Now is not the time to be without a job. Sadly, rising unemployment is a reality and almost no sector is immune, including the custom installation market. Installers who have lost their jobs are scrambling to find new ones, while others are looking to take on more work. Realizing its dealer customers were hurting, Universal Remote Control (URC) boldly took some benevolent action and now plays host to an online installer job market.

A new showroom for L&M Home Entertainment attracts higher wealth clientele. There was a time when some dealers, who concentrated on only installation and did not run a retail business, didn't bother having a showroom. They were getting enough work and, besides, operating a showroom space can be expensive. But more and more dealers are realizing that a showroom is an essential marketing tool for the business, because nothing sells custom installation like an actual experience.

Showing off their high-end sensibilities, Goldmund USA hosted a luxury home theater seminar for New York area designers and architects. The company created a temporary media room at Iliad Antik, an art gallery in Manhattan.

While word-of-mouth marketing may still be the number one form of getting more business for independent dealers, there is still something to be said for direct mail marketing whether it be electronic or the old fashioned way, via mail. But retailers are finding that casting a wide net isn’t always the best way to catch a customer, so they are tuning to companies like Revenew Systems to help them target their messages more effectively.

The downturn is causing a lot of conventional wisdom to fly out the window. A big axiom to change gears has been the idea that affluent consumers are not affected by economic cycles as much as others and therefore still spend. Not this time around; the rich are cutting back, too. But that doesn't mean there isn't money moving around, it's just taking some different paths. Retailers need to pay attention.

 “An excellent showroom environment is like a very good piece of theater,” says Aaron Gutin, showroom manager for DSI Entertainment Systems. “You’re captivated from the moment it starts and it leaves you feeling energized, interested, and excited. Hopefully, you want to come back for more.” This idea is a core concept behind how Gutin and DSI run the company’s showroom in West Hollywood, California, but there is much more going on as to what makes this location special.

Luxury is all about lifestyle. Yet, when it comes to showing off the lifestyle aspects of electronics, the consumer technology industry sometimes gets it, and at other times does not. So it helps when people outside the industry step in to lend a hand. Recently, style-guru and television personality Robert Verdi opened the doors to his Luxe Laboratory, a stylish showroom and event venue that is helping to promote brands that wish to capture high-end appeal.

Many Americans say they would like to be more environmentally responsible. Yet, living such a lifestyle can be harder than it looks. Our status as one of the wealthiest countries in the world means we simply consume a lot of resources, as well as products that require energy to create, and take up space when we throw them away. We’re also at the mercy of companies who make or sell these products and how green they are. Lately, some, even on the high-end have been, like Sak’s 5th Avenue.