Two preeminent retail tradeshows, ASD Market Week and International Gift Exposition in the Smokies (IGES) both owned by Emerald Expositions – have combined forces to bring the retail community a safe place to conduct business virtually.
The ASD + IGES Online Market is a free virtual platform where retail buyers can connect directly with vendors and source over 800 new products across 19 categories including gift, home, beauty, health and safety essentials, and apparel. The Online Market will run until April 23, 2021.
“The purpose of the ASD + IGES Online Market is to provide an additional resource for the retail community to connect, buy and sell virtually with a modernized shipping experience enabling connection anytime, from anywhere,” says Camille Candella, VP Marketing at ASD Market Week.
Registered buyers can browse thousands of product photos and preview merchandise via video demonstration. They can connect directly with vendors by email or by scheduling a Zoom meeting.
Other features available on the Online Market include the ability to search for search vendors by product category or location and the option to mark vendors as “favorites” for quicker access and comparisons. Buyers can also update their profile to reflect current product interests to help ensure matched vendors are relevant.
So far, more than 600 vendors are featured on the Online Market with 7,000 vendor profile visits from over 4,900 registered buyers, and those numbers are expected to grow.
Candella says, “Vendors are constantly adding fresh merchandise so there is always something new to find.”
Additionally, buyers on the hunt for discounted pricing can visit the Online Market’s Deals & Special Promotions page.
“Each vendor who signs-up to participate in one of our live events has automatic access to the Online Market and similarly, by registering for one of our live events, buyers have immediate access to this incredible free platform,” says Candella. “We expect to see a large increase in vendors and buyers over the next couple of months as we continue to market the Online Market.”
Registration for ASD + IGES Online Market is available at www.asdvirtualmarket.com.
