D&H Distributing reports it has experienced double-digit overall sales growth for the consumer electronics holiday season for 2017. Niche growth areas such as digital signage solutions increased 51 percent year-over-year from September to November, and sales of connected home/smart home solutions increased 42 percent. Video gaming hardware increased 56 percent, with televisions, wearable devices, and notebook computers growing 11 percent to 17 percent in the same period. The distributor experienced 7.4 percent growth overall across North America in its Fiscal Year 2018 to this point, which began in May.
These trends contributed to a profitable year, according to D&H. The distributor has been aggressively recruiting new personnel and accelerating its vendor-based programs to drive etail and retail sales as it moves toward its 100th anniversary. D&H expects a 5 percent increase in its customer base over the next 18 months, based on ongoing expansions to its services and support programs.
In addition, D&H’s trade show events began a critical evolution this year, moving from typical “selling” shows to an educational focus. This includes center hub aisles that spotlight trends, such as this year’s debut of the Connected Home/Digital Office exhibit, and the company’s Gaming Experience booth.
The Harrisburg, Pa.-based company has also increased in vendor training offerings by 30 percent this year.
“This has been an exceptional year for D&H, and we have dynamic plans to develop our business customers in the retail sector,” said Jeff Davis, senior vice president of sales at D&H. “We will continue to advocate robust solutions that address urgent trends, from smart home automation, to mesh computing, to virtual reality and digital assistant technologies and the apps that go with them. When our customers are more competitive, we succeed as well.”
Top Growth Categories, September to November 2017 (year-over-year):
- Video gaming hardware 56%
- Digital signage 51%
- Connected home solutions 42%
- Wearable devices 17%
- Television displays 13%
- Computers notebooks 11%
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!
