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I got to to talk with Steve Thrasher over the phone about eCat, the new iPad app for home furnishings sales reps. Steve, who is the president of SuperCat Solutions LLC, was speaking from High Point where he is introducing this app at the Spring Market.
The app, eCat, was developed to be the "ultimate interactive sales tool" for sales reps by giving them the ability to show products, take and submit orders, check inventories, pricing, and order status all from one convenient place.
On bringing furniture sales reps into the 21st Century:
It's very interesting, the furniture industry is a very traditional industry, and technology is changing a tremendous amount.
This app is not just for furniture industry reps but all those who carry multiple lines.
On the need for an app like eCat:
The reason we started this in the first place was for Sarried Ltd., a company with about 25 reps, what they call multi-bag reps.
For years they used laminated sales sheets with product photos. The company carried upwards of 2600 items in one line, and the files probably weighed 100+ pounds. There were similar kits for other lines they carried.
The other problem is that the product line always changes or items are discontinued. It takes time to pull out the picture, replace it, find the right prices etc. It's very high-maintenance from the rep's standpoint.
Then the rep walks in carrying all that weight and bulk and the customers' eyes glaze over.
From the company's standpoint, it is paying thousands of dollars for producing the sales kits, and they have to make changes ever so often.
So there was an incentive to do things differently.
How eCat was developed:
We heard the rumors about the iPad a year before it first came out, I started traveling with the reps and studying how they worked. We were putting some ideas together and running them by the reps and customers and came up with a draft design.
We were pretty much ready when they came out with the iPad.
On the cost for eCat:
Companies pay for it on behalf of reps. There is an implementation fee which varies depending on the complexity of the implementation, and the degree of readiness within the company. That could vary in proportion to the degree of education and their IT department.
Then, there is a monthly subscription fee that we charge according to the number of reps. The more reps sign up for it within a company, the less expensive it becomes.
On the future of eCat and the furniture industry:
The furniture industry is very traditional and conservative, and they do not like change. We have noticed that at first everyone starts out by saying that this is the way we have done it for years, and this is not for me, or that customers won't accept it.
I mention the advantages, not just losing the weight and the bulkiness, but the fact that when the rep is working with the customer, he has an accurate inventory. He never needs to maintain a sales kit, it's always organized. It doesn't need rearranging after a sales call. A sales rep can easily gain 5-6 weekends a year at the minimum by working more efficiently.
In the context of a sale, a sales rep can make much better use of the customer's time. He can immediately go to the customer's area of interest and satisfy the customer's desire to look at a style or price range.
We also have the advantage that we have been in the field with several reps, and we have their experience to go by. They too came in very reluctantly, but in the course of a few months they began to see the advantages.
They are sharing their experiences with other sales reps, who are going up to manufacturers. That is how leads are coming in. As people are figuring it out there is an increased interest.
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