The New Year looks bright for D&H Distributing Co. and its partners, especially if those partners are reselling products In the emerging wearables category, as the distributor has taken on a range of new partners that produce activity and notification bracelets. As you would expect, the devices perform functions such as tracking users’ steps and sleep patterns while delivering text and call notices right to the user’s wrist.
Ultra HD TV (aka 4K TV) is another technology beginning to mature in the marketplace, with prices reaching the sub-$1,000 flashpoint that most retailers acknowledge as a mainstream bracket. Content and overall adoption of this new technology is seeing acceptance rates close to nine times greater than previous industry innovations such as 3D television, according to D&H.
3D printing and scanning technologies are creating a sizable market buzz as well, which will continue into 2015, says the distributor. Dealers and resellers are showing particular interest in the RoBo 3D printer and Matter and Form 3D scanner, which were demonstrated to steady crowds at the distributor’s Mid-Atlantic Fall Technology Show last month.
The Internet of Everything philosophy will continue to gain momentum, where both consumers and employees seek a technological connection to everything from their office spaces, to their home appliances, to their own bodies.†Products such as DIY (do it yourself) locks and thermostats by Nest and Ecobee offer smart home devices for this purpose that can be monitored by the user through any Internet connection.
“D&H has spent the year helping dealers focus on unique market developments and fresh opportunities,” says Rob Eby, vice president of purchasing at D&H.†”It’s encouraging to see how the Internet of Everything is taking shape in the market.†People are moving toward a vision that incorporates technology into not just their entertainment, but into more of their everyday dealings, like fitness and home security.†We’re happy to keep our dealers on the cusp of this, making sure they are positioned to profit from this drive.”
In part based on these new technologies, D&H has experienced an overall growth rate of 13.3 percent from May to October 2014.†Growth areas in 2014 included wearables; 4K/Ultra HD television displays, with a year-over-year increase of 23 percent on models with screen sizes above 60 inches; plus mobility (both tablets and notebooks); imaging; and monitor products performing in the higher double digits.
