May 2024, Volume 2

MONTHLY POS REPORTS

March 2024 sent a mixed message as far as POS activity. March was the largest POS month since September of last year, which is a positive thing. However, March 2023 was actually 15 percent higher than this year’s March. The first quarter of 2024 was 5 percent better than the fourth quarter of last year, however 1st quarter of 2023 was 14 percent better than this year’s first quarter. This further substantiates our overall prediction for 2024 which is a very slight increase over year end 2023 POS, somewhere around 3 percent.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

> Last week Empowering Systems, Inc. and Repfabric announced they are joining forces. The companies have been developing software solutions for manufacturers and representatives for a combined 40 years. Read more.

> The U.S. government has announced new measures “to counter China’s unfair trade practices” with the tariff rate on semiconductors to increase from 25 to 50 percent by 2025. Read more.

> Samsung Electronics named a new head for its semiconductor business this week, as the firm strives to lead the AI chip race. Read more.

INDUSTRY TRENDS SURVEY

The May 2024 ERA Electronic Components Industry Trend Survey is now closed.

View results from April 2024!

Please note: ERA sends this survey monthly to one contact from each ERA member firm via email. Please be on the lookout for this survey in your email inbox. The email will come from no-reply@mail.client.edgewaterresearch.com. If you have questions about who the survey contact is for your organization, or would like to change this contact, please email Edgewater Research.

Help us make this survey a valuable resource for you and the rest of our members by taking 5 minutes to complete this each month. The results are visible only to ERA members and gives us a great cross-section of what our members see on the horizon for the near and long term.

VIEW SURVEY RESULTS

ERA NEWS

> Mark your calendars for the next ERA LIVE, taking place Tuesday, June 18, where Mark Wachtel, president, SJ Associates, and a panel of SJ Associates “Zillenials” (millenials + Gen Z) will give an overview on hiring Zillenials and effective practices in training and retaining these early career professionals.

As Millennials and Gen Z now make up 50 percent of the global workforce, creating a hiring strategy that acknowledges their potential and values their goals is key for businesses looking to achieve growth. It makes good business sense not only to take this large portion of the workforce seriously, but also to acknowledge that they will be essential in attracting customers in their peer group.

> Read the digital edition of the Summer 2024 Representor HERE!

ERA is now accepting reservations for ad space in the Summer 2024 issue of The Representor! Get your company’s message out to approximately 4,000 industry members. View rates and sizes, and reserve an ad today! Ad reservations are due by Friday, June 14.

Questions about advertising? Contact Clare Kluck, ERA Communications Director, at ckluck@era.org.

> Save the date! STEP 2024 — ERA’s live, virtual sales professionals training — will take place Sept. 24-26, 2024. Registration will open mid-June; stay tuned to ERA’s emails and social media channels for more information!

The fourth annual event, sponsored by TTI Family of Specialists, will once again feature nine 75-minute sessions hosted by industry executives or professional sales trainers. For past years’ STEP training archives, click HERE.