|
|
|
A REAL PLUS!
|
|
July 2005
A REAL PLUS! Prize Patrol
A REAL PLUS!
Redemption Supplier Offers Customized Goods to Operators
Nine years ago, Ron Hill set out to transform the redemption prize business. He created a plan, based on his experience, that not only challenged and improved prize quality but enhanced the ways that manufacturers and location owners satisfy one another's interests while keeping the patron happy, too. The result is Redemption Plus, a savvy and popular leader in redemption supply for the educational learning, fundraising, and family amusement industries.
“We set out to change the face quality of redemption prizes,” said Hill. “A lot of our competitors are doing the same now.”
Redemption Plus’ prizes come from a variety of categories, including crane/ merchandiser kits, balls, books, candy, vehicles, electronics/lights, games/crafts, accessories for girls, novelty items, and plush/beanbag items, among others. Each category offers an impressive selection of contemporary trends specific to consumer interests, from the last four Harry Potter books to some of the newest two-way radio models. These prizes aren't just for kids either. CD laser lens cleaners, DVD players, and even a programmable coffee maker are available for young adult and adult preferences.
“The flow of work really begins with the purchasing department,” Hill said, acknowledging the team who keeps a finger on the pulse of the toy industry. By tracking up-and-coming items and monitoring customer feedback, Redemption Plus is able to quickly acquire hot products, such as those affiliated with film and television, so that operators can obtain them at lower prices and then redeem them at higher values.
The team weighs quality, diversity, seasonal changes, and profitability to determine which must-have items are the
real deal and ideally suited for redemption.
The company's proven track record
at accomplishing this goal, while also maintaining a supply of staple favorites,
allows the purchasing team to consistently
acquire popular items and to keep expanding
their inventory.
The Redemption Plus website showcases
the entire prize line by category
with product information, images, and
ordering information, ensuring that businesses
are able to research, purchase, and
receive these game incentives through
convenient, cost-efficient means.
Moreover, operators are able to customize
items to their specific arcade or
family amusement center — an option
that constitutes one of Redemption Plus' most unique and singular attributes. Through customization
the company adds value to many of the items that come
through their facility.
“We're different in that we focus on making our customers
more efficient,” explained Hill regarding the dual
ability to supply customers with specialized advertising as
well as prizes. “We have the only customizable website. Inhouse,
we call it 'smile' after our slogan, 'Growing your
business one smile at the time.' It's the third version of our
website, and it allows customers to come in and shop,
whether they operate with ticket, token, or point systems,
or whatever formula they may use. A business can get a token,
for example, labeled with its name.”
One of the most fascinating custom features actually targets
players. Redemption Plus has set in motion an opportunity
for operators to use an offshoot service called PlanetPrize.
com, which has made player prize redemption a virtual
reality.
“We noticed a trend of people wanting gift certificates,”
Hill elaborates, “so we created this site so that we have a
selection of items that can be directly shipped to customers.
They can buy the PlanetPrize cards, and they can redeem
them for tickets.”
So if a location's prizes do not particularly inspire customer
redemption or if the desired prize is not available, the player can go online and secure a preferred
prize by redeeming the specified
number of PlanetPrize cards. Keeping
the business owner's name and interests
in mind, Redemption Plus can also customize
the look of the web page so it appears
that a user is accessing a particular
amusement center's site. This ability to
streamline the manufacturer/customer relationship,
while preserving and improving
upon the business name and operation
of an amusement center, is the gem
of Redemption Plus' offerings.
For traditionalists and those wanting a
quick and handy reference, the Redemption
Plus catalog is also published in
Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter editions,
showcasing many name brand, high value,
and low ticket items.
Redemption Plus has gone a step further
in providing specialized customer
solutions by developing strong partnerships
with other industry suppliers. Networking
with partners has allowed the
company to more fully accommodate
customer needs and requests whether or
not they have the desired item or service.
Brady Distributing, Ideal Software, and
Trainertainment are some of the partners
who share Redemption Plus' dedication
to developing customer solutions for
their operators. The company has also
partnered with the International Association
for the Leisure and Entertainment
Industry by hosting the association's
workshops throughout the year.
Hill's formula for providing profit-increasing
solutions to businesses has certainly
paid off. Today, the supplier services
between 1,500 and 2,000 companies
with 60% of sales going toward the
amusement industry and growing.
Located in Lenexa, Kan., a suburb of
Kansas City, Redemption Plus' home
base in the heartland comprises 26 employees,
a 32,000 square foot facility,
and an alternate facility for bulk service.
From this central location, the company
caters to the North American marketplace
and to a number of customers in
the Caribbean, especially in Puerto Rico.
“Customers and business tends to
consolidate on the coasts, but our most
significant growth is currently in the
southeast,” said Hill, who has recently
sent his sales team into South Carolina,
Georgia and Florida.
Hill also has an interesting vantage
point to watch the development of coinop
amusement. “The role of the family amusement center has come away from
the arcade. The majority of our clients
are not typically urban. I think most of
the industry growth is in city suburbs. A
lot of the more traditional arcades have
shut down like the arcade near where I
grew up. Here in Kansas City, there's a
lot of renovation downtown, so hopefully
some will be brought back.”
Redemption Plus will also undergo
significant changes in the near future.
The company is actively seeking a site
for their new headquarters with 60,000 to
100,000 square feet, and plans to relocate
within the next year.
As one would expect, working at a
major toy distributor is a lot of fun despite
the stress that creeps in. The company
is characterized by a family atmosphere
in which employees' children are
often seen around the office, including
Hill's two sons, a 4-year-old and a 2-
year-old.
“We try hard to do a lot of fun things
for our employees to make it a home-like
environment,” Hill said. “There are lots
of regular outings.”
Redemption Plus has been voted
“Best Customer Service” for 2001 and
2004 by IALEI and has been named the
47th fastest growing company in Kansas
City. |
|
|
|
