Specialty Retail

Accent Sales & Marketing has been dedicated to marketing high quality products exclusively through Specialty Retailers from our inception in 1989.  This commitment to Specialty Retail was a key element of our first business plan and remains the foundation of our mission statement.

Experienced specialty retailers are invested in the product lines they sell.  They have inventory and access to the complete range of a manufacturer’s product, not a narrow selection.  The sales staff is likely to be experienced and well trained in the features, benefits and recommended uses of the products they choose to carry.  They can offer advice and suggestions based on personal experience.  The service staff has access to factory training and typically provides service directly to the customer.  Many Specialty Retailers are industry certified specialists.  If the initial price of a comparable product is a little higher, but includes these services, in our opinion the best value is provided by the Specialty Retailer.

In our experience, Specialty Retailers alone offer the in-depth product knowledge, service, and support-after-the-sale required by discriminating consumers.  Chain stores and box stores surely serve a valuable function in today’s retail landscape.  They have tremendous buying power and consequently they can offer attractive prices and a broad spectrum of products.  But price alone does not ensure the best value.  Too often the consumer finds a limited selection of a manufacturer’s product line, or look-alike knock off products.  The store staff typically has limited knowledge of the product, if any.  Service after the sale is generally referred back to the manufacturer, a remote service center, or limited to an offer to take the product back.

It has long been understood that the lowest price does not necessarily equate to good value.  Some things never change.  Consider the following quote from the Eighteenth Century: