For some dealers, the thought of dipping their toes into the commercial market is shudder-inducing. They imagine layers of approvals, multiple stakeholders, and long timelines. For bigger corporate projects, this can certainly be true. However, when we start thinking about the industry-loved term “resimercial,” we’re really talking about light commercial. And there is no reason for that to send a chill down anyone’s spine.
As a manufacturer with a product portfolio that spans across residential and commercial, we see a variety of projects come across our order desk. Increasingly, we are seeing residential dealers take on projects for restaurants, bars, and even breweries. This is a growing market that is full of promise and one that can represent a significant addition to any company’s bottom line.
Residential dealers have transferable skills that can help them find success in this area. Let’s look at some important considerations and best practices for any company looking to add this line of business.
The Approach
Just like any other project, the discovery phase is key. Talk to the clients about what they want to do within their space. Just like homeowners, they may be surprised to hear of all the options available to them, from digital signage to audio distribution and much more. I recently worked with some friends to help them with their AV needs for their new brewery. One request from the team was to keep it easy to teach, learn, and use. They have different customers, events, and markets, so having the flexibility to accommodate these different situations seamlessly was top of mind for them.
It’s important to remember to build your quotes with maintenance and support in mind. Even when you spec commercial-grade products, they’re going to be heavily used with long hours and will have more people interacting with them on a regular basis compared to a home environment. Go in with eyes wide open and a quote that includes regular maintenance and support.
Setting the Foundation
Just like in a home environment, having a strong backbone of wiring is critical, as is wiring for future upgrades and to scale the system as needed. Across the AV industry, we are seeing a desire for flexible spaces. In homes, it’s that multi-use space that can flex from a family room to a home office. On the commercial side, it’s those huddle spaces.
We are seeing a similar trend in hospitality. Restaurants and bars want the ability to be nimble. Whether that’s having audio to host an open mic night or digital signage in their private event space to better attract corporate meetings, flexibility is key. Keep these needs in mind as you’re talking with clients and communicate the benefits of investing in their infrastructure.
Audio Considerations
It will be no surprise that resimercial spaces bring their own acoustical challenges. Unlike residential spaces, restaurants and bars are often larger, noisier, and have a lot of reflective surfaces. These factors can make it challenging to achieve optimal acoustics and ensure clear audio quality. For Vanco, Beale Street Audio products have been a particularly popular choice in these environments. Beale Street’s patented Sonic Vortex has been designed to eliminate sound bleed and ensure consistent sound production in any installation environment.
The Question of Video
Dealers who have already started to work in the resimercial market may have initially been brought in on the video side. For instance, maybe a local business needed someone to install its TVs in time for the next big game — but as we all know, it’s not that simple. Just as you need to account for maintenance for a system that is being used for long days, you will need to be prepared to explain to your customers why buying multiple big displays or a simple projector from the local box store isn’t the answer.
Jerry Shanar from Sixth Sense Solutions experienced this exact scenario when he worked with the owners of a sports bar on their AV system. “The owners of BarKada had a vision for a sports bar with great food and dynamic game-day atmosphere — they wanted to be a hub for football games and host UFC watch parties,” says Shanar. “The owners thought a projector system would fit the bill. When we came onto the project and looked around at the ambient lighting, the sightlines, and the 35 other direct view displays in the bar, we immediately realized that a projected image wouldn’t have the impact the owners desired. Instead, we were able to convince the owners that a full videowall with commercial video panels would be a better choice to optimize viewing and blend with the rest of the 35 TVs in the bar.”
Knowing that the bar needed to be able to distribute multiple sources across the area, Shanar turned to Vanco’s EVO-IP video matrix. “EVO-IP’s built-in functionality made it seamless for our team to accommodate new source needs: the GUI automatically detects new devices in the system,” Shanar shares. “Adding further functionality for our team and users, EVO-IP allows for customized labels and names of sources and displays, making the matrix straightforward to navigate.”
The owners of BarKada love the video matrix so much that they asked Sixth Sense to install a system in one of their other restaurants, which until that point was operating with a mess of HDMI cables and somewhere between seven and eight different HDMI splitters.
Find the Right Solutions, Pick the Right Partners
Adding resimercial to your business may necessitate new SKUs to be added to your product portfolio — but not always. Look for those products in your current wheelhouse that were built to flex between residential and commercial. Many manufacturers offer training to help get you up to speed on installing their products for different environments.
Residential dealers already possess the necessary skills and expertise to succeed in this area. By adapting their approach and leveraging their experience, they can add a significant new revenue stream to their businesses. Embracing the resimercial market allows dealers to expand their horizons, diversify their client base, and solidify their position in an ever-evolving industry.
As director of new product development at Vanco, Brandon White leads the design, engineering, and development of Vanco International’s four brands: Vanco, Evolution, Pulse Audio, and Beale Street Audio. Since joining the company in 2015, White has worked with the team to develop nearly 100 products and led product launches, including Pulse Audio, a line of indoor/outdoor wireless speakers, amplifier, and accessories. White has also been responsible for developing many unique products and patented technologies in Vanco’s vast AV accessory lines for both residential and commercial markets.
