Software Firm “Has a Lot of Momentum” in C-Store Industry
LAS VEGAS – March 23, 2009 – Software developer Ai2 reported a strong showing at the annual trade show of the American Wholesale Marketers Association. The “Real Deal Expo,” held every spring in Las Vegas, showcases all the newest and most well known products for the convenience store distribution industry. Ai2 attended to debut new products as well as to service some of its existing clients in person.
Ai2 used the occasion to officially debut POET®, a new order entry solution for notebook and tablet PCs that provides lightening-fast access to sales, ordering, accounting and product information. It can be used to generate regular orders, as a consultative selling tool, or both. Access is now offering remote demos of POET® by contacting Vice President of Sales Ray Walsh at (800) 835-3200.
The Real Deal Expo trade show floor is packed with activity each year, even in the current economic climate. “We got a lot of good traffic at our booth,” said Dave Contreras, Vice President of Operations for Ai2. “With the economy the way it is, I wasn’t sure how many people were going to be there, but everyone who stopped by showed a lot of interest in our solutions.” The economy finds distributors more concerned than ever about maximum productivity in and out of the four walls and Ai2 remains focused on this productivity increase as they look toward the future.
Advertising themselves as the “Telxon Replacement Center,” Ai2 invited distributors to get more out of their handheld HERO® application than ever before with the use of pictures and videos transmitted directly to a handheld in a customer’s hands. “You can show the customer pictures or videos of new items, send trade show or billing reminders, or give a personalized holiday greeting,” said Walsh. “We want our clients using these handhelds to their fullest potential.”
The final product Ai2 introduced was an add-on module to the POW® handheld and POET® notebook/tablet solutions. This module, called RECONSM, allows mobile sales representatives to track a customer’s progress toward earning manufacturer rebates. Retailers are eligible for cash rebates when they buy a certain amount of various products. If they are just a few cases short, a sales rep using RECONSM can tell them exactly what they stand to gain by purchasing those cases. “This is going to help a lot of distributors keep track of this data. Access is doing a great job and they have a lot of momentum in this industry,” said Keith Canning, President of Pine State Trading. RECONSM is currently available exclusively to WAM partners.
Ai2 is a 23-year old family owned and operated software firm headquartered in downtown Chicago. Their solutions are used by over 35,000 users each day to capture over 30 billion dollars in sales each year. Ai2 handles the order entry process for some of the nation’s largest distributors in foodservice, convenience store, grocery, beverage, hardware, medical, beauty and industrial supply. For more information about Ai2, visit www.ai2.com.
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Ai2 Media Contact
Ray Walsh
(800) 835-3200