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This month's issue features an exhibitors' list and a preview of products we can expect to see at the upcoming International Window Coverings Expo in Baltimore, MD (beginning on page 58). Many new or enhanced products and services are being introduced this year. What stands out most are companies that have accepted and embraced new technology and have incorporated it into their newest offerings.
For years, it seemed most companies would introduce updated products or new SKUs on their existing lines. You could always count on one or two leading companies to bring out really new, revolutionary products and the others to follow the next year. But this year, there is a new surge among companies introducing revolutionary software and products that will change the way retailers are accustomed to doing business. Small and large suppliers are developing new software to better service and communicate with you, their customers, via the Internet. Soon you will be able to place orders, check on your order's status on the production line, pay for orders, receive leads and view your suppliers' entire catalogs online without having to wait on hold for someone in Customer Service.
Draperies & Window Coverings recognizes these shifts in the marketplace and has identified the need for retailers to follow suite, to get their own names out there on the Internet. With BuyWindowCoverings.com retailers can do just that and more. In the past six months BuyWindowCoverings.com has developed into the most significant site for consumers to search for a local retailer or designer and view hundreds of products available on the market. In Baltimore, you will have the opportunity to walk through the BuyWindowCoverings.com Web site and sign up for membership at D&WC's Internet Café right on the show floor (booth 1555). You may even be able to take advantage of a show special or two while you are there. Many of your suppliers are sponsoring the café and invite you to come have a cup of coffee and visit their sites live online.
Change is always evolutionary. Draperies & Window Coverings invites you to see where our industry is headed—through the pages of the magazine and at the Internet Café.
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