ORLANDO, FL – The 5,500-sq-ft Retail Design Center on the show floor of the Orange County Convention Center is a testament to the growing importance of proper merchandising. The Retail Design Center, presented by The VGM Group and sponsored by KC Store Fixtures and Philips Respironics, is designed to provide ideas on retail products and display options that engage customers.
This year, Pa-based Golden Technologies will be the exclusive manufacturer displaying lift chairs and scooters. “We’ll set up a mini showroom with three lift chairs, along with our Golden Flagship Showroom Selling Center Tower [pictured from two angles],” explains Patricia O’Brien, director of Marketing, Golden Technologies. “We’ll be encouraging people with some signage to come over to our booth and talk to us some more about the products.”
Golden’s focus over the last couple of years has been on retail cash sales, so participation in the Design Center was a natural fit. “Features such as our Golden Flagship Dealer Showroom Program incorporate beautiful wooden selling center displays,” says O’Brien, who’s company brings about 36 lift chairs and several scooters to Medtrade. “The display is a silent sales person that is on the floor at all times. It provides key information on features and benefits of our lift chairs. We have one for our mobility products as well.”
Jen Anderson, marketing program manager, American Standard, says the Design Center is an ideal way for attendees to experience safe and accessible products (such as the Outward Opening Door) in a realistic environment. “Too many times, people see our walk-in bath products and wonder how they will function in an average bathroom,” she says. “We hope attendees will learn more about our products and the dedication that American Standard has for creating a safe and functional bathroom for aging-in-place consumers.”
“Medtrade presents a powerful opportunity to come together with home care providers and stakeholders to discuss the issues and arrive at solutions that will drive the HME industry and patient care forward,” says Maryellen Bizzack, director, Global Marketing Communications & Brand Management, Philips Respironics. “Medtrade houses the largest selection of HME products under one roof.”
Once again, Medtrade is working with experts at VGM, including Rob Baumhover, director of Retail Programs at the Iowa-based member group, to replicate the ideal showroom floor—complete with product categories and different vignettes to showcase products in their environment.
“We want to depict what a newly remodeled HME accessibility provider’s showroom would look like,” says Baumhover. “It could be a typical DME with undergarments and oxygen concentrators, but another side could be focused on retail cash items. It might resemble a bathroom or bedroom.”