LAS VEGAS, NV (01.02.2019) – Nakamichi Car Audio is in full show mode as it readies for CES 2020 in Las Vegas next week. The numerous CES booth crates have arrived and booth construction is already under way!
Robin McNeal, National Sales Manager, pictured with crates in the North Hall booth as setup is under way.
Kiyokazu Igarashi, President of Nakamichi Japan and Sheamson Yeo, World Wide Sales Manager for Nakamichi Car Audio, are flying in to attend the show and the Nakamichi National Sales meeting taking place on Monday, January 6. The meeting will focus on the new products that Nakamichi will bring to market in 2020.
Nakamichi will be unveiling a host of new products January 7-10 in the North Hall during CES. Among them is a single DIN DSP USB receiver with built-in 25-band EQ that features Nakamichi’s wireless APP Control that allows the radio to be controlled by your smartphone via Bluetooth. APP Control is compatible with Apple and Android phones. Some of the other new products include single DIN 9-inch and 10.1-inch floating screen media receivers. Both models work with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
For CES Nakamichi has partnered with Moke America to provide a couple of unique demo vehicles. The Moke’s are a 21st century green-friendly electric vehicle based on the British classic originally manufactured in the 1960’s.
Be sure to visit the Nakamichi booth #3621 LVCC North Hall for full details and to see all the exciting new products.
SHREVEPORT, LA (01.01.2020) – January 1st 2020 marks the beginning of a New Year, and decade, filled with opportunities. Happy New Year!
The New Year presents an opportunity to start with a clean slate and implement a fresh set of goals for the year ahead. The upcoming CES 2020, and activities across Las Vegas, will provide a springboard for 2020.
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There is an old saying “Nothing is more constant than change.” The fact that online commerce continues to capture sales from brick and mortar retailers has become a constant that won’t change – unless brick and mortar retailers change their approach to the marketplace. E-commerce sales during the 2019 holiday season were up nearly 20% over 2018. Between Black Friday and Christmas eve FedEx, UPS along with the US Postal Service combined to deliver nearly 2 billion packages. To be sure, not all of those packages were Christmas gifts. However, as online ordering surged, the majority were Christmas gifts.
US retailers are reported to have closed 9302 stores in 2019. That is an increase of 59% over 2018 according to Coresight Research.
In the evermore digital marketplace, all brick and mortar retailers must change their mindset and marketing approach to engage the consumer marketplace. To be successful retailers must create an overall experience consumers can not get from an online retailer. Hearing crisp highs, and feeling bass in the chest, just can not be experienced online. Seeing in-vehicle lighting plus power sports and marine installations first-hand will drive sales. Safety and convenience products, along with in-vehicle connectivity, are also categories where an exciting in-store experience can capture business for brick and mortar retailers.
Social media outreach is an extremely powerful vehicle through which 12volt retailers can develop a legion of loyal followers and engage consumers. Mobile devices are in the hands of virtually all consumers today. The smartphone is such a valuable tool for 12volt retailers to showcase their respective message to their followers and consumers. Visit instagram.com/12voltnews
New product arrivals, hot installations, new in-store displays and proactive staff members represent ideal content to highlight through planned social media posts. By the time the morning coffee is brewed a far sighted 12volt retailer could have made an engaging Instagram post for his followers to checkout. That post could feature a new product with an invitation to come into the store for an exciting demonstration. As the Instagram post was made that content could have been shared to Facebook and Twitter accounts also.
The Instagram Business Profile, which is free, features a contact tab. A follower can tap the contact tab and call the store from their smartphone as they view the post. Also, a follower can send an email to the store as well as get a map to the store. Making a post, with the opportunity to get an immediate response from a follower, is an amazing outreach 12volt retailers can’t pass up in today’s marketplace.
For the good of our 12volt industry, the community of suppliers must endeavor to inform the world of the benefits mobile electronics products offer consumers. It’s is well known the price driven “Race to Zero” has stripped marketing budgets. Recent emphasis on high end in-vehicle audio, along with power sports for UTV and marine plus lighting, is a terrific way to kick off the New Year.
“Again, Happy New Year and best wishes for a very prosperous 2020 and new decade ahead.”
SHREVEPORT, LA (01.02.20) – It’s a New Year and a New Decade. The 12volt Central Studios is using new technology and vehicles to deliver fresh industry news to the 12volt industry.
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Utilizing Green Screen technology, the 12volt Central Studios is already posting booth setup videos from the LVCC North Hall. Coverage of prep activities for CES 2020, from venues across Las Vegas, will continue through this week. The curtain will rise for CES 2020 on Tuesday January 7th and the 12volt Central Studios has exciting plans for continuing coverage from Vegas throughout the run.
Word on the street is that overall CES 2020 attendance across the 12volt industry will, unfortunately, not meet past years. Let’s work to highlight positives from CES 2020 to extend the ROI on the huge 12volt industry investment in Vegas.
With a smartphone, Snap…Text…and Presto. A positive image of industry activities can be delivered to members of the 12volt industry.
“In reality ‘Marketing’ is a team sport. Manufacturers, representatives, distributors and retailers must work as a team to excite consumers about the wide range of products the 12volt industry offers consumers. In today’s marketplace the 12volt industry, working as a team, needs to adjust the game plan” I strongly feel.
The 12volt News delivers fresh industry news each business day with posts to 12voltnews.com and via social media posts of a feature article as well as 2 additional news articles. Additional posts are through the day on social media, Instagram and Facebook, highlighting positive industry activities.
The 12volt Spin-To-Win rolls each Friday morning at 10AM in Studio C. Spin caption
Surely everyone in the 12volt industry has a smartphone. That smartphone works with STP worldwide. STP is another tool in the 12volt Central Studios tool chest. Snap and Text an image this way. Presto! A staff member can post that positive activity to the 12voltnews followers on Instagram and Facebook. The 10,000+ social media followers on each platform are overwhelming industry members.
There are 4 studios in the 12volt Central Studios facility which is located in Shreveport LA under the intersection of I-20 and I-49 interstates. Most industry news activity originates in Studio A. Studio B is setup for industry members traveling in the area. Their visits are invited.
Studio C is the main studio for green screen and other video production. The weekly 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel rolls in Studio C each Friday morning at 10AM.
The 12volt Chevy Studio had been prepped for 2020 and ready to hit the road for industry members.
As a New Year and New Decade begin we wish all a very fun-filled and prosperous 2020, and beyond, from the 12volt Central Studios.
ATLANTA, GA (12.31.2019) – Effective December 31, Aurigin Inc., the master distributor for Hybrid Audio Technologies in the USA, will step down as the domestic distributor of the Zapco brand of car audio products. ARPA (formerly ARPA of America), established in California in 1993, has previously held responsibility for the distribution of Zapco products and will bear that torch once again.
As the two companies go their separate ways, ARPA will be focusing on the Zapco brand and its dealers, and Aurigin will, according to Scott Buwalda, Founder and CEO, “focus on its core competency building exceptional speaker systems from entry-level to reference-level, while expanding its dealer sales network.”
Any currently authorized Zapco reseller will continue as a Zapco dealer with ARPA, and ARPA will immediately assume all responsibilities of sales, warranty, technical support, and other services. Enzo Biasella of ARPA stated “first we would like to thank the Aurigin team for supporting the US market while carrying the Zapco brand, and at the same time we would like to announce our distribution of Zapco and ESB brands in the domestic market by ARPA starting January 1, 2020. ARPA will intend to sell only high-end products to highly qualified retailers tailored for a demanding public.” Biasella continues “please join us and be a part of a new era; our most exciting days are ahead of us.”
Likewise, in the coming weeks, all former and current Hybrid Audio dealers will be contacted personally to discuss exciting new products for 2020, and aggressive sales programs.
ARPA will be hosting a meet-and-greet and product demonstration at Kingpin University on January 8-9, 2020, coinciding with the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the same week. For more information about the ARPA event to be held at Kingpin University, contact John Borges (john@zapco.com), or Elad Ben Shlush (elad@zapco.com).
Scott Buwalda of Aurigin / Hybrid Audio Technologies will be present at Kingpin University as well, and will be greeting Hybrid Audio Technologies dealers, domestic sales representatives, and international distributors, and those interested in becoming the same. To RSVP a spot to speak one-on-one with Scott Buwalda, RSVP to sbuwalda@hybrid-audio.com. To learn more about Hybrid Audio Technologies, now celebrating its fifteenth full year of operation, contact 1.833.AURIGIN or info@aurigin.us.
TORRANCE, CA (12.31.2019) – Rydeen Mobile Electronics has announced a new and unique 360-degree video rearview replacement mirror with built-in touch capable 10-inch HD monitor. Unlike other mirrors that can capture and record DVR video, the Rydeen Tombo360 DVR Mirror also houses a 360-degree 4K High Definition digital video camera. Tombo, which means “dragonfly” in Japanese, symbolizes the capability of All-Seeing-Vision. It provides a full view of both the inside and outside of the vehicle from the vantage point of the rearview mirror.
Rydeen will display the Tombo360 at International CES, January 7-10, 2020 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, Suite 2230.
The stunning 10-inch frameless mirror embeds a full-length touchscreen that controls and displays streaming 4K video. The single 360-degree camera streams and records video from all sides of the car. Users can then choose to display the front of the car, sides of the car and the rear seat, for monitoring passengers.
The mirror can also work with a backup camera with HD video quality.
Users can swipe left and right on the mirror to view the particular perspective they wish to see. They can also set the mirror to show split screen views of multiple angles (including left and right-side lanes or front view plus backseat). See quick video clip:
When the DVR mirror is off, it becomes a normal reflective mirror, however, the video recording can continue in the background.
What makes this product so unique is that the Tombo360 can show a 360-degree view simultaneously on all multiple view selections for complete viewing coverage. The Tombo360 mirror can also stream video from behind the car and automatically switch to a rear view when the car is in reverse.
In the future, Rydeen will add 4G/5G capability to the Tombo360, so that it becomes a “virtual technology hub” for any car, including older vehicles. With the optional wireless 4G/5G connection, parents can check on teen drivers in real time, viewing both the car cabin AND the surroundings of the car, or owners may view a parked car’s condition and surroundings at any time. If a car was damaged while parked overnight, the owner can view video footage of the incident directly from the mirror or on their smartphone or tablet from the cloud storage.
Rydeen Mobile Electronics CEO and Founder Phil Maeda said, “Even older vehicles can benefit from cutting edge technology with the Tombo360 mirror. This is the only automotive mirror of its kind that combines both streaming video and a 360-degree camera for views in and around the vehicle,” he continued, “The Tombo360 now becomes the base platform for adding future technology; not only 4G or 5G, but also facial recognition or unattended vehicle security.”
Unlike other 360-degree cameras that present a rounded, “fish-eye,” distorted image, the Tombo360 uses internal processing to flatten the image and present a bright, clear, and realistic view.
Our system uses a Sony Hi-Res CMOS sensor with advanced HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology, adjusting lighting conditions for clarity and perfect resolution in any situation. This is important when the outside lighting is bright and sunny, but the inside cabin lighting is darker. Rydeen has overcome this lighting challenge, which continues to plague most other systems.
Users may change the camera angle to face the front. Then the Tombo360 mirror can view the right and left views beyond the A-pillar of a vehicle to see the outside view without obstacles. It can automatically change the screen view for blind spot elimination. The mirror also automatically triggers the optional rear camera when the car is placed in reverse, offering a seamless system for all driving directions.
“This is the first generation of our platform, which will continue to incorporate industry leading technology,” added Maeda.
Rydeen will display the Tombo360 at International CES, January 7-10, 2020 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, Suite 2230.
Contact Rydeen at 310-787-7880 or sales@rydeenmoble.com to arrange a meeting or demonstration.
MIAMI GARDENS, FL (12.31.2019) – One of the things DS18 is well known for is their abundance of options for enthusiasts to choose from. The company has a plethora of speakers in every size to provide near unlimited solutions for every possible thought that may come to mind for your install.
The next evolution of their super tweeters is the very sleek PRO-TW920 which handles 150w RMS and 300w maximum power. These are the big brother of their very popular TW-82. These super tweeters are larger, louder, and handle more power.
These monster tweets safely play anything from 2000hz to 20khz to bring the full high range of concert venue sound to your vehicle of choice. They come in sleek black aluminum with black bullet centers with threaded mounting shafts. The shafts are threaded so you can have a flush tweeter or use the shaft to create a directional sound like a more traditional horn driver.
These tweeters come in 4-ohm DCR, have a neodymium magnet, and a sensitivity of 106DB. This correlates to a very loud tweeter on low power and can handle more power much more efficiently.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (12.30.2019) – Jackie Cooper Electronics utilized a 12 Days of Christmas social media campaign to connect with consumers during the last half of December.
Beginning on Monday, December 9th, a new 12 Days of Christmas graphic was created and posted each day that highlighted a new product offer. A gift certificate was featured for gift giving. A $100 gift certificate was actually worth $125 to the recipient.
A image with examples of the daily 12 Days of Christmas posts.
Jill Splitt, who handles the JCE social media posts, created and posted a new 12 Days of Christmas post each day of the campaign. Splitt stated “Our goal was to create visibility for the wide range of products we offer. The idea of the gift certificate was that the person receiving the gift certificate could choose their own gift. A $300 gift certificate was actually worth $375 to the recipient.”
Examples of 12 Days of Christmas posts.
Products featured in the posts included window tint, Alpine and Kenwood receivers, Viper alarm, JL Audio Stealth enclosure, Wet Sounds Tower Speakers, Backup Camera, Hood paint protection and Escort Radar Detector.
Posts like this grab followers’ attention while creating branding for JCE.
In a phone call to Jackie Cooper Electronics on Thursday, following Christmas, Jill stated “We have been so busy. December has been a very strong month. We feel the social media campaign, with the daily offers, did a lot to put our company’s name in front of consumers and create store traffic.”
Members of the JCE Team had some fun posting this image for Halloween.
Donnie Chaffin runs the day-to-day operations at JCE. The company, that offers a wide range of mobile electronics products plus commercial window tint, has been a leading 12volt retailer in the OKC area for over 5 decades. Jill Splitt is Donnie’s sister and a member of the very talented Team at JCE.
RINGWOOD, IL. (12.30.2019) – Race Sport Lighting will recognize their top performing dealers, distributors, and sales representatives at their Annual Meeting held on Monday, January 6th, during The CES Show in Las Vegas. Winners will be announced in the coming weeks leading up to CES.
Here are this year’s award categories:
Dealer of the Year
Rep Firm of the Year
Distributor of the Year
Tint World Dealer of the Year
MESA Dealer of the Year
The AAM Group Distributor of the Year
The meeting will also include a rep calibration training. This training will update the Race Sport Lighting sales force on industry trends and deep dive specifically into the lighting category. The training also will cover new technologies and tools Race Sport Lighting will be equipping their reps with in 2020 to continue to deliver valuable assistance to their dealers and distributing partners.
NEW PRODUCTS AT CES
Race Sport will also be releasing three new products at CES. Namely, their new “chasing” LED strips (RS5M5050IP68-C), mini LED spotlights (RS10WMP-S, RS10WMP-F, RS2LED3120), and 7 inch round headlight conversion with multi-color LED accents (RS7RGBBC).
CHATSWORTH, CA (12.30.2019) – CRUX has introduced the CSS-41 – a universal 4 channel video switcher made for front, rear, & side-view cameras for OEM & aftermarket infotainment systems.
UNIVERSAL COMPATIBILITY: The CRUX CSS-41 is designed to allow for universal compatibility with aftermarket & factory systems (OEM requires interface)
Key Features:
4 camera inputs
Automatic left and right turn signal triggering
Automatic backup to front camera switching
Includes an RF remote control for force viewing of the cameras
SHREVEPORT, LA (12.27.2019) – The 12volt Spin-to-Win Wheel was created to bring an element of fun to the 12volt industry. Just over a month ago we celebrated the first anniversary of the weekly 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel.
Spinning out a new winner each Friday a 12volt retailer can win a cool prize and top brands receive visibility across the marketplace.
James Halter, Stereo & Video Center in Tyler TX, shown with the CRUX gear he won when the 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel rolled for the first time in October 2018.
12volt brands with a space on the 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel include Kicker, Cadence, PowerBass, Sony, CRUX, Quantum, DS18, SoundStream, AIS, Hypnotic Audio, PPI, db Drive, JBL and Image Dynamics. SpellBrite, a manufacturer of in-store signage, also has a space. 12volt News $100. cash awards have spaces on the 12volt Spin-To-Wheel for a winning 12volt retailer.
The 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel rolls each Friday morning at 10AM in the 12volt Central Studios video suite.
Past winners of the 12volt Spin-To-Win include…Stereo & Video Center-Tyler TX, The Outlaw Garage-Franklin TN, Exotic Sounds-West Palm Beach FL, Endless Possibilities-Aurora IL., Go Auto Sound in Union City NJ, Al&Ed’s South Bay CA, No Limitz Car Audio in Upland CA, Neil’s Specialty-Eureka CA, Sturgess Customs-Lexington SC, Audio By Art-San Antonio TX, SMS Car Audio in Marreo LA and Sweet Wheelz in Mississauga Ontario Canada, Cartronics in Biscayne FL, The CarAudio Shop in St Louis MO, Exotic Sounds in West Palm Beach FL, High North Customs in Grand Prairie Alberta Canada and AMS Audio in Bakersfield CA, Team QRT in Abbeyville LA and California Sound in Fontana CA and Jackie Cooper Electronics, Oklahoma City OK, MARS Audio-Orlando FL, All American Audio in Nutley NJ, Proline Car Stereo in Brooklyn NY, Custom Shop Miami, Tunes and Tint in Lakeland FL, Mobile Concepts Inc in Mokena IL, Seismic Auto Sound in Concord CA, Brooklyn Car Audio in Brooklyn NY, Audio Solutions in Florence MS, Enhanced Customs in Largo FL, Rayco Auto Clinic, Audio Design in San Jose CA, Go Bass Mode in Florida, Avenue Sound in Freeport NY, Audio Plus in Riverview FL, Stereo Zone in Whittier CA, In-Phase Car Audio in Omaha NE, AutoLife Group, N&H Electronics, SK Customs, Land & Sea, The Audio One, NC Custom Shop,Tint World Orlando, Ricky Smith’s Audio, VIP Custom Woks, Mobile Audio Concepts, Audio Lad, Sound Sensations, Dave’s Stereo, Stereo Design and Badlands Customs. Congratulations to all.
Pete Muller, with a happy smile on his face, holds the Cadence subs in front of the display board in his Tint World Orlando Store.
Today let’s have some fun. The next spin of the 12volt Spin-to-Win Wheel is today, December 27th.
Want to enter for future spins? It’s easy – when making an Instagram post include the hashtag #12voltspin. A slip for your company will be added to the slips in the jar.
This collage shows happy 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel Winners with their prizes from SONY, db Drive, Directed and the 12volt News.
This collage shows winners with their products including Kicker, db Drive, SiriusXM, and Wet Sounds.
With 18 chances to WIN, the 12Volt Spin-To-Win Wheel is ready to shower a lucky weekly winner with one of the cool prizes.
A big 12volt News ’Thank You’ to our manufacturer partners participating in the 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel each week.
WTF…Win This Friday. THAT’S TODAY December 27th! The 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel rolls each Friday morning at 10 AM. When making your store’s posts to Instagram make sure to #12voltspin to make sure your store has a slip in the jar.
Stay tuned to 12voltnews.com on the web and @12voltnews on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for 12volt Spin-To-Win winner announcements every Friday!
12VoltNews.com 