Latest headlines: Lee Distad on selling through online retail versus brick-and-mortar stores, plus news from Crestron, DMF Lighting and more
March 10, 2021 | Volume: 18 | Issue: 5
Something I’ve found myself thinking about lately is how ProAV and HomeAV have seemed to intersect in the work-from-home market. Do work-from-home setups utilize professional or consumer-level technologies? Is there a mix? I’m starting to think it’s hybrid — just like everything else right now. Working professionals want the ~ultimate~ ergonomic setup, but hasn’t that been something that gaming and other industry-adjacent sectors have been wanting for years? Just food for thought! I’m happy to have this conversation if you want to email me or message me on LinkedIn.
In the current business environment where manufacturers have to weigh the options between selling through online retailers versus brick-and-mortar stores, I see parallels to the tension between choosing between specialty dealers and low-margin big-box retailers in the previous two decades. It wasn’t that long ago that specialty dealers, whether their channel catered to consumers or businesses, experienced tension with their manufacturer partners over the latter’s decision to open up their product lines in big-box retailers.
Futuresource’s Home Working survey asked 1,500 employees across America, France, Germany, and the U.K. about the impact COVID-19 has had on their working patterns, as well as the use of work technology in the home. The findings indicate that post-COVID-19, respondents expect the changes to working patterns to continue in some form, and their use of technology will reflect this.
