Back in the day ….when there were no computers (that’s right there was a time without computers!) and you did not have accessibility to the Internet for shopping and sourcing of merchandise and new products, we relied on premium representatives to do the leg work for us. Premium Reps acted as the sales force and direct agents for various manufacturers (big and small). They went literally door to door to industry members hauling their large catalogs, binders and samples around to show us what was new and exciting. We trusted and depended on them to do the research, find a specific item the client was looking for even before it became available at retail, provide merchandise at lower costs than what was advertised, find vendors who would customize whatever it was, and even drop ship to anywhere possible. What we couldn’t find in their binders was usually only a phone call away. They would jump at the call and start the search for us – and be able to find that proverbial “needle in a haystack”!
So what happened? The World Wide Web took over! While this did not occur overnight it definitely had a huge impact on the premium business and how it was, and is now conducted. Can we still find a million widgets customized with your clients logo, blister packed and shipped to 10,000 locations by the end of the month? Sure you can. It’s not “the what” but “the how” that has changed. The Internet provided a million versions of “how”. It offered instant access, research and purchasing of merchandise online – sometimes at lower costs and in many cases with free shipping. Our dependency on Premium Reps lessened as comparative shopping and product sourcing became easier and quicker. The print catalogs and large binders were replaced by online icons, jpegs, etc.
Merchandise as well has gone through a similar transition; much of the merchandise that was popular back in the day became outdated as consumer electronics took over. At first it was the bigger TV now it’s the smallest computer. Items that were once only a luxury are now a necessity.
Yes, the years and progress has changed the industry. We no longer need to meet face to face with premium sales reps; we no longer need them to bring in their catalogs, binders and samples. We can almost always find anything we need by researching the item by just going to a website.
Yes, the Internet is a wonderful source for research and in many cases provides us with instant gratification when we are looking for a particular item. This transition from how it was then and how it is now has provided us many advantages and we cannot stand in the way of progress – but we also cannot forget that it does not exclude the fact that these Premium Reps who have serviced us for many years and continue to provide their expertise are still a vital part of our industry and we still, more often than not, turn to them for help.
Post via Jessie Auletti, a Vice President in our NY Office who is responsible for prize sourcing and procurement. Jessie can be reached at Jessie@MardenKane.com.