News

The Sound Of Sales

West Lebanon, NH -- Merchant Mechanics, a pioneer of Retail Forensics, collaborated on a research program with Stiernberg Consulting, the Sherman Oaks, CA-based strategic planning consultancy. The objective of this collaboration is to provide the commercial sound industry (comprised of audio equipment manufacturers, audio content/programming providers, systems contractors and trade associations) with never-before-seen empirical data on the impact of high quality sound systems on in-store shopping behaviors.

As part of the collaborative agreement between the two firms, Merchant Mechanics will manage the planning and execution of the in-store research program, to be conducted in select retail locations that are representative of mainstream commercial sound applications. Multiple store formats within each of two market sectors will be tested. Stiernberg Consulting will serve as the primary liaison to the electronic systems industry, provide pertinent industry-centric interpretation of final results, and direct the educational and marketing components of the research initiative. The research is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2003. Top line results of the study will be made available throughout 2004 at major retail and audio industry trade events including SPECS, GlobalShop, NSCA Expo 04 and the IBMA annual conference.

"This study is long overdue," said Dan Hart, executive director of the International Business Music Association (IBMA). "Our members -- including both business music contractors and equipment suppliers, have seen a groundswell of demand from retailers for better quality systems in recent years. With the kind of additional data that this study will provide, our industry will be in a better position to not only sell more systems, but serve our customers at the high level that they deserve. We're behind this 100 percent."

To learn more about participation, sponsorship, or publication opportunities, please contact David Levy of Merchant Mechanics (dlevy@merchantmechanics.com) or John Stiernberg of Stiernberg Consulting (john@stiernberg.com).

Merchant Mechanics
www.merchantmechanics.com

Stiernberg Consulting
www.stiernberg.com

International Business Music Association (IBMA)
www.ibma.net

National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA)
www.nsca.org