NEW YORK — Buyers and sellers at Emerald’s in-person events will soon have a more streamlined and collaborative way to do business all year long: A new technology platform from Emerald’s Elastic Suite division. The Elastic Suite Digital Market platform, which provides 365-day access to product sourcing and ordering across a wide range of brands, will be available this summer to hundreds of the world’s largest brands in the outdoor, surf, cycling, sporting goods, apparel, lifestyle and footwear industries who buy and sell at Emerald’s in-person Outdoor Retailer and Surf Expo trade shows.
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Emerald President and CEO Hervé Sedky called Elastic Suite a “key step in our strategy to bring buyers and sellers together in a digital environment, year-round.”
“This platform will greatly enhance the customer experience and value not only of our live shows but also year-round as we expand our digital offerings,” Sedky said. “We are excited to launch Digital Market to coincide with Outdoor Retailer and Surf Expo, which are set to stage this summer, so brands and retailers alike can experience the innovative and powerful benefits this platform delivers.”
Platform for a Growing Need
The need for a year-round buyer/seller platform, which has been growing for years, was brought into the spotlight during the past year of in-person show disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Josh Reddin, EVP of Elastic Suite.
Added Roy Turner, SVP of Surf Expo: “We have heard loud and clear from our retailer and brand community that face-to-face, in-person shows are critical … they also need technology to connect, source, and place orders year-round. Surf Expo Digital Market will revolutionize how brands and retailers collaborate, transact, and merchandise.”
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The platform is built on Emerald’s Elastic Suite enterprise B2B merchandizing solution, which already has proven to be popular with many brands and retailers, said Reddin. But it’s not just for the big fish: Digital Market takes the next step by consolidating and integrating many of Elastic Suite’s features into the platform, which uses the same core technology, data systems and client support resources as Elastic Suite, and is tailored for ease of use by small and mid-sized brands.
“Creating universal access to a standard e-commerce platform has been the motivation for developing the Digital Market solution,” said Reddin. “Small and mid-sized brands can now utilize the latest digital B2B sales and merchandising tools while sitting shoulder to shoulder with the world’s biggest brands. In addition, retailers can now strategically source their product on a single platform.”
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Reach Hervé Sedky at (203) 840-5584 or Herve.Sedky@EmeraldX.com
