IMC Launches Digital Innovation Division

International Market Centers (IMC), operator of the AmericasMart Atlanta and Las Vegas Market, among others, has launched a new B2B e-commerce division called IMC_di, short for IMC Digital Innovations, which will offer vendors an integrated platform to reach new buyers, capture leads and grow sales.

“IMC_di’s customer-centric digital tools will connect physical and digital markets and will amplify the B2B and person-to-person experiences that make our markets so special,” says Robert Maricich, CEO of IMC. “This new digital platform will enhance and extend IMC’s physical markets—connecting hundreds of thousands of buyers and sellers and will open new business opportunities for customers.”

To create this new division, IMC acquired two technology companies focused on the gift, home furnishings and apparel industries: Pharos, formerly a division of Whereoware, and RepZio. Pharos is an integrated sales, marketing and commissioning software made for the gift and home furnishings industry. RepZio is a patented B2B sales solution and digital marketplace enabling wholesale vendors and buyers to connect.

As for how this will impact sales reps, Maricich believes it’s only going to make their jobs easier. “We’re not looking to obliviate reps,” he says. “Customers value their relationships with reps, and we want to enhance that relationship.”

In addition to supplier and buyer benefits, the new division’s products will bridge physical and digital sales and work in harmony with multi-line sales agencies. The new team includes engineers, seasoned developers and software marketers. Within the next 12 months, the team is slated to hire 50 to 75 additional full-time employees with an emphasis on solution-based product development, hands-on customer success and on boarding and user experience.