INTERNATIONAL MARKET CENTERS

3 Week Online Event Offers Buyers Product Discovery and Virtual Connections
New Catalog Connexion Provides Robust Tools for Sourcing and Lead Generation

Following High Point Market Authority’s cancelation of the Spring 2020 High Point Market, International Market Centers (IMC) has announced the launch of “IMC High Point Virtual Market,” a three-week-long online experience that will feature product discovery and digital connections. These offerings, which include the debut of a new Catalog Connexion sourcing tool, as well as a series of pop-up virtual market events, will run on IMC’s High Point Market website from May 11 through May 29.
“While we know that we cannot replace the value of physical markets, we also realize there is a real desire and need for the industry to connect virtually right now,” said Bob Maricich, IMC CEO. “We hope this new market will help bridge the gap in the home furnishing industry’s sourcing and shopping calendar by creating a digital experience that provides knowledge, practical business tips, and a platform for sourcing and discovery, as well as a much-needed sense of community.”

INTERNATIONAL MARKET CENTERS

Results will inform market planning and be made available to industry at-large
International Market Centers (IMC) today announced a survey of 200,000+ home furnishings, gift and apparel buyers that will result in a real-time representation of the state of the industry during the COVID-19 crisis.  As part of ongoing support of the retail, design and wholesale communities as they work toward recovery, IMC has committed to making the results available to the industry as a benchmarking and planning tool in addition to using the results to inform its own summer and fall market planning.
“With our expansive buyer base, we have the ability to get a true pulse of the industry right now,” said Bob Maricich, IMC CEO. “Through our markets and market centers in Atlanta, High Point and Las Vegas, we have a critical mass of buyers of diverse location, size, product mix and longevity that presents us with a unique opportunity to create a tool that will be of great value to the industry as it looks forward.”
IMC’s survey has four goals: to assess the current retail climate in terms of business operations, product sourcing and consumer sales; to understand how market-makers, vendors and sales agencies can best support the retail community during recovery; to inform market planning through year-end by understanding health and safety concerns and travel sentiment; and to explore the utility of digital tools – both B2B and B2C – for sourcing and selling. The survey will be distributed to buyers via email beginning today.
IMC has commissioned Stax, an independent global strategy consulting firm with more than two decades of experience providing actionable, data-driven answers to clients' critical strategic questions, to administer the survey and tabulate responses. Results of the initial benchmarking survey, which will be analyzed by region, category interest and business type, are expected in early May 2020 and will be available, in aggregate, to the gift, home furnishings and apparel industries by June 1. Over the next six months, IMC also plans a regular series of follow-up surveys to track the pace of recovery. 
“In this unprecedented time, we are all looking for answers. Our hope is that through this survey, we can bring some clarity to the current situation and allow for better planning not just for IMC, but for the manufacturers, sales agencies, retailers and designers who make up our industry,” adds Maricich. “We believe that recovery is something we should and will approach together, and we are proud to support our industry as we look towards the future.”
Information about IMC’s markets is available online via these links:
Atlanta Market / Atlanta Apparel / AmericasMart: AmericasMart.com
High Point: IMCHighPointMarket.com
Las Vegas Market / Las Vegas Design Center:  LasVegasMarket.com

INTERNATIONAL MARKET CENTERS

 In an effort to address business disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, International Market Centers (IMC) and its digital innovation division IMC_di announced today that free subscriptions and transactions will be offered to customers through year-end on ShopZio, its B2B digital platform that facilitates product and resource discovery as well as e-commerce.

“The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted business quickly and significantly. While ensuring the health and safety of our staff and customers is our top priority, we also have been able to start planning for recovery and we will use our virtual market tools to help our customers do the same,” said Bob Maricich, the CEO of IMC. “To that end, we are offering gift, home and apparel suppliers virtual market tools — at no charge through the end of the year — to help our customers maintain visibility, market available products and transact business digitally as recovery begins.”
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