Military Exchanges Connect Once Again for Virtual Electronics Expo
For the third year in a row, the Military Exchange Electronics Expo will be virtual. But what was uncharted territory in 2020 is now familiar waters, and changes are in store for next year.
“This should be our last virtual conference,” said Josh Samuels, Division Merchandise Manager for electronics. “We have already started planning an in-person event for next year.”
The expo, known as ME3, is an Exchange collaboration with the Navy Exchange Service Command, the Marine Corps Exchange and the Coast Guard Exchange. It began in 2019 as an in-person event, but the conference has been virtual since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020.
This year’s ME3, which will take place from Aug. 29 through Sept. 2, will be a lot like last year’s, with the exchanges presenting the seminar via Pheedloop, an online platform. More than 30 vendors, including Apple, Acer, HP, Samsung, LG and Sony, are participating.
“Everything is prerecorded,” Samuels said. “Associates will have an opportunity to watch each of the supplier-provided videos detailing their new products and tips on how to engage with customers. Associates will also have the ability to ask questions and share tips and tricks in the chat during the supplier presentations”
Although there are scheduled sessions for registered associates to watch the presentations, the prerecorded videos provide more flexibility for associates to view at their convenience. About 950 associates are expected to attend the presentations. After the expo, associates will be able to view the presentations via LEX.
Electronics are among the Exchange’s top sellers, and demand has been especially high during the COVID-19 pandemic as shoppers bought more computer equipment to set up home offices and to facilitate remote learning for their children.
“We also saw that since they couldn’t travel, customers were upgrading other items at home, such as furniture and TVs,” Samuels said. “Then in 2021, the government provided stimulus checks in an effort to keep the economy going. With more money in their pockets, people continued to upgrade their personal electronics, and demand continued to be strong.”
Samuels said that demand has softened some in 2022, but there is still strong interest in electronics.
“The biggest draws are Apple products, televisions and gaming, which has been a great category for us,” Samuels said. “A lot of our customers are in the 18-to-34 age demographic, where we typically find a higher propensity to buy gaming products. Our customers game pretty heavily in PC gaming and console gaming like Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.”
