Atlanta / Las Vegas – (August 12, 2022)– JuniperMarket’s RISE pavilions created dynamic new synergies between physical and digital markets – resulting in hundreds of new connections and business-building sales – for 18 participating women-owned brands in July. Through the pilot program, a curated selection of brands now live on JuniperMarket by IMC, the industry’s new B2B ecommerce platform, also exhibited in-person as part of showcase presentations at the summer 2022 editions of IMC’s Atlanta Market and Las Vegas Market.
“RISE was a perfect way to solidify the link between IMC’s physical and digital markets,” said Bill Furlong, CEO of Juniper by IMC. “The RISE pavilions in Atlanta and Las Vegas served as places of discovery, education, community and commerce for buyers and sellers alike.”
Atlanta Market and Las Vegas Market buyers embraced the RISE brands, placing nearly $71,000 in orders from the 18 participating sellers. RISE participants also reported some 450+ connections made at the markets, from leading retailers such as Loop & Tie and Uncommon Goods, as well as member-based organizations such as the Fair Trade Federation and Museum Store Association, setting up a pipeline for additional post-market sales on JuniperMarket.com. The RISE pavilions also offered sellers invaluable exposure to trade and consumer media including Good Morning America and Oprah Daily.
Positive Reactions from Brands
Overwhelmingly, the RISE brands deemed the Atlanta Market and Las Vegas Markets as positive experiences with nearly all of the 18 women-owned brands planning to continue to exhibit. Collectively, brands reported the RISE experience was “life-changing, collaborative, enlightening, encouraging, supportive, community driven, empowering and inspiring”.
Showing at the Markets made real impacts for these small-businesses. Veronika Payne of jewelry brand Ora Ana said, “RISE was so much more than I expected. I not only have cash on hand which opens opportunities, I also received incredible feedback from industry veterans. RISE has proven to me that I have a viable product and business.” Payne reported making 84% of her brand’s annual recurring revenue at the markets over the course of nine days.
Cathy Gomez of 700 Rivers, seller of soaps hand-crafted by Bangladeshi artisans who have escaped human trafficking, added, “The RISE program gave my business a huge boost by supporting our first wholesale market. This is an experience that would not have been financially feasible for my small business otherwise. I came back from the market ready to fulfill orders and to dream bigger!”
Summer 2022 inaugural RISE exhibitors were 700 Rivers, Amy Zhang, ANOVÉ, Ardor Bin, Becalia Botanicals, daph., Duebest, EATABLE, Gleam Eyewear, JJ Paperie & Co, Modern Theory, Naked Bar Soap Co., Ora Ana, Ordinary Habit, Salut, Soil to Studio, Us Two Tea and Verve Culture. The 18 brands – 15 of which are led by women of color – joined JuniperMarket as part of IMC’s acquisition of the Dough ecommerce platform in early 2022. The brands were selected and mentored in market preparation for RISE by JuniperMarket by IMC Vice President of Social Impact Vanessa Bruce. These RISE brands are live now at JuniperMarket.com, collectively bringing 3,000+ products (personal care, specialty food & beverage, home textiles, jewelry and fashion accessories, gifts, social stationery, housewares and more) to the ecommerce platform.
Launched in January 2021, JuniperMarket is a multi-line B2B ecommerce platform powered by International Market Centers (IMC), which allows home décor, gift, furniture and apparel buyers and sellers to connect anytime and anywhere. JuniperMarket features a breadth and depth of gift, home and lifestyle product from many of the most trusted brands in the marketplace. New sellers and new products are added daily to JuniperMarket, keeping offerings fresh year-round, and enabling buyers to diversify assortments and maintain a competitive edge.
“RISE furthers IMC’s mission to support values-based commerce and to bring new perspectives to our community of brands,” said Bob Maricich, CEO of IMC. “We plan to build upon the success of our inaugural efforts by repeating – and expanding – this showcase of women-owned brands at future markets.”
The winter 2023 markets run January 11-18, 2023, at AmericasMart Atlanta, and January 29-February 2, 2023 at World Market Center Las Vegas.
Atlanta Market is the industry’s premier gift, décor and lifestyle market. Housing the nation’s largest gift product mix complemented by a broad selection of home décor, it features more than 8,000 brands across all categories. Held semi-annually at AmericasMart Atlanta, Atlanta Market attracts retailers and designers from every U.S. state and more than 60 countries.
Las Vegas Market is the leading home furnishings and gift market in the western U.S., presenting thousands of furniture, home décor and gift resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market’s diverse product offerings allow for cross-category commerce among these industries.
About International Market Centers: International Market Centers (IMC) serves as the center of commerce for the wholesale furniture, gift, home decor and apparel industries. With more than 20 million square feet of premium wholesale showroom space in High Point, N.C., Las Vegas and Atlanta, IMC has more than 60 years of relationships and experience creating scalable business platforms for wholesale commerce. With the launch of Juniper, a fully integrated omnichannel B2B commerce solution and multiline B2B e-commerce marketplace empowering buyers and sellers to better manage and grow their business at markets and year-round, IMC now provides the only omnichannel sales and marketing platform that seamlessly connects physical and digital wholesale commerce. For more information, visit www.imcenters.com.
About Juniper: Juniper is a fully integrated omnichannel B2B commerce solution and multi-line B2B e-commerce marketplace, empowering buyers and sellers to better manage and grow their business at markets and year-round. Juniper offers a sales automation and commerce platform (JuniperCommerce) combined with a new multi-line B2B ecommerce marketplace (JuniperMarket) that together empower sales teams, streamline product data management and deliver real-time visibility across channels – driving business efficiency and growth for buyers and sellers. Juniper is powered by International Market Centers (IMC), the world’s largest owner and operator of premier wholesale showroom space for the furniture, home décor, gift and apparel industries with more than 60 years of relationships and experience creating scalable business platforms for wholesale commerce. For more information, visit www.JuniperCommerce.com.
