
HIGH POINT — The International Market Centers’ digital division, IMC_di, has unveiled Juniper, the new brand identity for its full suite of digital tools.
A key component of the new suite will be Juniper MKT, a new B2B e-commerce marketplace launching in January 2021 for the gift, home and apparel industries.
“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.
The name reflects the evergreen nature of the digital tools, Dean said, as the company develops an inclusive solution for markets and vendors, with all products cross connected.
Comprised of a suite of five integrated tools, the Juniper suite offers three tiers to allow businesses of all sizes to tailor the tools to their specific needs and budgets. The 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.
Juniper is comprised of five integrated pieces:
- Juniper Web is an e-commerce tool that was launched the first week in August, designed for vendors and multi-line sales representatives.
- Juniper Mkt – Evolving from the Shop Zio platform that was launched earlier this year, this is a B2B e-commerce marketplace that will be designed to extend the physical market year-round. Release is set for January 2021.
- Juniper Snq is a data hub synchronization tool that is set for release in the first quarter of 2021. With the mandate to “load once, publish everywhere,” the tool is designed to allow product data to be loaded once and used on all IMC web sites, other platforms and pushed to retailers as needed.
- Juniper Sls, also to release in 2021 Q1, is a mobile sales application software designed to generate and manage orders as well as manage customer relationships.
- Juniper CRM is the final piece of the toolkit, set for launch in 2021 Q4. It is an inside sales and customer relationship management application.
“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.”
He added, “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.”