IMC_di Introduces New Juniper Brand, Begins Launch of Digital Tools

August 13, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

IMC_di also announced the immediate availability of Juniper WEB, an ecommerce website tool, the first of several enhanced digital sales and marketing tools scheduled to launch over the next 18 months.

“The launch of Juniper is both representative of our progress and reflective of our momentum,” said IMC_di President Eric Dean. “Juniper is a seamless extension and expansion of IMC’s industry-leading physical markets. Together, they provide a central source for all of our customers’ business needs and offer the only truly omni-channel sales opportunity to the gift, home and apparel industries. Over the coming months and throughout 2021, our new Juniper ecosystem will expand to include a suite of new solutions for the industry, while also seamlessly replacing some of the digital tools currently offered by our legacy brands (Pharos, RepZio and ShopZio).”

Juniper’s suite of new digital tools – Juniper MKT (digital marketplace), Juniper WEB (ecommerce websites), Juniper SNQ (data hub), Juniper SLS (sales applications) and Juniper CRM (inside sales tools and CRM applications) – have been in development since IMC_di’s launch in January 2020, with a series of phased roll-outs planned into 2021. In addition to three tiers allowing businesses of all sizes to tailor Juniper tools to their specific needs and budgets, the Juniper suite also will include critical multi-line capabilities that enable vendors and their rep groups to work together to grow their businesses through e-commerce. Information about the Juniper suite of tools is available online at JuniperCommerce.com, the brand’s new website.

Juniper MKT, a new B2B ecommerce marketplace, launches in January 2021. Bridging IMC’s physical and digital markets, Juniper MKT will enable sellers to generate leads, manage customers and sell year-round; and allow buyers to shop favorite brands, search and discover new brands and create projects and brand-specific shopping carts. Launching from the foundation of IMC_di’s ShopZio, a B2B ecommerce platform with 500+ brands and more than 35,000 retailers, Juniper MKT will be the only marketplace built by, with and for gift, home and apparel markets.

Juniper WEB, an ecommerce website tool launched on Aug. 3, enables wholesale vendors and sales representatives to sell their products online to retailers. Juniper WEB is an all-in-one ecommerce solution that is cost effective, easy to maintain and integrated with the other products in the Juniper suite. Juniper WEB is the industry’s only product built from the ground-up to be inclusive of sales reps and to meet the complex business needs of single-line and multi-line wholesale vendors exhibiting in IMC’s markets.

Juniper SNQ, a product information management and data syndication tool, launches in First Quarter 2021. Evolving from best-in-class features available today in Pharos Product Fastlane and datasynq from RepZio, the Juniper SNQ web application will enable wholesale vendors and sales agencies to manage and share product data across multiple ecommerce platforms. Juniper SNQ will help save time and effort for sellers by syndicating product data not only to IMC's websites and IMC_di software, but also to other ecommerce platforms.

Juniper SLS, launching in First Quarter 2021, is a mobile sales application software that generates orders and manages customer relationships whether at markets or on-the-road year-round. Evolving from best-in-class features of Pharos Spotlight and RepZio, Juniper SLS will allow vendors and sales agencies to manage customers and appointments, scan product barcodes, build and manage carts by brand, place secure PCI compliant orders and send order updates. When launched, the Juniper SLS application will be directed primarily to IMC’s exhibitors, with expansion to businesses of all sizes planned soon after.

Juniper CRM, a transactional Customer Relationship Management application, launches before the end of 2021. Juniper CRM enables IMC_di vendors to increase sales, deliver proactive customer service and gain a single, 360-degree view of each customer, from prospect to transaction. Building from the success of Pharos CRM, the new Juniper CRM will give wholesale vendors and their sales teams a complete view of their customers and their sales efforts, ultimately elevating the customer experience across channels.

The core of Juniper’s brand platform is simplicity, connection, and growth. Juniper’s visual brand is a logotype in which the two dots above the lowercase ‘j’ and ‘i’ join together to create an abstract juniper needle-leaf — a connection which represents relationship-building and symbolizes growth. In their basic form, the two circles represent pairings of buyers and sellers as well as the blending of digital and physical markets.

“Built on the knowledge and trust of an industry that raised us, Juniper provides buyers, sellers, designers and reps with solutions to simplify, connect and grow,” said Dean. “Juniper is more than just an umbrella brand for our digital tools. It also unifies our organization and serves as the ‘North Star’ for our future product development.”

“The last six months have been a wild ride for IMC_di,” added Dean. “In addition to the typical trials a tech start-up would face, we had the added challenge of COVID-19 business disruptions. While we were able to pivot to provide IMC’s customers with legacy technologies – such as ShopZio and Catalog Connexion – to address immediate business needs, we’re delighted to be making progress towards our original goals. And, we are excited to be able to innovate as our market needs evolve.”