JuniperMarket, the B2B e-commerce platform from International Market Centers, opened last week ahead of IMC’s winter markets in Atlanta and Las Vegas.
JuniperMarket, developed for home décor, gift, furniture, gourmet housewares and apparel buyers and sellers, went live with more than 1,500 brands encompassing some 3 million SKUs signed to participate, according to IMC. Of the participating brands, 50% are in the home sector and 40% are in gift, according to IMC.
The Atlanta Market at AmericasMart is set for January 11-18, and the Las Vegas Market at World Market Center Las Vegas is set for January 23-27.
Juniper CEO Bill Furlong, said the launch of JuniperMarket “is a major step towards a digital marketplace that helps buyers and sellers discover, connect and transact – in person or online – seamlessly bridging physical and digital sales.”
IMC CEO Bob Maricich added, “In January 2020, we announced the investment to build Juniper, and since then – despite unprecedented business disruptions – the Juniper team has forged ahead, onboarding more than 220 staff members to build, test, market and optimize a tool that is truly built for the industry, by the industry. The launch of JuniperMarket is a major milestone in delivering additional market opportunity and value for IMC customers.”
New sellers and new products are added daily to JuniperMarket, according to IMC.
Juniper’s at-market activities in 2021 generated more than 26,000 pre-registered JuniperMarket users, with a direct pipeline to IMC’s 600,000-plus database of qualified retailers and sellers, according to IMC. Sales agencies are included as part of the JuniperMarket B2B marketplace. Sellers can assign buyers a representative to discuss merchandise selection and get assistance with payments, shipping and other logistics, according to IMC.
“We know from years of experience in wholesale, and from extensive research in our vertical industries, that relationships are the fuel for B2B commerce,” IMC’s Maricich said. “JuniperMarket is built to be inclusive to sales reps and truly additive and flexible for all.”
For buyers, the JuniperMarket platform includes including a single shopping cart split by brand; universal payment capabilities; access to JuniperCredit for Net 60 terms; shipping and tracking tools; and connections to sales representatives. Product discovery is enabled by brand, product and keyword searches.
As with in-person markets, sellers have the choice to qualify JuniperMarket buyers and set buyer-specific wholesale pricing. JuniperCredit allows brands to offer Net 60 terms and receive payment in as few as two days. JuniperCredit offers buyers credit limits up to $250,000 (after an approval process) that can be used across multiple vendors to simplify credit management.
JuniperMarket also integrates with IMC’s JuniperCommerce suite of tools for sales automation and commerce, including B2B website creation; sharing and syndicating product data; supporting sales representatives; and managing leads and customers.
