get started.

If you are a supplier in the industry, I strongly recommend that you learn more about the Juniper Suite, I have no doubt that it can benefit your business.