Twice 0684 - April 2020

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THE BUSINESS OF CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

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TWICE Investigates Our Rapidly Changing Workplaces Working From Home: Tips & Tech COVID-19 Comes Calling For CE Suppliers Special Supplement: Warranty & Retail Services

April 2020 • Volume 35 • Issue 4

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APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

TWICE Picks Award Winners for CES 2020

Grant Morgan, Senior Editor grant.morgan@futurenet.com @GrantMorgan77

EDITOR’S NOTE

An Exercise In Agility

W

hat a time we live in! First off, I hope you are well and practicing the recommended social distancing and hygiene habits.

Here at TWICE, we’re still plugging away, covering all the CE industry news like we always have, and I’m amazed at how members of our industry are responding to the unexpected challenges faced by all by going above and beyond, giving back to their communities like never before. I applaud your efforts, and look forward to even more people joining in the effort to get through this together.

In this month’s “Jobs Issue”, TWICE investigates the state of the workforce, and the “new normal” the majority of workers in the U.S. and across the globe have had to adapt to overnight. Working from home brings new challenges, such as finding a quiet place for video conferencing, shifting responsibilities of in-store employees to serving customers online and being able to focus on the task at hand while under quarantine.

Not to mention the economic strain businesses are faced with as their tried and true business models are overturned.

Fortunately, we have some expert advice and tech recommendations in this issue to help with this adjustment, as well as insights into how to interview and interact online - for both the interviewer and the interviewee. We also have success stories from buying and distributor groups who are rallying

their members and fighting back against this world-changing virus and its consequences.

I came across a quote the other day from actor Viggo Mortensen, best known for his role as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings movies, that I feel applies to operating in our businesses and lives today: “One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren't enough hours in the day, but if we do each thing calmly and carefully, we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.”

We will make it through these tough times together, coming out the other end stronger and wiser for it. Will we have scars? Most likely. But rather than approaching our day with anger or anxiety, find time to pause and reflect and then go to it!

I’ve been with TWICE a year this month, and I’ve seen incredible things happen in our industry over the past year, and you, our readers, never cease to amaze me with your perseverance, ingenuity and generosity.

I’d like to leave you with a final quote from one of my favorite books about change in the business world, “Who Moved My Cheese?”, by Spencer Johnson.

“Sometimes...things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That's life! Life moves on.

And so should we.”

CES 2020 has come and gone, and as we reflect on the products seen and lessons learned, the staff at TWICE has named their Picks Awards winners for CES 2020. Only products that were submitted into the awards program were eligible to win, and were judged based on their potential impact to the consumer electronic industry. More information about this year’s winners can be found at: https://bit.ly/36TvVIT

2020 Residential Systems Stellar Service Awards Winners

The Stellar Service Awards are a paid-entry, opt-in awards competition. Any company could nominate itself for as many categories as it wished.

All entries were then posted online and voted on by Residential Systems readers during a ten-day judging period. The top three vote getters in each category were awarded Platinum, Gold, or Silver honors.

In categories where there were two or fewer programs, the awards were delivered according to popular vote. More information about this year’s winners can be found at: https://bit.ly/2PHEqAX

UPCOMING EVENTS All events are subject to change. Please visit the hosting company's website for up-to-date information.

Azione Member Conference July 1-3, 2020 Bonita Springs, FL PrimeTime (Nationwide) August 2-5, 2020 Las Vegas, NV

The Convention 2020 (BrandSource) August 30 – September 2, 2020 Dallas, TX CEDIA Expo September 8-12 Denver, CO

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6 Perspective

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

COVID-19 Comes Calling For CE Suppliers Vendors are monitoring the ever-changing situation but hope the worst has passed

By Jamie Sorcher

W

ith its unimaginable reach, COVID-19, or Coronavirus, has claimed tech events, business conferences, music festivals and even forced Disney World to go dark, but its havoc on CE supply chains may have longer lasting impacts than can even be known right now.

Manufacturing a diverse range of parts and complete products for U.S. tech companies, China’s total shutdown of its factories last month caused disruptions that may leave some tech companies without products to ship. CE manufacturers said they’re facing some uncertainties as the epidemic’s impact on supply chains remains questionable now and into the second quarter of the year.

The silver lining, if it can be called that, is that new cases of the Coronavirus were reportedly slowing in China at press time, and the country recently started getting back to work. The strict quarantine enacted to stop the outbreak, much like what is happening right now in the U.S., stopped China’s massive workforce from returning to their jobs while halting the second- largest economy in the world.

Surprisingly, many economic forecasters projected the virus wouldn’t harm the world economy or corporate profits, but then South Korea, then Italy, succumbed to the pandemic. With the U.S. now under siege, manufacturers are assessing the damage and figuring out what can be done.

“We continue working tirelessly to protect our supply chain and our ability to

manufacture, sell and service our appliances,” said Julie Wood, Senior Director of Communications for GE. “We have invested significantly over the last few years in a world-class supply chain that has the flexibility to respond to a variety of challenges and scenarios. Based on the information currently available, we remain confident that we can continue supplying customers and owners.”

In the early weeks of January 2020, many CE companies with a full understanding of their supply chains already knew which parts originated in Wuhan and the Hubei province, and were making plans to minimize some—if not all—of the anticipated chaos.

“In talking with several of the manufacturers in the different spaces we cover there has been some disruption as far as parts for the different units themselves, whether that’s electronics or appliances,” said Chad Evans, VP of merchandising, AVB Inc. “With furniture it’s obviously a bigger problem because it’s the entire unit itself coming out of the factories. Still, availability to this point has been okay, but there is some concern in certain categories where the main guts of the unit or maybe even the unit itself is coming directly from China. Some manufacturers have gotten a lot less promotional and have taken certain items off the promo roadmaps because there is concern that there will be lack of availability as we move into the second quarter.”

While Evans pointed out there were no major disruptions yet, the changing nature of the situation could play a role in the near future. “It’s usually a five-to-six-week lead time so we will start to see some of the issues as we get into April and May,” he said.

Perhaps more telling, Evans continued, is that retailers haven’t gotten urgent messaging from vendors at this point.

“Manufacturers that I’ve talked with are not providing insight to retailers like ‘You need to load up because this stuff is going to be constrained,’” he said. “What they are saying is work closely with your local representative in planning the business and stay in close contact to see what the availability will be with certain products (continued on page 9)

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TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

Smart Homes: “Is This The Second Inning Of The Final Game Of The World Series?”

There are issues of interoperability, security, and privacy that we haven’t really thought about.

Greg Kahn, CEO of the Internet of Things Consortium, IoTC Every day there is news and analysis published about the “smart home” or “connected home”. But how do you cut through the chaff to figure out what’s really important in this booming industry – from which no one can escape these days? I recently moderated a panel at CES on The Connected Home Through the Eyes of Consumers and I’d like to share some of the important insights uncovered.

The genesis of smart home concepts really began with old school science fiction and fantasy in popular culture. Whether watching Star Trek on television 50 years ago or The Jetsons or reading The Time Machine, human imagination has been enchanted with the kind of smart home possibilities that have been increasingly realized over the past 10 years. Essentially, yesterday’s fantastical future is here.

Consider this: today millions of people use Amazon Echo devices with Alexa voice commands to play music, order products online, and much more. And you have Google and you’re walking around talking to Google, and you’re talking to Xfinity, you’re talking to Siri on your iPhone, or you’re talking to Cortana on your Samsung.

You’re constantly talking to individual devices. Who would have imagined that 30 years ago?

WHY INTEROPERABILITY IS KEY Initially, as consumers, we love the functionality, what smart devices deliver to us, but there are issues of interoperability, security, and privacy that we haven’t really thought about. And so the industry is now at

a true crossroads. Consumers are used to operating dozens of individual smart devices in the home. But the future lies in true interoperability. Don’t feel bad if you’re not familiar with that term; most people aren’t. Smart home product vendors are pursuing the interoperability of home devices because consumers now want more than just dozens of individual smart devices – they want them to work together to perform tasks.

Why? Fundamentally to make our lives run more smoothly. For example, now you can tell Alexa to start your Roomba and clean your floors. Although in my home it works a little differently since my daughter’s name is actually Alexa – which leads to a lot of confusion!

Soon, you’ll be asking Alexa to tell your home robot to mow your lawn. But not just at a specific time such as 9 am. Imagine this: you’ll be able to tell Alexa to have your robot mow your lawn when your garage door closes around 9 am, after you’ve left for work. How convenient is that? This leads to other key features you can expect from connected homes in the near future – more consumer control over devices and increased personalization. That will happen thanks to the convergence of artificial intelligence and the connected home. Or, essentially, intelligent Internet of Things.

What is Internet of Things (IoT), you may ask? It is a system of interrelated devices that have unique identifiers and are able to transfer data over a network without needing human-to-human or human-tocomputer interaction.

These devices can include kitchen appliances, home lighting and security, and even wearables such as fitness trackers. In fact, research firm Gartner predicted there would be 20.8 billion such devices worldwide by 2021 (excluding smartphones,

tablets, and computers). Almost unbelievable, right? But the smart home possibilities of the future are endless.

We like to say at the IoTC that we’re at the top of the second inning in the World Series – a long game that’s likely to go extra innings. There’s a lot of data that’s being collected about individual users by smart devices, such as your Amazon ordering history with your Echo. Forward-thinking smart device companies should use that data to create better, more personalized brand experiences. This will really improve the way people live their lives. That’s the next frontier: to use the data with greater purpose and with better outcomes for human beings. Here’s an example. At CES this year, Mercedes-Benz unveiled an entirely new concept car based on the movie Avatar that lives and breathes and is part of the biosphere. This merges human capabilities with machine learnings and can be inspirational for home devices.

Connectivity could create all sorts of new products and services that none of us have ever thought of before.

The world of smart homes is changing so rapidly that I invite you to visit the Internet of Things Consortium (iofthings.org), and read our newsletter and other resources to stay on top of how these trends will affect you and your families personally – now and into the future.

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8 Perspective

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

Evolving The Retail Experience In The Age Of The Smart Home How a combination of products and retail programs can help create the perfect smart home shopping experience

By Rob Stott, Corporate Communications Manager, Nationwide Marketing Group

I

f you’ve grown up around the retail industry, you know that success in this space is almost entirely incumbent upon your ability as a retailer to develop strong relationships. At its core, the act of a retail transaction is built around the relationship between the customer and the retailer. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Retail relationships extend to the brands that line the store’s shelves, to the distributors they receive product from, to the services vendors that they call upon to help their store operate efficiently and even to the

other businesses in their community. Of course, there’s also the relationship between the retailer and their buying group — which our team here at Nationwide Marketing Group knows a thing or two about.

It’s those same relationships — and how you as a retailer can leverage them in your day-to-day operations — that are going to help you to stand out above their competition and excel in this new era of selling a connected in-home experience.

THE SMART HOME OPPORTUNITY Whether we want to admit it or not, technology is quickly creeping its way into every corner of the home. At CES 2020, we

saw sensors and smart technology in everything from major home appliances and toilets to mattresses, furniture and more. This technological transformation shouldn’t be cause for concern for the independent retail channel. Rather, smart home technology presents a massive opportunity for local businesses to get out in front of this market, educate their shoppers, and develop those relationships that help them create customers for life.

Oh, and there’s a buck or two that you stand to make as well.

According to data from Google, the connected home industry represents a $490 billion annual market. But there’s tons of room for that number to grow exponentially. Analysis from Statista shows that just 32.4 percent of homes in the United States have at least one installed smart home device, and that number is expected to exceed 52 percent by 2024. What’s more exciting is the fact that more than 42 percent of first-time Google Nest buyers buy another connected home product within the first month of their initial purchase.

That’s a ton of potential revenue just sitting out there, waiting to be swallowed up by the independent retail channel.

To get there, retailers have two major hurdles they need to overcome: awareness around smart home technology and educating consumers on how all of this stuff

(left) Connected home displays at Nationwide PrimeTime 2020 in Houston; (right) Inside the Nationwide Marketing Group Tiny Home.

Perspective

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

works. Part of the challenge has been a lack of available tools and resources to help them close the gap with their customers. The first step there should be turning to your buying group to see what opportunities exist in the connected home space. What products — or groups of products — are available to you.

Evaluate what’s available to you from a merchandising perspective, and don’t be afraid to dive into this new and quickly expanding category.

For Nationwide members, the Google Nest Prime Retail Program is an example of that level of access to products consumers actively seek. That includes things like security cameras, smart speakers, smart doorbell cameras, Wi-Fi routers, hubs, thermostats, smart plugs and more.

The connected home is a talking point with the customer, and it can turn your store into a smart home destination in your market.

Smart gadgets only tell a portion of the story when it comes to the connected home, however. In order to actually connect all of those products within the home and then

Covid-19 (continued from page 6)

because it could change as we move forward. I don’t think anyone has specifics to say to a retailer that they need to load up on microwaves or 32-inch TVs because no one knows what the effect is going to be at this point.”

TVs, though, at least the 14 new OLED TVs in LGs 2020 lineup, are rolling out on time for spring and early summer deliveries, according to the company. The “GX” Gallery Series of 4K TVs, the 77-inch OLED77GXPUA ($5,999), 65-inch OLED65GXPUA ($3,499) and 55-inch OLED55GXPUA ($2,499), are set for arrival in April while the 55-inch OLED55CXPUA in the CX series, will be available this month. The rest of the models are scheduled for May and June.

“To be sure, the rapidly evolving COVID-19 outbreak has been causing widespread disruptions in the global supply network industry-wide,” said John Taylor, LG’s Senior Vice President, Public Affairs. “As a

Smart home technology has had a tremendous impact on the in-home experience. But it’s also had a tremendous impact on the retail experience, from the way consumers research these products, to the physical purchase process, to how products are serviced.

Technology will continue to change at breakneck speeds, and retailers that are going to succeed in this day and age need to evolve right alongside it. Special consideration needs to be given to everything from how these products and services are displayed in your store, to how you help deliver and install them in the customer’s home, to the type of response you can give when that customer experiences technical difficulties with their system.

Whether it’s through vendor partners that you’ve teamed up with or programs available through your buying group, it’s crucial to have the entire customer journey mapped out. Serve as the bridge between your customer and the promise of a truly connected lifestyle. To the unaware and unassuming shopper, this technology can be truly daunting and perhaps even a little offputting. Change that narrative for them.

Show them why the connected home matters. And don’t be afraid to call on your partners, perhaps even Nationwide Marketing Group, to help you capture a slice of this enormous business opportunity.

multinational corporation, LG Electronics maintains manufacturing facilities and suppliers all over the world, giving us the flexibility to best manage our supply chain.

While we aren't experiencing major disruptions at this time, LG is looking into ways to minimize the effect on our production schedule in the event of a drawnout scenario.”

For manufacturers who might want to reference a past experience for guidance, there just hasn’t been anything quite like the Coronavirus.

“The only event that’s somewhat similar—and which happened recently— was the tariff situation,” AVB’s Evans said.

“There was a lot of uncertainly around what availability would be and how to shift production from China because it wouldn’t be affordable to pay 25% higher costs. But the big difference is that we could still get product then. It was just coming at a higher cost versus this situation where we literally can’t get any product and don’t know when we’re going to be able to because the factories are only running at 30% or 50% capacity—or whatever the number is—

right now and there’s no real sense of when things will be back to normal.”

According to Brett Beveridge, founder and CEO of The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-Roc), a Coral Gables, Fla.-based firm that builds strategies for today’s biggest retailers and Fortune 500 companies, getting back to normal—at least here in the U.S.—probably won’t look like the old normal for manufacturers or retailers.

“There is panicked buying out there right now by consumers,” Beveridge said. “And consumers are looking for ways to make purchases now without having to get out of their cars. BOPIS—buy online pick up in-store or curb side—is going to become much more important along with retailers limiting the number of shoppers in the store at a time or moving to shop by appointment.”

Longer term, though, Beveridge sees what he calls a virus hangover. “Everyone is going to be more concerned after this pandemic passes,” he said. “Some retailers are going to benefit from this experience and some are not. What is evident is that an omni-channel presence is critical whether there is a virus, a storm or a war.”

control them, you need an Internet connection and wireless service. Consider stepping slightly outside of your comfort zone and explore opportunities in the wireless service and in-home internet categories.

Without that connectivity, the smart home cannot exist. Nationwide Marketing Group’s solution, in that regard, was to partner with AT&T to bring members a program that allows them to sell smartphones, wireless service, broadband internet, entertainment services and more. Being able to paint that full picture of what the smart home looks like, how it comes together, and how it actually functions is imperative for the retailer.

AN EVOLVING RETAIL EXPERIENCE

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10 Feature: Jobs

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

How To Be On National TV From Your Living Room Here are some simple tips to help you look professional and be taken seriously.

By Jennifer L. Jacobson, Founder, Jacobson Communication

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e live in a golden age of video conferencing on national TV news shows, especially with social distancing protocols. News shows are relying on remote experts now more than ever. This is a great opportunity for your brand to speak to key issues that people care about. But not all video conferencing call-in interviews are created equal.

Here are some simple tips to help you look professional and be taken seriously.

TECH CHECK

Elevate the Camera: Your camera should be at eye-level, not above you, and not below you. Put your laptop or monitor on a few large books if you have to. No one wants to look up your nose.

Illuminate Yourself: You may need to bring more lights into the room so you can be seen, but try to keep the colors matching.

If you’re doing interviews regularly, consider some kind of lighting system. ​Use Small Headphones: Run your audio through a good pair of small headphones headphones to avoid feedback (echo, echo, echo).

APPEARANCE

Dress Appropriately: Wear something professional that you look good in. Make sure it fits and that you’re comfortable in it.

Don’t wear stripes or busy patterns because they tend to “move on their own” when on video. Keep your background in mind and

try not to blend into it.

Reduce Bling: This is not the time to wear statement jewelry, or loud prints. Your appearance should be professional and subtle so people can focus on what you’re saying.

Makeup: Twenty minutes before you go live, look at your face critically in the light you’ll be shooting in. Do you need a concealer for a flare up? Are you a little shiny, in need of a dusting of powder? Keep your makeup professional and subtle.​

ENVIRONMENT

Remember Your Pets: Take your pet’s collars off so they don’t jingle. Remember to put them back on after. If you have active pets put them in another room until the interview is over.​ Chose a Background: Avoid an open window (you’ll look like a silhouette). A bookcase or decorated wall can be a good

option. Try to pick something with visual interest that isn’t too distracting.

Let Your Household Know When You’ll Be On: Make sure others in your household know you’ll be “live” and unavailable at the time you’ll be on the air. Try and sequester yourself to your recording area at least five minutes before the show. Remember to leave a note on the outside of the door saying when the shoot is over, and lock your door if you can.

YOU CAN DO IT! These simple things add up to a better remote interview; one that connects viewers to the story and to you as an expert. Keep practicing and putting yourself out there as an expert in your field. You can do it.

For more tips, view the full article at: https://bit.ly/2V67FiR

Feature: Jobs

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

Telecommuting Tips For Remote Work

By Noel Gish - AV Network

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ith an increasing number of companies mandating social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus, there’s never been a bigger time for telecommuting and remote work.

Here are some guidelines for maximizing the productivity and ensuring the security of meetings while working from home.

GETTY IMAGES

Tips to help you make the work from home adjustment

YOUR ENVIRONMENT Pick a noise-free room. Take audible distractions into account if you have pets, or if schools are closed be sure the kids are not playing in spaces adjacent to your workspace.

If you are using video, choose the right background. A single-color background is the best choice. Avoid setting up in front of wallpaper or artwork. Be sensitive to windows. If located behind you or beside you, windows can make it hard for you to be visible. That said, in many cases, PC cameras are able to adjust to low light.

Check your Wi-Fi signal using your phone or PC. A good test is to go into airplane mode and try making a FaceTime call on your iPhone, or use an app to test your internet connection. For a quality video experience you should have at least 1-4 Mbps up and down. If there is any less you will have challenges. If you work in a creative industry that requires high-definition content sharing or streaming, you may need much more capacity.

YOUR DEVICE Try joining your desktop client ahead of time. Set up a test call with a colleague and

practice muting and unmuting to avoid interruptions. Content sharing is always a challenge—be a native before you get on your first call and share something you didn’t intend to. Get on a call with a friend, share content with the app, and learn how to share your screen.

Take audio into consideration. Having video is great, but it is even more important to be audible. There are plenty of wired and wireless headsets on the market. If you want your audio to be simple and certain during uncertain times, attach a good old-fashioned wired headset to your laptop.

Be familiar with how to specify cameras and microphones on your device. It is best to

have any external mics or cameras plugged in and operational before you access the meeting.

SECURITY Security should be a paramount consideration considering the potential sensitivity of business documents and conversations. Talk to your IT team—do they have approved tools in place already that you can leverage?

Not all security tools are made the same; some are encrypted and some are not. Make sure the security tools you use are effective and that your work from home experience conforms to all policies.

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12 Feature: Jobs

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

Top 10 Ways CE Retailers Can Cope During COVID-19 Crisis COVID-19 means you'll get less in-store traffic, but not necessarily less business.

By Stewart Wolpin

E

ven though your customers may be sheltering-in-place doesn’t mean they’re sitting around their kitchen tables staring blankly at each other. COVID19 means you’ll get less in-store traffic, but not necessarily less business. Here are 10 ways to not only keep your local tech retail business healthy, but help your neighbors through these socially-distancing times.

1

Emphasize local shopping: Amazon’s delivery delays provide you an opportunity to emphasis your ability to serve your local customers more efficiently.

Stressing both BOPIS along with expanded and near-immediate local delivery tells your customers you’re there for them. “Smaller folks are more nimble, and many of them have a connection to the local community, and I think that that that could be their advantage,” observes Henry Chiarelli, principal of Bonita Springs, FL-based Chiarelli & Associates management consultants.

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Add product categories: “People are in need of home office equipment and accessories,” insists Laura Heller, host of the High-Tech Retailing Summit at CE, “in addition to students setting up for e-learning while schools are closed.” Coronavirus also has created increased consumer interest in health/wellness technology products such as air purifiers, water coolers, and even home exercise equipment. Then there’s the opportunity to sell up-to-date Netflix-andchill binging A/V and even Wi-Fi gear.

3

Initiate/expand e-commerce: "The days of saying, ‘I don’t do e-commerce,’ – this is the time to just put that in the past.

The answer now is always ‘yes’,” opines Robert Heiblim, co-founder of Blue Salve Consulting. Enabling an e-commerce piece for your store – something as easy as creating a Shopify store, for instance – lets consumers not only buy from you locally, but enables you to create a more direct line to distributors to expand your available SKUs and make those expanded product category products available on your website without adding to your physical inventory.

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Add chat to your website: Effectively communicating with your consumers becomes even more critical when they’re not able to come to your store. “Now more than ever, dealers simply can’t afford to not dedicate the resources needed to become

proficient at chat,” insists Dean Sottile, SVP Digital & Technology of the Nationwide Marketing Group.

5

Expand social selling: You of course want to tell your consumers how you’re better able to serve them, which means you have to reach out to them, which means social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok, et al, all offer unprecedented – and often easily targeted – sales reach. You can find a wide variety of companies able to teach you and your sales staff how to reach out to your suddenly isolated customers. Or perhaps one of your younger employees is already social media proficient.

6

Virtual shopping: You have a smartphone.

Your customers have smartphones. All these smartphones have video calling capabilities. So why not offer your customers a virtual sales call? Using Skype, Facetime, Zoom

Feature: Jobs

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

or Google Hangouts, your customers can measure and show you the space they have, then you can show them the products that will fit that space – and you can then get them the gear almost immediately.

Working From Home?

Here’s How To Give Your Space A Wellness Boost

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Future discount cards: Be careful: while discounted future gift cards will enhance cash flow, “they’re some very tricky things,” warns Chiarelli. “There are special regulations at most state levels that you cannot record that sale until that gift card is redeemed. It could be sort of an accounting nightmare for small business operators.”

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Rent-to-own: Customers suddenly forced to work or learn at home may need new gear but may not have ready cash.

So instead of selling expensive hardware, you could instead offer to rent expensive equipment – “financing in drag,” Chiarelli quipped. “[Customers] are not only paying full retail at no discount, but then they’re paying fees on top of it,” notes Heiblim.

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Reallocate sales staff: You can reassign employees to different jobs, such as manning the aforementioned chat function, cleaning, or for cold-calling previous customers to let them know you’re around and to help. “This is a great opportunity to add services or tele-support,” opines Heller.

10

Adjust/reduce in-store shopping hours: With less foot traffic, you don’t need to keep your store open the usual 12-14 hours a day. You can create new hours designed to meet your local customer needs, based on when your customers are most likely to visit such as evenings after work.

Overall, advises Chiarelli, “you’ve got to get really creative. You have to work what I call the LinkedIn version of selling – who you know, who they know, who they know.

You have to try to do the best you can under some really bizarre circumstances.”

By Hebe Hatton

W

DULUX

If you are working from home at the moment, follow these tips to create a calm, inspiring space orking from home has its perks (staying in your pjs, not having to make rounds of tea every ten minutes, etc. etc.), but there are so many more opportunities for distraction.

Here are some easy tips to turn your home office (or corner of your living room) into the most productive, inspiring space it can be.

1

Get the lighting right: When working from home, it’s vital to allow in as much natural light as possible. A lack of natural light available during the day can adversely affect moods, focus and your body clock, making you feel tired and damage your concentration levels.

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) lamps can help to trick your body into thinking you’re working outdoors, even when the weather doesn’t allow you to do so.

2

Add some greenery: Using house plants as decorative items is an excellent way to spruce up a home office.

It is thought that adding plants to an office space can help to reduce stress, anxiety and tension by up to 37 percent, as well as increasing productivity and concentration by 15 per cent.

3

Make the most of windows: Always try to make the most of as much natural light as you can – even if that means moving your furniture around.

The amount of daylight that people are exposed to can directly affect their

concentration, mood and sleep quality, making it especially vital to your wellbeing if you are working from home on a regular basis.

4

Choose natural scents: Lighting an array of scented candles may not be too popular in a busy office, but when you are working from home, it’s a subtle form of aromatherapy that could be the perfect remedy to brain fog as the day goes on. It may seem strange, but smell is a powerful sense and is a great way to help set a mood, reduce stress and get you into the right mindset for working.

5

Take breaks and leave your desk: Refresh yourself by turning off home working screens and taking a short walk.

You could even do a quick at home workout. The combination of movement and fresh air can help to reduce physical and mental stress.

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14 Feature: Professional Development

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

How Are You, Really?

Business owners and managers need to be aware of their employees’ mental health.

By Michael Garwood, AV Technology Europe

KMLMTZ66/GETTY IMAGES

Feature: Professional Development

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

I

f someone was struggling with their mental health at your place of work, would you be able to spot the signs?

Would you know how to help? As a business owner and/or manager, are you aware of your responsibilities? Our sister publication, AV Technology Europe, examined the very real issues around mental health in business, and we see it as an important issue for our industry to reprint the story here.

Some of the facts have been switched to U.S. statistics, but otherwise the message is the same — do not ignore the mental health of your employees.

There are many different levels of mental health ranging from good — where everything is fine — to more serious conditions, such as stress, anxiety, and depression. As human beings, we all fit into one or more of those categories at some point in our life — some short term, while some may impact us for the rest of life. How we manage our mental health, or respond to those suffering with theirs, is vitally important — and potentially even lifesaving.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in every five adults living in the U.S. lives with a mental illness. The reasons can be wide and varied, and are always unique to an individual.

These may cause, for example, a lack of sleep or panic attacks, difficulty in concentrating, and low confidence. In England, figures show that one in six people now experience a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week.

The implications of mental health issues for businesses are significant. It’s estimated that 15 in every 100 people have an existing mental health condition at work (take a look around). Research from Mental Health America found that workplace stress contributed to higher rates of absenteeism in the workplace — with 33 percent of survey respondents stating they missed work because of stress. Depression and anxiety disorders alone cost the global economy $1 trillion each year in lost productivity, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

In recent years, the discussion around mental health has become less taboo.

Celebrities, high-profile business execs, and numerous national campaigns spearheaded

by leading health organizations have all contributed in taking the subject out of the dark and into the public light, and helping to erode the perceived or assumed stigma surrounding it along the way.

However, while attitudes are improving, there still remains some way to go, particularly in business.

“Mental health is still the elephant in the room in most workplaces,” says Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing at Mind.

Perhaps most tellingly, Gillian Connor, from the national mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness, adds: “Mental health can affect all of us at any given time. Mental health is not selective. It doesn’t target a specific gender, people with a specific job

"You are the judge of what are important deadlines and the time needed to accomplish each task." title, or how much they earn. There is no standard fit or model to work off. We are all individual human beings. We all come with our own context and look at life through a different lens and we all have our own triggers.”

LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK Connor has urged employers to help support their employers for matters related not just to things in work, but also out of it.

Employers are obligated to ensure their employees should not leave work in worse health than when they arrived based on their own obligations — however, for many people, a mental health condition is an extension of what’s happening in their personal life.

Discussing how an employer can help provide additional support, such as flexible working hours or even time off, could benefit everyone.

“Good employers recognize the value of their staff and will try to accommodate their staff when they’re trying to juggle things outside of work,” says Connor.

“If somebody had a bereavement,

companies have a policy around compassionate leave. So therefore, if somebody is going through a breakup, why wouldn’t you recognize or have that discussion that they’re probably not going to be able to work at 100 percent?

“Having said that, it’s also about not making an assumption because for some people, work can be a relief or they might want to carry on as normal. It goes back to the conversation.”

SPOTTING THE SIGNS Addressing the issues around mental health can (crudely) be of tremendous benefit, helping not only to enhance reputation (see sidebar) but also financially.

A recent WHO-led study estimated that “for every one dollar put into scaled-up treatment for common mental disorders, there is a return of four dollars in improved health and productivity.” By contrast, a study measuring mental-health related productivity estimated that untreated mental illnesses can cost companies over $1600 per year per person.

“By looking after employees’ mental wellbeing, staff morale and loyalty, innovation, productivity, and profits will rise,” Deloitte wrote in a recent report.

There are numerous ways in which employers and employees can help support their colleagues, the majority of which require minimal (if any) investment, and do not force staff to play the role of a mental health professional.

According to figures published in the Thriving at Work Report — commissioned by the U.K. prime-minister — only 11 percent of employees discussed a recent mental health problem with their manager in 2017, while half of employees say they would not discuss mental health with their manager. Eight in 10 employers report no cases of employees disclosing a mental health condition.

The figures highlight the sensitivity around the subject and the need and necessity for companies, particularly managers, to get to know their staff.

According to Connor — whose charity has seen a significant rise in providing organizations with mental health training and awareness courses, identifying possible concerns and intervention (if required) is

15

16 Feature: Professional Development key. The first and clearest sign to look out for, as simple as it may seem, is if someone is behaving in a way that’s not considered normal for that person.

“Acting differently is often a sign that they are struggling in some form,” explains Connor. “If they’re normally happy, bubbly, and talkative, but all of a sudden they seem quiet, distracted, or even withdrawn, then there’s clearly something that’s not right.

Stress or anxiety is a reaction to feeling threatened or the perceived feeling of being threatened, and can have a major impact on someone’s well-being.

“For managers, the importance of getting to know your staff cannot be underestimated. When you ask someone how they are, actually mean it as a question and not an almost instinctive throw away acknowledgment. If you manage properly, then you’ll take notice of your staff and you should (but not always) be able to get to know them well enough to identify when something isn’t normal.”

Understanding these signs and learning to identify certain triggers from staff — triggers they may not even acknowledge themselves at the time — is also crucial to help alleviate a problem before it potentially spirals out of control.

“They know their triggers and how to rebalance themselves when they’re well, but when they’re unwell, it’s easy to lose sight of that,” continues, Connor. “Having other people around who know the signs and step in is hugely important. All companies are capable of embarking on that journey.”

A report from Mental Health America stated that, in “unhealthy workplaces,” seven percent of people “never get emotional support from at least one person in the office,” while in a “healthy workplace,” 65 percent of people receive emotional support from at least one person in the office.

Want more stories like this delivered to your inbox every day? Then sign up for the free Residential Systems eNewsletter here.

CULTURE Achieving these levels of relationships center heavily around the culture and environment created at a workplace — one that encourages communication and provides an open and trusted space, where staff feel comfortable enough to speak up if

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

Symptoms of Possible Poor Mental Health

Three Levels of Mental Health

• Difficulty sleeping • Feeling sad • Hallucinating • Hearing voices • Low self-esteem • Mood swings • Negative thinking • Racing thoughts • Self-harm • Suicidal thoughts • Weight loss

• Doing really well and feeling good.

• Finding things hard.

• Being ill and possibly having time off work.

they have a problem (such as pressures over workloads, bullying, or even something outside of work) that could be impacting their mental wellbeing and, by extension, their performance at work.

According to Mind, around 300,000 people lose their job each year due to a mental health problem — a figure which could have been significantly reduced if the correct framework was provided by employers.

The impact of encouraging staff to be honest and supporting the message of “it’s OK to not be OK” cannot be underestimated.

A report from Workplace Strategies for Mental Health says that four out of five managers believe it is part of their job to intervene when an employee is showing signs of depression. Fifty-five percent of managers have reported intervening, but only one in three had the appropriate training to do so.

It’s currently estimated that as many as 95 percent of people who take time off work due to a stress-related health issue will lie to their employer and instead use a physical sickness condition as the reason for their absence. This is largely related to fears over not being taken seriously, a lack of support, or that it might be perceived as a weakness that may harm their immediate or and/or future career.

“It’s a visibility thing,” explains Connor.

“It’s this notion that, if you’re feeling mentally unwell, not feeling good, overworked, stressed, and a bit overwhelmed, it’s some sort of weakness to say something. A fear that you may be judged or that it may harm your career. A good working environment can help to eliminate these concerns.” (See “6 Core

Standards” sidebar for suggested measures.)

6 CORE STANDARDS The U.K.’s Thriving at Work Report sets out what it calls six “mental health core standards,” a framework for a set of actions that it believes all organizations in the country are capable of implementing quickly. These include: 1. Produce, implement, and communicate a mental health at work plan.

2. Develop mental health awareness among employees.

3. Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available when employees are struggling.

4. Provide your employees with good working conditions.

5. Promote effective people management.

6. Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing.

In addition, there is also growing issue around presenteeism, where staff that are struggling with their health (both physical and mental) continue to go into work. This is heavily linked to an increase in stress, anxiety, and depression cases in the U.K. Again, something that could potentially be cut with the right framework.

According to the latest CIPD—the professional body for HR and people development—Health and Well-being at Work survey, the number of people working while ill is at a record high in the U.K., tripling since 2010. Of the 1000-plus employee respondents to the 2018 survey, 86 percent said they had observed presenteeism in their organization over the last 12 months, compared with 72 percent in 2016 and just 26 percent in 2010.

ATTRACTING THE NEXT GENERATION Providing a support network for

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

employers around mental health and wellbeing is becoming an increasingly key factor for millennials and the next generation on where people choose to work.

“The evidence tells us they are much more interested in the ethical side of an employer,” says Connor. “They want to know what support is available and ask questions about company and their views on wellbeing.”

WORK AND LIFE BALANCE The survey also found that “leaveism,” which sees people working through their annual leave — for example, due to concerns around workloads — is also a growing problem, with more than twothirds of respondents (69 percent) reporting incidents in their organization over the last year. Just a quarter of respondents that have experienced presenteeism (25 percent) say their organization has taken steps to discourage it.

Rachel Suff, senior employment relations adviser at the CIPD, says: “This survey shines a light on the shocking scale of presenteeism and leaveism we have in the U.K., as people feel under even more pressure at work.

Increasingly the threats to well-being in the modern workplace are psychological rather than physical, and yet too few organizations are discouraging unhealthy workplace practices and tackling stress, which is strongly linked to health conditions such as anxiety and depression.”

According to a report by the Surgeon General on mental health, depression costs employers $44 billion in lost productivity — with more than 80 percent of that cost coming from presenteeism.

Suff continues: “In order to encourage a healthy workplace, organizations need to look beyond sickness absence rates alone and develop a solid, evidence-based understanding of the underlying causes of work-related stress and unhealthy behavior such as presenteeism.”

“If you feel you have to be at work when

Feature: Professional Development

you’re not physically or mentally fit to do so, then that’s not a healthy culture and that’s not going to benefit the business in the long term,” Connor adds.

Stress cultivated by an unhealthy work environment spills into personal spaces, influencing personal relationship and causing issues both at work and at home. In a Work Health survey by Mental Health America, 81 percent of respondents said that “work stress affected their personal relationships” with 52 percent of those same people reporting that relationships with family and friends were “always or often affected by workplace stress.”

“The best companies are the ones that recognize we all have mental health and it isn’t something to be taken for granted,” says Connor. “Companies that tell their staff that it’s okay to have good days and to have bad days, for me, create the foundation for a

good culture. It gives people permission to talk and permission to feel that it’s OK to talk about it when they’re struggling.”

PROACTIVE NOT REACTIVE According to the previously mentioned Deloitte At a Tipping Point, Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing Report, it’s estimated that four in 10 organizations (39 percent) now have policies or systems in place to support employees with common mental health — although eight in 10 employers report no cases of employees disclosing a mental health condition.

However, while great news, Connor admits that for many of the clients that approach her and her team regarding training on mental health in the workplace, it’s sometimes following the loss of a colleague to suicide and learning what they could have perhaps done differently.

One of the most concerning statistics you’ll read in this article is that over one million people in the U.S. attempt to commit suicide each year, according to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. and costs the U.S. $69 billion annually.

And while, again statistically, women in full-time employment are nearly twice as likely to have a common mental health problem as full-time employed men (19.8 percent versus 10.9 percent), it is widely held believed that men are more likely to suffer in silence.

“The different between men and women when it comes to mental health is a concern,” says Connor. “We think a big reason for that is because men don’t share. Why? We believe it’s because there is a perception or an expectation among men that they don’t have permission to talk about their feeling and that they need to be strong. We have men taking their own lives, and that needs to stop.

“Keeping things to yourself is the worst thing you can do, and for businesses to implement some sort of support network, no matter how small, it could be a lifeline for someone. A good business will look after its staff.”

Visit https://bit.ly/2Qw9gxT to find a showroom near you.

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18 Feature: Professional Development

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

Mental Health Blog: Procrastination, Part 2 How to refine your “To-Do” lists to suit your working style.

By Peter Zawistowski

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here is a problem with “To Do” lists, and that is listing tasks that are worthwhile and productive, but not necessarily what needs to be done. When judging what needs to be done, there are likely to be external forces such as deadlines set by a supervisor, as opposed to internal forces, which affect the tasks that you have set the deadline for personal reasons.

You are the judge of what are important deadlines and the time needed to accomplish each task. And even though checking off many items on the list may not help in getting the real job done, it may make you feel better about those actions.

Another issue with accomplishing tasks is perfection. Perfection is an obstacle not an obsession. Obstacles are something we can work around, where obsessions are a commitment to a single idea. Obsessions may take professional help to work out.

One of best “To Do” ideas is to select the best time of day for the type of work that needs to be accomplished.

Physical work is best in the early morning; I write best in the late afternoon. Phone calls are best in small increments of time, making one or two calls, taking a break, then and then making more calls. If you want to schedule by best time of day, then schedule both your start time and expected finish time, and keep to the schedule.

Or you can schedule tasks in order of importance. If you need more time to complete

“You are the judge of what are important deadlines and the time needed to accomplish each task.”

a task, stay with the task until it is done. Use the experience gathered to understand why it took longer than your estimate to complete the task.

Were you interrupted? How? Were you distracted or daydreaming?

You don’t have to plan out every minute of every day. It is good to understand where your time goes, what amount of time is spent in what manner, and when you are going to need more or less to get your tasks done.

Taking a break between tasks is a good idea. Build in a small recovery period.

This allows time to think about the next task before jumping into that task. It is better to “sharpen your ax” before each task than continuing with a dull tool and expecting the same result.

“Sharpen your ax” is a phrase from an old tale about two woodcutters each had to split a cord of wood. One woodcutter worked non-stop and even watched the other taking breaks. Still, the continuously hard-working woodcutter did not finish first. When the first woodcutter asked the second how he could take breaks and still finish ahead, he replied that he wasn’t taking a break as much as sharpening his ax.

So sharpen your ax, have an insight on your next task. Maybe you can find a quick path to solving your task. If you get stuck, stop for lunch or a snack (plan a reasonable amount of time) or take a walk inside or outside but get physical!

Start with item one on your list, gather all the information needed, remove all roadblocks and potential interrupters— now let’s get started.

This article originally ran on residentialsystems.com RUDALL30/GETTY IMAGES

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

Feature: Home Office Tech

19 ANCHIY/GETTY IMAGES

Working From Home Essentials For Coronavirus And Beyond Everything you need to work from home

By Hilda Scott - Laptop

B

usinesses across the U.S. are adopting work from home practices as confirmed coronavirus cases are on the rise.

With the government's mandate of social distancing to help manage the spread of the disease, many employees find themselves working at home for the first time.

Luckily, our mobile lifestyle affords us access to project management and conferencing software which makes working from home fairly easy. If you need a new laptop, monitor or PC

accessories to work remotely for the next few weeks or more, we're here to help.

As more companies ask employees to work from home amid the coronavirus crisis, you'll need the right equipment. We're rounding up the best deals on essentials you'll need to work from home efficiently.

Visit Laptop.com at https://bit.ly/2xLhcUn to see the best and latest deals on laptops, monitors, headsets and networking essentials to make the transition to working from home easier and more productive.

20 Feature: Home Office Tech

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

SurgeX Squid Offers Flexible Power Protection For Small Office/Huddle Rack mountable, slim form factor available in three models: 12V, 24V and combination

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oday’s collaborative meeting spaces incorporate an increasing amount of AV technology to drive productivity, which can place stress on electrical circuits and create potential for power complications and service issues. Designed to fulfill the unique needs of today’s small meeting and huddle space environments, SurgeX Squid defines a new category of power protection products. Squid streamlines the power protection and management features you need with a simple solution that reduces clutter and increases uptime so that the technology in the room simply works every time you host a meeting.

Squid packs an array of power quality

features into a single, compact chassis, offering boxed networked control, USB protection, and both AC and DC analytics. It’s the first product to combine advanced surge protection, power conditioning, power management and analytical software into a small but mighty device perfect for any small conferencing or flex space. Squid is rack-mountable and with its slim form factor easily fits behind flat panels or can be mounted discreetly to a conference table or within a table hatch, leaving more space for collaboration instead of clunky wall warts and power strips.

On the backend, Squid provides a proper, intelligent, and flexible power foundation

that offers the remote monitoring and diagnostics, along with power consumption control. With its built-in preventative maintenance capabilities and remote monitoring, Squid can store 30 days’ worth of electrical parameters, as well as provide time-stamped power quality events. Squid’s predictive analytics feature takes the guess work out of protecting and conditioning electrical systems, assuring that an office’s system will be ready for meetings with no disruptions. Squid actively monitors incoming power and the health of connected equipment, providing IT managers with a detailed report of potential issues to diagnose and resolve issues remotely, without meeting attendees ever knowing there was an issue. Squid comes equipped with preventative maintenance capabilities such as automatic reboots of connected equipment to reduce overall system downtime and potential user issues.

Squid is available in three models for 12V, 24V, and a version that is a combination of the two. Thanks to Squid’s autosensing feature that immediately recognizes voltage requirements, IT managers of international companies can specify the same SKU into offices worldwide. With remote cloud monitoring and state-of-the-art power protection, Squid keeps the technology in small conference, flex, and huddle rooms online and running, ultimately improving meeting productivity and collaboration.

Feature: Catalyst AV/HTSA

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

Catalyst AV, HTSA And AVPro Form Industry Coalition Group to act as fulfilment center for AVPRO products as they move to HTSA dealer members

By TWICE Staff

C

atalyst AV, distribution network, HTSA member-driven buying group and AVPro, connectivity manufacturers, have formed an industry coalition. Catalyst AV will act as a fulfillment center for AVPRO products as they move to HTSA dealer members.

Said Helge Fischer, Catalyst AV Executive Director, “The coalition means that Catalyst AV, due to its extensive programs, is the perfect partner for AVPro and HTSA. The benefit to HTSA is a very strong program with local warehouses and speed to market.

It was an easy decision to partner with HTSA as we are already selling to a number of their members and now we can broaden it out to the entire group.

“The HTSA members benefit by supporting the line, they deal with a value added distributor group, receive local support and it is a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Said Jon Robbins, HTSA Executive Director, “HTSA feels very fortunate to have partnered with AVPro, one of the true innovators in the video distribution channel. Their philosophy of supplying state of the art products through ubiquitous education of dealers matches perfectly with the HTSA endeavors. Added to this unique partnership is the involvement of Catalyst AV distribution network which will bring

procurement of these high technol-ogy products to a very high level.”

Concluded Jeff Murray, President AVPro, “AVPro is excited to join HTSA as a connectivity provider. This places our brands – AVPro Edge, Bullet Train, and Murideo in front of the top residential integrators in the country. AVPro makes cutting edge 4K and 8K products that help integrators build state of the art systems for their customers.

Further, these brands are available through all Catalyst AV locations in the United States, making them easily accessible to dealers. We are excited to join HTSA!”

ABOUT CATALYST AV Founded in 2012, Catalyst AV is a network of 10 independent consumer electronics distributors serving the residential and professional AV channels in the U.S via its 20-locations. Catalyst AV grants manufacturers a consistent and cohesive nationwide distribution model to more than 16,000 professional integration specialists.

Catalyst AV benefits integrators by

delivering all the products and support necessary to execute the demands of job specifications with confidence. The Catalyst AV Board of Directors consists of Brett Neiderman (Tech Source); Chris Gentile (AHA Distributing); Rich Radimer (Custom Partners) and Executive Director Helge Fischer. www.catalystav.com Catalyst AV is comprised of 10 privatelyowned distribution companies: • AHA Distributing (www. ahadistributing.com) (Florida and Southeast) • AM Distributors (www.amdistributors. com) (Wisconsin and parts of Illinois) • Audio Video Warehouse (www. av-warehouse.com) (Nevada, Arizona) • Custom Partners (www.custompartners. com) (Metro-NY) • Dorrance Supply Company (www. dorrancesupply.com) (Ohio/W. PA/W. VA/IN and KY) • HCA Distributing (www.hcadist.com) (Rocky Mountains) • Just In Time Distribution, Inc (www. jitdistribution.com) (Michi-gan) • Mid-State Distributing (www. midstatedistributing.com) (MO, IA, NE, KS, MN, SD and ND) • SPD (www.soundproductdistributing. com) (Upstate NY) • Tech Source Distributors (www. techsourcedist.com) (Mid-Atlantic)

21

22 Feature: Mobile Phones

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

Mobile Phone Makers Announce New 5G Models Despite MWC Cancellation

By Stewart Wolpin

W

hile COVID-19 may have forced the cancellation of this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC), a slew of scheduled new handset and new technology announcements have and will proceed in other forms, times and venues over the last few and coming weeks.

What would have been the big news from Barcelona's annual global cellular confab is the tsunami of 5G handsets. According to an MWC-timed Strategy Analytics report, shipments of 5G smartphones are due to grow 10x in 2020 to a projected 199 million units worldwide in 2020, which will represent around 15 percent of this year's mobile phone sales.

Surprisingly, the U.S. is still an emerging 5G market. China is thus far the one-ton 5G gorilla, where 46 percent of all 5G handsets were sold globally last year, according to an MWC report from Counterpoint Research.

As a result, many of the new bleeding-edge 5G mobiles that were due to be announced at MWC and in the wake of its cancellation are coming from Chinese brands such as Huawei/Honor, Xiaomi/Redmi, Oppo, Realme, ZTE/Nubia and vivo, and intended for their local and nearby markets such as India, and therefore unlikely to be available from U.S. carriers.

Here are some of the mobile hardware and other technologies from what would have been unveiled at MWC, as well as a preview of prominent mobile introductions

LG V60 ThinQ 5G with LG Dual Screen

scheduled during the next couple of months, likely to appear in the U.S.

QUALCOMM X60 5G MODEM While most phone makers are pushing its 2020 mobiles as the peak of 5G and mobile tech, chipmaker Qualcomm is already teasing what the NEXT generation of 5G handsets will deliver. The chief advancement of its third-generation X60 5G modem is its ability to aggregate available mmWave and sub-6GHz bands to create lower latency and faster 5G connectivity.

Inside the thinner 5nm X60 chip, which will enable even thinner 5G handsets, are an enhanced antenna module to help pull in

finicky short-range mmWave signals, technology to enhance 360-video and game play, and efficiencies to increase battery life.

The first handsets imbued with the X60 likely won't appear at least until the fall, more likely in a plethora of new flagship 5G models at next year's MWC.

LG V60 THINQ 5G WITH LG DUAL SCREEN Why settle for a phone with one screen when you can get two? The LG V60 is equipped with dual 6.8-inch, 20.5:9 tall FHD+P-OLED screens a half-inch larger than its predecessor, the G8X, its first dual display model unveiled last September. But thanks

Feature: Mobile Phones

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

TCL Series 10 5G

to thinner OLED panels, the larger V60 weighs the same as the G8X. Inside the V60 are the latest mobile technical accoutrements: Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 865 processor and the chip maker's current X55 5G modem with mmWave and sub-6GHz connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, a 65MP/13MP super wide angle rear camera array capable of 8K video recording, and a massive 5,000 mAh battery. LG says the V60 will be available in the coming weeks from AT&T, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon.

OPPO FIND X2 This mmWave 5G model is a bit of a puzzle. No Oppo phones are yet sold through a U.S. carrier, but when we asked if we might find the Find X2 domestically at some point, we weren't exactly told no. Further, in the set-up of our review sample, English is set as the default language and the U.S. as the default country, even though the box included only a European transformer. If/ when Oppo enters the U.S. market with this thin model, resellers will find a phone with an impressive 6.78-inch QHD+ (1440 x 3168) 513ppi curved 120Hz AMOLED screen, multiple 360-degree antennas for better reception, what the company claims is the industry’s fastest 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 flash

OnePlus 8/8 Pro

charging (but, curiously, not Qi wireless charging), and 12-bit photos, all powered by Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 865 processor.

TCL SERIES 10 5G Best known for its low-cost/high-quality 4K TVs, TCL will enter the U.S. smartphone market with its three Series 10 smartphones, the 10 5G, the 10 Pro and the entry-level 10 L. Most technical details will be announced in around a month from now, but we do know that all three will feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765 processor, quad rear cameras, TCL-made edge AMOLED displays with the company's NXTVISION technology with advanced display optimization and camera technology, and all three – including the 10 5G – will be priced below $500 when they become available in Q2.

ONEPLUS 8/8 PRO Reverse charging – the ability to use a mobile handset as a portable wireless charger for other handsets – is likely to become a more ubiquitous feature in flagship handsets this year. TWICE's sister publication, TechRadar, has detailed some of the potential OnePlus 8 series attributes, including the possible inclusion of reverse charging. A global announcement for the multi-model OnePlus 8 line will likely happen the second week of April. Pictured is the OnePlus 7T, released earlier this year.

ANDROID 11/GOOGLE PIXEL 5/5XL MWC isn't the only prominent cellular event to be victimized by COVID-19. Google's

annual confab, Google IO20, originally scheduled for May 12-14, also has been canceled. But the company has already released the first Developer Preview of Android 11 (cleverly being marketed as "turning it up to 11"), with the full version expected to be available sometime mid-year.

It's also expected that the first Android 11 handset will be Google's own Pixel 5 and 5XL, likely due in October. Like the OnePlus 8, reverse charging is a rumored upgrade coming on these next-gen Pixels.

APPLE 9/SE 2 Foxconn just announced its Chinese iPhone factories will be up to full production strength at the end of March, just in time for the Apple event rumored to take place March 31 to introduce the iPhone 9/iPhone SE 2, or whatever this budget iPhone will be called. Whatever its name, this new iPhone will not be 5G; Apple's first foray into 5G likely will come in the fall with the iPhone 12. Other Apple gear possibly to be launched at the end of the month event are a refreshed Apple TV, an updated iPad Pro equipped with an iPhone 11-like camera array, and perhaps over-thehead AirPods. Pictured is the iPhone 11, since no one knows what the iPhone 9/ iPhone SE 2 will look like.

23

24 Feature: Coronavirus

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

Coronavirus: 8 Essential Tips For Staying Safe These coronavirus tips will help you stay healthy as COVID-19 spreads

By Kelly Woo - Tom’s Guide

together until they feel dry.

Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

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nowing and following coronavirus tips is crucial to staying healthy as COVID-19 continues to spread across the world.

Many of these safety tips are common sense precautions. All come from recommendations made by reputable organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

COVID-19 is spreading at a fast pace.

As of March 12, there are over 127,750 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide and 1,323 in the US. The government has instituted a coronavirus travel ban against nonauthorized people who have departed from 26 European countries (not including the UK).

If coronavirus has made its way to your community, you may be concerned that you or a loved one are at risk of catching the disease.Here are essential tips for staying safe and healthy during the coronavirus pandemic.

1

Wash your hands the right way The CDC recommends washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you’ve been in a public place and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Also wash your hands after you’ve been to the bathroom and before eating.

To time handwashing to 20 seconds, you can sing the Happy Birthday song twice. Or try singing the chorus to Toto’s Africa or

2

Use a tissue for coughs and sneezes, or your elbow Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and throw the tissue away afterward. If a tissue isn’t available, cough or sneeze into your elbow or sleeve.

(Note: Sneezing is not a common symptom of COVID-19, but better to develop healthy habits.)

The main mode of coronavirus transmission is through respiratory droplets. Either people breathe in those droplets or people touch a surface that the droplets landed on. It’s unknown how long droplets of the new coronavirus remain infectious, but according to WHO, similar coronaviruses can survive on surfaces from a few hours up to a few days, depending on the environment.

3

Engage in social distancing Avoid close contact with anyone who’s sick. The CDC recommends that you maintain a distance of 6 feet (2 meters) from anyone who is coughing or sneezing. When someone coughs or sneezes, they spray small liquid droplets into the air, which may contain the virus. If you’re too close, you could breathe in those droplets.

WASHYOURLYRICS.COM

Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide. There’s now a coronavirus handwashing meme based on a site called Wash Your Lyrics. You can make your own infographic with the lyrics to your favorite song, timed to 20 seconds, like so: If soap and water aren’t available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Make sure to cover the entire surface of your hands and rub them

4

Practice other good health habits Get a good night’s sleep. Exercise.

Drink plenty of fluids. Eat nutritious food.

Take vitamins.

Feature: Coronavirus

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

DAVID L. RYAN/THE BOSTON GLOBE/GETTY

services like Hello Fresh. Many of these services are introducing contact-less delivery, so the order will be dropped off outside the door.

7

Don’t wear a mask unless you’re already sick The CDC and infectious disease specialists do not recommend face masks if you’re healthy. If you are sick, wear a facemask when you are around other people and before you enter a healthcare provider’s office. If you’re healthy, don’t stock up on face masks. Save them for the people who really need them.

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5

Disinfect surfaces Clean and disinfect computers, telephones, doorknobs, switches, handles, bedside tables, bathroom sinks, toilets, counters, toys and other commonly-touched surfaces in your home and at your workplace.

If you can find them, Clorox wipes will likely be your best bet. Here’s how to clean your phone.

6

Prepare your household in case you get sick or are quarantined Experts suggest that you stock a 30-day supply of your prescription medications and make sure you have other health supplies on hand, such as pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids

with electrolytes and vitamins. Also replenish your cleaning supplies (like bleach and laundry detergent) and isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Here are the best coronavirus cleaning products according to the EPA. Also consider stocking up with a twoweek supply of food. And no, it doesn’t have to be just canned beans and rice. Electricity will still work, so you can also get frozen foods. There are also food delivery apps, grocery delivery services, meal kit delivery TAYFUN COSKUN/ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY

And if you're worried about going to the gym, there is actually a lower risk of picking up coronavirus at a gym than a church service (that’s what Dr. David Thomas, a professor of medicine and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine told The New York Times).

Many gyms, like Equinox and YogaWorks, are taking additional steps to clean equipment and surfaces. Dr. Thomas does recommend bringing your own alcohol wipes to swab equipment before using it.

Stay home if you’re sick If you’re not feeling well, protect other people from infection by being extra cautious if you are not feeling well.

The most common coronavirus symptoms are fever and dry cough, followed by fatigue and shortness of breath. If you experience any of these, stay at home. Do not go to work, do not take public transportation, do not go to the grocery store, do not take your kids to school. Contact your employer to figure out how to best manage your work responsibilities. Here are the best home office tech and supplies to work from home.

If you do get sick, contact your health care professional to get advice and treatment options.

This article originally ran on tomsguide.com

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26 Feature: WIN/WithIt

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

WIN: Women In Nationwide And WithIt Find Synergies In Helping Women Advance Professionally WIN and WithIt, a women’s leadership development network for the home and furnishings industries, launch partnership at PrimeTime in Houston

A

t Nationwide Marketing Group’s PrimeTime conference and trade show in Houston, the WIN: Women In Nationwide network debuted a new partnership with WithIt, a women’s leadership development network for the home and furnishings industries. The partnership was announced during the WIN breakfast and panel discussion in Houston, which featured several women in key leadership positions from Nationwide member companies.

“The core of our WIN initiative is to encourage and promote more women to step into leadership roles in our industries,” says Jennifer Danko, vice president of technology for Site On Time and a founding member of the WIN group. “When Amy Van Dorp, executive director of WithIt, learned about our initiative and our goals, she reached out to ask how they could support us, and we’re so excited to work with them.”

Formed as a standalone nonprofit organization in 1997, WithIt began as a mentoring network for women in the furniture industry who had attended various Furniture Markets only to find themselves surrounded by male colleagues.

Today, WithIt works to promote business and professional development, networking, mentoring and more for women in furniture as well as retail, bedding, accessories and many other industries.

“We are really trying to develop skills to

help women be ready to move into bigger roles and maybe even lead the company,” Van Dorp says in an interview for Nationwide’s Independent Thinking Podcast. “When we saw that Nationwide was starting WIN, we said, ‘We need to work with them and let them see what we’re already doing, because we have been doing this for 20 years.’ It’s a perfect partnership.”

With the launch of WIN: Women in Nationwide at PrimeTime last August in New Orleans, Nationwide had struck a chord with members, vendors and staff alike. The desire for the group to help promote the professional advancement of women in the independent retail channel resonated. The kickoff panel discussion was well attended, and the discussion continued through a Facebook group in the weeks and months

after the show. What started to take shape, though, was a desire for more in-person networking and educational opportunities.

“Instead of Nationwide coming up with a whole conference of content, we have that already with our Professional Education Conference,” says Van Dorp. “We’re all in the home and furnishings industry, so we have similar challenges. We have retailers who come to our conference — they may or may not sell appliances, but we all have similar challenges, and we can work together to help women overcome them.”

WithIt’s annual Professional Education Conference is a two-and-a-half-day event that offers attendees numerous leadership education sessions, the chance to hear from professional and industry speakers, and networking and mentoring opportunities.

Nationwide and WIN announced a corporate sponsorship for WithIt that will allow Nationwide members to attend WithIt’s conference at a discounted rate.

“Since WithIt already has this amazing conference and many hours of incredible content, we’re thrilled at the opportunity to partner with them,” Danko says. “Our members will benefit greatly from all of the resources that WithIt has developed for women.”

The next WithIt Professional Education Conference is scheduled for June 24-26 in Alexandria, VA. For more information and to register, visit the event’s website.

Special Report: Warranties

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

AXEL2001/GETTY IMAGES

Warranty & Retail Services Financial Relief Alliance Launched By Almo

How To Calm Queasy Connected Customers

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28 Special Report: Warranties

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

How To Calm Queasy Connected Customers 78% are reluctant to purchase after "major frustrations"

By Alan Wolf

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s participants in the consumer tech industry, it can be easy to forget that not all civilians are tech-savvy.

In fact, according to a recent study by Assurant, the extended warranty provider, more than three-quarters of U.S. consumers (78 percent) are reluctant to buy any more connected devices after experiencing “major frustrations” with the smart products they already own.

But this roadblock to adoption can be avoided in large measure by assuaging their frustrations and tech phobias with valueadded services (VAS). Typically offered by retailers and OEMs as attachment sales, these pre- and post-purchase options include extended warranty coverage; protection against theft, loss or damage; and on-demand tech support. Often the latter two are wrapped into the first.

In the case of connected products, 73 percent of those same exasperated shoppers said they would be more likely to buy more

smart tech if it came with protection and/or support services.

But to see how the inclusion of specific services could improve purchase intentions across the smart-product spectrum, Assurant weighed each separate VAS against 21 different connected categories. The results are startling.

Beginning with extended warranties, fully 45 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to buy a smart appliance if it came with a two-year coverage plan. Similarly, 39 percent of consumers would be more inclined to buy robotic floor vacs that came with added protection, and 37 percent felt the same for VR systems, tablets and e-readers, and Wi-Fi garage door systems.

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Moving on to theft, loss or damage protection, the most consumer-phobic categories were action cams, Wi-Fi security cams and Wi-Fi home security systems.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents would be more likely to purchase each product type if it was protected from dire circumstances, the survey said, while 26 percent would be more inclined to buy video game consoles and smart devices for pets.

Surprisingly, the third VAS, on-demand tech support, garnered the least enthusiastic response. The offer of personal hand-holding had the greatest sway on car diagnostic apps, with 25 percent of respondents indicating a greater likelihood of purchase. Runner-ups included smart TVs and DVRs (23 percent); smart thermostats (20 percent); and smart sprinkler systems and streaming media TV boxes (18 percent each).

Categories that evinced the least need for 1-800 hotlines were robo vacs and wearables (11 percent each); video game consoles and tablets and e-readers (10 percent each); and action cams (7 percent).

Assurant further found that VAS availability was most critical for first-time buyers of connected tech. While 97 percent of respondents said they might make their first smart purchase within the next 12 months, nearly three-quarters of this group (73 percent) said they’d be more likely to reach for their wallets if one or more of the value-added services was part of the package.

The Assurant study, “The Connected Now,” is largely based on the results of a consumer poll conducted each November for the past three years. The most recent survey canvassed 1,243 adult Americans.

Special Report: Warranties

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

Almo Professional A/V Launches Almo Financial Relief Alliance Alliance in Partnership with Almo Manufacturing Vendors; Offers Additional 30 Days of Extended Credit to Qualified Resellers

By TWICE Staff

T

o assist its partners during these uncertain times, Almo Professional A/V recently introduced the Almo Financial Relief Alliance in partnership with some of its leading manufacturing vendors. As part of this program, Almo is offering an additional 30 days of extended credit terms to qualified reseller partners.

Almo Financial Relief Alliance manufacturers include alliances with LG Business Solutions USA, Atlas AV, Avocor, Barco, BrightSign, Harman Professional Solutions, Huddly, Kramer, Legrand US,

Maxell, NEC, Peerless-AV, Sharp, Sony and TOA Electronics.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we realize that some installations are on hold and that cash flow is a challenge for many of our customers,” explained Sam Taylor, executive vice president and COO for Almo Professional A/V in a statement. “Almo Financial Relief Alliance is here to help with an additional 30 To learn more about the Almo Financial Relief Alliance, go to http://go.almoproav.com/alliance.

SquareTrade Available For Protection Plans At Nebraska Furniture Mart

Partnership offers customers tech support or help with smart device and appliance connectivity.

By TWICE staff SquareTrade, an Allstate company, announced their agreement with Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) to provide offers and manage protection plans and premium tech support for customers who purchase through NFM’s home furnishings store based in Omaha, Nebraska.

“Whether it’s a smart fridge, dishwasher or home theater system, our shoppers can feel confident about their purchases knowing they’re protected by SquareTrade,” said Mark Shaw of Nebraska Furniture Mart in a statement. “If a purchase is damaged or breaks, customers can get their appliances or electronics back up and running quickly.”

“We are there when customers need

days of extended terms. This allows our partners to continue planning ahead as much as possible. We all remain hopeful that the tide will soon change so our partners can get back to the normal pace of business and continue creating amazing AV installations and experiences.”

“We recognize the adversity faced by many in the industry and LG wants to do our part by supporting the Almo Financial Relief Alliance,” said Clark Brown, vice president, LG Business Solutions USA in a statement. “The Pro AV industry will be vital to getting business back to work. We are proud to stand by Almo and the AV resellers to offer assistance and build for the future.”

protection and support, keeping their appliances and electronics running and connected,” said SquareTrade Chief Operating Officer Karl Wiley in a statement. “Consumers are short on time, so our simple online claims experience – where many cases are approved in just minutes – makes it easy to get back to normal when life’s uncertainties strike.”

SquareTrade has over a decade of expertise providing protection plans for major retailers globally. NFM is one of the nation’s largest home furnishings retailers, selling furniture, flooring, appliances and electronics with locations in Omaha, Des Moines, Iowa, Kansas City, Kansas, and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

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34 Industry: People

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

Almo Professional A/V Introduces New Service Development Managers SDMs Serve as Subject Matter Experts for All Almo AV Managed Services; Provide Design, Technical Insight and Work in Conjunction with Almo Sales Team to Ensure Success

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lmo Professional A/V announced the addition of three Service Development Managers (SDMs) to provide support and expertise to partners using the Almo toolbox of AV Services for Integrators.

A newly-created position at Almo Professional A/V, the SDMs are subject matter experts on Almo’s complete line of services, which include Almo AVaaS Financial Solutions, Business Communications, Digital Signage Creative and Hosting, Control Systems and DSP Programming, Hosted Surveillance and Security, Remote Asset Management, Labor and Project Support, and Service and Repair Plans.

The current SDM roles are broken out geographically as follows: Leo Nickel, West Region: Based in Denver, Colorado, Nickel started his career in broadcast television and holds more than 20 years of diverse AV industry experience, including system Leo Nickel, West Region design, sales, project management, digital signage and content creation. He is AVIXA CTS-Certified and an AVIXA Certified Electronics Technician.

Jason Terry, Central Region: Working from Springboro, OH, Terry brings a demonstrated history of knowledge in the occupancy management and SaaS Jason Terry, Central industries with skills in Region

sales, go-to-market strategy, professional services, management and business development. He is the founder of GreenSpace Enterprise Technologies, Inc., a venture-backed occupancy management automation company specializing in occupancy management and meeting room scheduling solutions that are cost-effective, globally callable and easy to maintain.

Jay Saret, East Region: “In 2019 alone, the Almo Managed Services Program grew 70 percent, which shows that our integrators and resellers are utilizing services more than ever Jay Saret, East Region before as a means to grow their businesses and offer more to their clients,” said Sam Taylor, executive vice president and COO for Almo Professional A/V in a statement.

“Our SDMs have expertise in all of Almo’s service offerings and are able to not only provide technical insight but also have the ability to assist in designing and specifying key services. SDMs work in conjunction with the Almo sales team to ensure partners receive everything they need for a successful install that allows them to increase revenue and create lasting business opportunities.”

Almo Professional A/V is a division of Almo Corp., the nation’s leading independent distributor of consumer electronics, major appliances, furniture and housewares. For more information about Almo Professional A/V, please call 888-420-2566 or go to www. almoproav.com.

Key Digital Appoints Masha Tsinberg Lakhter As COO Lakhter will assume responsibility for Key Digital’s overall strategy and execution for marketing, engineering, and operations.

By TWICE Staff Key Digital recently announced effective immediately Masha Tsinberg Lakhter has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of Key Digital to help the company cultivate and augment its role as a leader in the audio-visual industry.

Lakhter will be responsible for the calibration and architecture of the organization with focus on maintaining the established excellence in every department.

“With Masha joining us as COO, Key Digital gains an executive operator with the credentials and proven background of operational excellence. Her initiative and expertise will grow our company beyond what we could hope for, and we all look forward to the positive influence she will instill in all of us,” said Mike Tsinberg, Founder and CEO of Key Digital in a statement.

“Additionally, it is a tremendous celebration that we break out of the male-dominated terms of this industry.

The next generation of exceptional engineers, techies, and leaders are out there right now and we want them to know that Key Digital will always support and encourage diversity in our ranks. There is still much to be done to level the playing field, but we are honored to put our best foot forward toward progress in female leadership.”

Industry: People

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

iRoom Expands Leadership With 3 New Senior Hires Two U.S. and one Austrian executive named as part of 2020 expansion plan

By TWICE Staff

i

Room, manufacturer of high-end and intelligent docking solutions for Apple’s iPad and iPad mini, recently announced three new senior hires as part of its 2020 expansion plan.

General Manager for the North American division: Chris Lehnen: Lehnen assisted in the set-up and operation of the U.S. based iRoom division from 2012 to 2016. Aside from his General Manager for the time with iRoom, North American diviLehnen spent the past sion: Chris Lehnen 3.5 years with Origin Acoustics as Western Regional V.P. and with SpeakerCraft as Director of International Business and Western Sales Manager. With 20+ years of experience, success and relationships on the manufacturer level in the

CEDIA channel, Lehnen will drive business, marketing, product development, and future growth plans.

U.S. VP of Sales, North America, Eastern: Aaron Chisena: Chisena most recently served as Enterprise Sales Manager at Biamp.

Prior to joining Biamp, he served as Director of U.S. VP of Sales, North America, Eastern: Aaron Global Sales for Chisena Autonomic and Global Product Manager for Bosch. His industry relationships, sales management experience and passion for excellence in the customer experience is notable, refreshing and applauded.

Sales Manager Europe, Eltako GmbH, Austria: Kai Sepp: Sepp is a certified network administrator with a diverse electronics background. Most recently, Sepp

served as Sales Manager for Eltako GmbH. His past roles include engineering, sales, marketing, training, and business development. Sepp brings his fervor, Sales Manager Europe, diverse talent and Eltako GmbH, Austria: proven sales ability to Kai Sepp iRoom.

“Chris Lehnen, Aaron Chisena and Kai Sepp each have proven success in leading high-performance sales teams through innovative technologies and creative programs. These strengths are a natural fit for iRoom in its new product evolution and growth plans,” said Marc Hofer, CEO of iRoom in a statement. “I am thrilled to have a dynamic leadership team and look forward to drawing from their expertise and synergies in developing new business strategies and growing our brand.” iRoom was founded in Salzburg, Austria, and provides docking solutions to transform Apple tablets into a stylish touch panel for lighting, audio and security control. The integrated locking anti-theft function allows the iPad to be integrated in conference rooms, hotel rooms or at trade shows. To learn more about iRoom visit www.iroomsidock.com.

Intercounty Appliance Corp.

Names John Graff Executive Director; Robert Guida Retires Intercounty Appliance Corp. announced the retirement of its Executive Director Robert Guida. John Graff, Intercounty’s Director of Marketing & Advertising assumed the Executive Director post effective January 1, 2020.

Graff has been Intercounty’s Director of Marketing & Advertising since 2013. During this period, he successfully transformed the company from a warehouse group to a marketing group, and successfully aided the opening of Intercounty’s second warehouse location in Burlington, NJ. Before arriving at

Intercounty, Graff worked for Electrolux for 31 years while in a series of positions including GM of the Northeast region.

Robert Guida originally joined Intercounty in 2007 as Controller. He was promoted to Executive Director in 2014.

Prior to his time at Intercounty, Guida spent 17 years with Olympus America Inc. as Corporate Controller.

In addition, Intercounty Appliance announced the following changes to its internal staff, also effective January 1, 2020: Jessica Dzenkowski is Intercounty’s new

Bud Gerhard (left), President; John Graff, Executive Director (right); Jessica Dzenkowski (center)

Director of Marketing & Advertising.

Dzenkowski began her tenure at Intercounty five years ago with the introduction of the Marketing Department.

Matthew Koch has been named Intercounty’s Director of Finance. Koch was Assistant Controller at Globecomm Systems Inc. for the past five years.

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36 Industry

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

AVB

Jim Ristow, CEO, AVB

The Odds Of Success Are In Your Favor: AVB Kicks Off Summit 2020 In Las Vegas ProSource, BrandSource and Canadian Mega Group members gather at the Venetian to build comradery, better their businesses and gain industry education.

By Grant Morgan

“T

he path to purchase is changing,” said Jim Ristow, CEO of AVB during Monday morning’s General Session of Summit 2020.

“Some of your customers, they actually want to buy appliances, home furnishings,

bedding, even large panel TVs online. But what you might not know is that they don’t necessarily want to buy it from Amazon or a big box store. They want to buy from someone local like yourself. They want someone they can trust to come into their home. The real question is, can they do it easily today?”

Along with a recap of the successes and challenges the buying group experienced in 2019, Ristow challenged members to work on their businesses during the three-day conference held in Las Vegas, NV this week by having a vision, planning and acting on that plan.

AVB group members have a plethora of support tools at their disposal to make their business grow and thrive, while making it easier for customers to find member dealers and purchase from them. These include AVB Marketing’s Alta 360 websites, which delivered a 30 percent increase in traffic in 2019, a new tech support service through Allstate that takes care of after-sale support and kitchen vignettes that help dealers showcase appliance packages and connected home features.

Ristow’s announcements reinforced AVB’s commitment to their members, particularly with the news of expanding the group’s education system with ProSource University, a customizable education system that can help systems integrators onboard, train and develop new talent. “It’s not a generic one-size-fits-all,” said Dave Workman, president and CEO of ProSource. “Each dealer can customize the program to their cultural values so it’s ‘their’ product…and it’s low cost.

Ultimately, we’ll answer the question of labor, and with labor being solved in some fashion, then you unleash the growth that is available to the dealers.”

Another big announcement for the group was the introduction of health care provider Cigna being added to the group’s health care offerings. AVB members across all 50 states now have more options to choose from to help their employees, families and themselves.

“I want you to understand that all the people here on the floor today are here to help you,” said Ristow in closing. “We’re going to face some opportunities, but we’re also going to face some challenges. Just look at this room. We had to put extra chairs in.

We’re going to get through this together because we’re a family, and that’s the way it works.”

For more information about AVB, visit AVB.net

Industry

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

NEC And Sharp Merge The transfer is scheduled to be concluded on July 1, 2020.

By AVNetwork Staff

N

EC Corporation and Sharp Corporation have agreed to create a joint venture by combining NEC Display Solutions, Ltd. (NDS), a subsidiary of NEC, with Sharp. According to the companies, the Sharp-NEC joint venture will allow both companies to build upon their strengths and address the visualization needs of their global customers.

“NEC offers one of the broadest visual solutions portfolios in the industry, and with a consultancy-led sales approach, NEC is

recognized as a trusted advisor and total solutions provider,” said Hisatsugu Nakatani, president, NEC Display Solutions, Ltd. “This joint venture between Sharp and NEC Display Solutions will bring even greater value and benefits to customers and partners by extending our state-of-the-art product portfolios together with a range of professional service offerings. Sharp and NEC Display Solutions follow the same strategic approach to the future of visual solutions, focusing on superior customer satisfaction enabled by high quality products, sales leadership

Zigbee Alliance Adds Bureau Veritas To Its Testing House Roster California-based Lab Now an Authorized Zigbee Certification Program Testing Provider

By TWICE Staff The Zigbee Alliance recently announced that Bureau Veritas now provides Zigbee testing services from their wireless/IoT laboratory in California. As a leader in testing, certification, and global market access services, Bureau Veritas offers Zigbee Alliance member companies another trusted and proven test laboratory to rely on for Zigbee Alliance Test Services.

"As the IoT industry progresses in a collaborative manner, effective product testing and certification becomes even more important for companies seeking to gain a share of this new wave of IoT prosperity and consumer acceptance that’s coming to the

smart home, building, and city markets,” said Jon Harros, Director of Certification and Testing Programs, Zigbee Alliance in a statement. “Bureau Veritas gives innovators another esteemed authorized testing house to work through to support brand credibility, value, and customer connections.”

Bureau Veritas supports manufacturers in the smart home, building automation, industrial, new mobility, connected person, mobile health, and other wireless-enabled

excellence, and committed relationship building.”

“The combination of Sharp’s and NDS’ international strengths is mutually complementary,” said Fujikazu Nakayama, senior executive managing officer, Sharp Corp. and BU president, Business Solutions BU. “We expect this agreement to result in a wide range of synergies, including economies of scale and business expansion in new categories, including an 8K+5G Ecosystem.

Sharp believes that developing NDS as a joint venture with NEC will contribute to our business growth by enforcing our B2B business and expanding sales.”

Under the terms of the transaction, NEC will transfer 66 percent ownership of NDS to Sharp, and retain a 34 percent equity stake in the business. The joint venture will continue to provide NEC branded products.

NEC will also continue to sell the joint venture’s products and solutions to its customers around the world.

The transfer is scheduled to be concluded on July 1, 2020.

industries with testing, certification, and global market access. The company is focused on shaping a world of trust with a network of wireless test facilities across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Manufacturers have access to their portfolio of innovation services and digital solutions that embrace the latest technologies to help optimize efficiency, improve safety, and ultimately get safe, secure and reliable products to market and in the hands of consumers.

“As leading wireless test specialists, we are proud to add Zigbee Alliance testing services to our wide portfolio of IoT offerings,” said Eddie Parsons, Wireless/IoT Laboratory Manager, Bureau Veritas North America in a statement. “Wireless designers and integrators trust us for our extensive technical knowledge and range of thirdparty testing capabilities that enable timely market access with the confidence that products work as expected.”

For more information about the Zigbee Alliance Certification Program, the Alliance’s open IoT technologies, Project Connected Home over IP, or how to join to get involved in contributing to the good change happening within the industry, visit www. zigbeealliance.org.

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38 Industry: Coronavirus

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

Amazon Limiting Shipment Of Non-Essential Items To Help Fight Coronavirus Amazon is prioritizing shipping important products to keep customers safe from coronavirus SHUTTERSTOCK

By Richard Priday

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mazon is stopping its suppliers from sending non-essential products to its fulfillment centers in order to focus on shipping items that people need to stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

As reported on Amazon's DayOne blog and a Business Insider article, Amazon is "temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other important products" coming into its warehouses in order to better serve the huge number of customers who have switched to online shopping as a means of reducing exposure to coronavirus infection. These new rules will be in force until at least April 5.

Specifically, the categories Amazon is

counting as priorities are: baby products, health & household, beauty & personal care, grocery, industrial & scientific and pet supplies.

Amazon is not refusing to sell specific items, and won't be turning away shipments already on their way, but it won't take any new stock of

AVB’s YourSource News Launches COVID Info Hub

By Grant Morgan YourSource News, the news and information platform of BrandSource, recently launched a special COVID Info Hub to provide members a portal gathering news, AVB actions and member best practices.

“With all the uncertainty surrounding us regarding the COVID-19 situation there’s one thing all of you can be certain of, and that’s

that we’re here to help you,” said Jim Ristow, CEO of AVB/BrandSource in a video statement (view below). “For the last 50 years we’ve been together in times of success and in times of need. And like all families, the AVB family, we’ve gone through so much together. But ultimately, whatever we’ve gone through it’s made us stronger.”

“As a family, we need to have each other’s back, and sharing is part of that to help our businesses,” Ristow continued.

items outside of these categories. This could mean shortages of certain items however, if warehouses run out and are unable to restock under the temporary rules.

In the same post, Amazon also affirmed that it was working to prevent price gouging, and that it has blocked or removed tens of thousands of items, in accordance with its policies.

The company also announced that it would be seeking 100,000 new full and part-time positions across the U.S. to work in its fulfillment centers in order to keep up with customer demands. It has also increased its hourly wages through April by $2 per hour in the US, £2 per hour in the UK, and about €2 per hour in many EU countries.

This article originally ran on tomsguide.com

In addition to news, the YourSource News Info Hub has official government information and resources including aid and loan packages to help businesses as they become available.

Additionally, bi-weekly webinars addressing timely topics will be available for members to view and participate in.

“The most important thing you can do right now for your business is make sure your website is transactional,” Ristow encouraged. “This is the time you have to transact online. Customers habits, they’ve changed almost overnight. They’ve made a significant pivot to online shopping, and if you can do anything to help your company weather this storm, you need to have a transactional website.”

Industry: Coronavirus

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

AUKEY Donates 100,000 Face Masks To Italian Government Institutions And Hospitals AUKEY is also in the process of organizing similar donations of 20,000 masks to Spain, France, and Germany

By TWICE Staff

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UKEY, an international electronics and charging brand, has announced that it has shipped 100,000 face masks to hospitals and local authorities in Italy, the country worst hit by COVID-19.

AUKEY hopes that these supplies can help alleviate the serious situation within the country.

The masks were manufactured by AUKEY and come in packaging with messages of support in Italian. They were shipped on Tuesday March 17th and have already arrived in Italy.

Led by AUKEY Group’s co-founder and Chairman of the Board Lu Haichuan, the initiative has organized the delivery and allocation of face masks supplies to local governments and hospitals across Italy.

50,000 of the total shipment has been

allocated to northern Italy, sent in batches of 20,000 and 30,000 and received by Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria, a hospital in the Veneto region, province of Verona. Another 25,000 was sent to the ASL2 of Napoli located in Frattaminore, and another 5,000 to employees dealing with the disposal of waste and recycling in the province of Naples. The remaining 20,000 was sent to people in need in the province of Nuoro (Ogliastra), in Sardinia.

“In times of need it’s important we all stick together and help out in whatever way we can,” Lu stated, “I hope with all my heart that this pandemic can be over as soon as possible and we can all return to our regular lives”.

AUKEY has a major presence within Italy and a large number of local contacts, which has aided the organization of this donation.

The company hopes that these masks can help protect the most vulnerable and ease

the burden on the heroic medical staff across Italy.

In addition to the 100,000 masks sent to Italy, AUKEY is also in the process of organizing similar donations to Spain, France, and Germany. Each country will receive approximately 20,000 face masks, which will hopefully go some way towards alleviating the situation in those countries too.

Second COVID-19 Survey Shows Independent Retailers Taking Serious Steps To Prevent Spread Of Disease Nationwide Marketing Group has released the results of its second quick-turn survey of the membership and how it is responding to the spread of COVID-19. In this follow-up survey, 633 respondents — a 37% increase over the first survey — provided feedback on a number of inquiries into how their business is navigating the crisis and steps

they are taking to keep employees and customers safe, among other topics.

Key findings from the latest member survey: • 97% of responding dealers say they have increased cleaning and hygiene efforts in-store as a primary operational modification (up from 95% in the previous survey); 89% have implemented social

distancing procedures in their stores • 42% have reduced store hours, up from 12% in the first survey • 38% say they have reduced staff size through layoffs, furloughs, or terminations since the outset of the COVID-19 situation. The full results of the survey are available on the Nationwide Marketing Group website.

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40 Industry: Coronavirus

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

Nationwide Marketing Group Creates Coronavirus Resource Center for Independent Retail Channel The collection of best practices and resources aims to guide independent retail business owners through uncertain times.

By TWICE Staff

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he spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented some unique challenges to businesses and communities across the United States and around the world. While much is still unknown, Nationwide Marketing Group is actively pulling together a collection of resources for independent retailers aimed at helping them navigate these uncertain and unprecedented times.

Available to Nationwide members through the member-exclusive MemberNet platform, the package of resources is highlighted by a series of best-practices documents from credible sources and fellow retailers. Topics addressed by the best practice documentation includes: • How to communicate to a retailer’s existing customers and team members

during the Coronavirus pandemic * Policies and procedures for maintaining a business from the CDC, OSHA and the National Retail Federation * In-store messaging and procedures * Best practices for different business areas, including warehousing, delivery and service operations * Continuity planning, supply chain support, digital services and more Many of these resources will also be shared with the broader channel on Nationwide’s public-facing Media Center to ensure all independent retailers have the

CAREER MARKETPLACE

tools they need to effectively operate during this uncertain time.

Additionally, Nationwide has created communications templates exclusively for their members that can be customized for their specific markets and audiences. Live links to federal and state-level health resources are posted on MemberNet, and guidance around available financial services for independent retailers are currently being researched and pursued.

Nationwide Marketing Group will also look to leverage internal expertise and relevant third-party partnerships to develop additional guidance and best practices for members as they work through a period of increased short-term downtime.

Additionally, Nationwide’s Member Support Managers are actively engaged across the group, developing ways to continue providing value to members while complying with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and recommendations around social distancing.

In that vein, Nationwide has developed a new way for members and independent retailers to ask any pressing questions and share success stories during this challenging time. Retailers seeking assistance are encouraged to email their questions to ask@ nationwidegroup.org. The Nationwide team will work to answer those questions or, at the very least, point retailers in the proper direction to get the answers they are looking for. And retailers who want to share best practices and other stories of success can email share@nationwidegroup.org. Those resources will be shared across the Nationwide network and the independent channel at large.

Industry

TWICE.COM | APRIL 2020

PowerHouse Alliance: Providing The Protective Gear You Need To Weather The Storm PowerHouse Alliance members share how they are fighting back against COVID-19 Dennis Holzer, executive director for the PowerHouse Alliance

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s we launch into the spring season of a new year and decade, the global market is far from normal. Unlike most years when this is the time of year that our dealers and integrators are ramping up business with multiple project bids on new build and renovation projects, instead, they are strategically planning how they are going to buckle down and weather the storm. As a group, we, the PowerHouse Alliance, have been keeping our finger on the pulse on the COVID-19 pandemic government restrictions and recommendations across the country.

The PowerHouse Alliance is made up of 12 experienced regional distributor members spanning the continental U.S. Many of our member companies have been in business for decades, and one of our members, Pioneer Music Company, has been in business for over 140 years. Needless to say, as a combined group we have extensive experience with changing market conditions. I talked to a few of our distributor members to find out what they are doing in response to the pandemic to help their staff and customers.

“In our 60 years in business we have overcome every challenge you can throw at a business from recessions to natural disasters,” said Brett Provenzano, Vice President of ECD. Through all the unforeseen challenges, each distributor member has had to quickly adapt their

business model to not only keep themselves afloat, but also to come out of the storm stronger. “With each challenge we have faced over our 60 years, we have been forced to learn new practices that, in many ways, we have incorporated and adapted long term to help improve our business.”

Our biggest takeaways have been: • Never get too comfortable. Always look for ways to improve and adapt.

• Keep your finger on the pulse so that you are ready and quick to react to sudden changes.

“The PowerHouse Alliance has been keeping their finger on the pulse on the COVID-19 pandemic government restrictions and recommendations across the country.”

• Do everything feasible to protect your employees and customers in times of struggle.

In order to protect customers and employees and reduce the spread of COVID19 in the U.S., PowerHouse Alliance members have implemented restricted willcall functions, drive-through pick-up areas, additional cleaning methods, work from home options, and paid time off for employees that are unwell or caring for someone who is in isolation. These additional safety measures and flexible options give employees, dealers, and integrators the peace of mind they need to do what is best for them and their families. It

also ensures dealers continue to have safe access to the inventory they need to work without interruption.

“We have locked down all entrances except for one per location, which our customers have been asked to use. Customers have also been asked to call and schedule pickups, or to call upon arrival to arrange for the safe exchange of goods,” said Alec Haight, Vice President of Pioneer Music Company (PMC).

“We have also implemented freight disinfectant and social distancing. As soon as in-bound product is off-loaded, we spray the freight with an ammonia solution, and it sits untouched for a minimum of 15 minutes before the team checks it in. The same disinfectant is used for outgoing shipments once a pick-up order has been pulled. It is sprayed in a specified area, then the PMC staff member walks away and the customer picks up the freight and loads it into their vehicle.”

Likewise, Mountain West Distributors has upped their cleaning regiment and social distancing policies. “We are limiting the amount of will call traffic indoors to ensure our customers and employees can keep a minimum six-foot distance from one another at any given time,” said Garret Breinholt, buyer and sales manager for Mountain West. “Non-essential employees are working from home and we have implemented a work from home rotation schedule for our sales team to reduce the amount of people in the office at any given time. We also have strict protocols in place to sanitize every time a customer enters or exits our building. We are cleaning and sanitizing our offices twice daily and doing a deeper clean and sanitization over the weekends.”

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42 Industry

APRIL 2020 | TWICE.COM

AVB/BrandSource Academic Achievement Scholarship Winners Announced

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or the past 18 years, AVB and BrandSource have awarded the AVB/ BrandSource academic achievement scholarships to further the education of members, their children and their employees' children. The winners of the 2020 academic achievement scholarships were announced at the 2020 Summit and will receive $2,500.

The undergraduate winners for 2020 are: • Jacob Adams, son of Ryan Adams and grandson of Jody Adams of Adams Furniture and Appliance in Tyler, TX. Jacob is a sophomore at Texas A&M University studying economics and business.

• Alexis Voigt, daughter of Matthew and Amanda Voigt, owners of Hargrave Appliances in Merrill, WI. Alexis is currently a senior in high school and will be attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison in the fall to study business administration and marketing.

• Sam Drees, son of Tom Drees, owner of

April 2020 • Volume 35 • Issue 4 www.twice.com CONTENT VP/Content Creation Anthony Savona Senior Editor Grant Morgan, grant.morgan@futurenet.com Contributors: Michael Balderstone, Joe Osborne, Joseph Palenchar Managing Design Director Nicole Cobban Design Director Walter Makarucha Jr Production Manager Nicole Schilling ADVERTISING SALES VP/Market Expert, AV/Consumer Electronics & Pro Audio Adam Goldstein, adam.goldstein@futurenet.com, 212-378-0465

Drees Electric in Marinette, WI. Sam is currently a senior in high school and, like Alexis, will be attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison next fall to study business finance and investments and before pursuing a degree in Law. The 2020 Graduate Student winner is: •Phoebe Fornof represents Hoffman’s Appliance in Rochester, NY, where her father is a manager. Phoebe is currently an MBA candidate at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY, and plans to pursue a career in administration, working with people.

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Audio-Technica U.S. Is The Newest 2020 ProSource Vendor

By TWICE Staff ProSource recently announced the addition of Audio-Technica U.S. as a new 2020 vendor partner. Audio-Technica was established in 1962 as a producer of handcrafted phono cartridges, and has grown to become a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio products for the consumer and professional markets.

“Audio-Technica is thrilled to become a supporting vendor to ProSource; their group of retail members represents channels of business that are essential to the CE industry,” said Larry McCullough, Director of National Accounts, Audio-Technica U.S in

a statement. “There are strong synergies between the audio categories and products we supply, and the business ProSource conducts, that fit very well with our brand and market strategies. We are excited for this opportunity and look forward to working with the membership to grow business and valuable partnerships.”

“The audio products category continues to be the strongest portfolio for the ProSource organization,” said Dave Workman, CEO and President of ProSource in a statement. “The partnership with Audio-Technica complements the mix of high-performance offerings contributing to our members’ profitability.”

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