While it has been around for over a century, within the industrial supply sector, vending technology has been one of the fastest growing markets in about the last half-decade to help improve inventory management.

The internet is replete with examples of how to leverage Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to improve the sales of your business. However, a popular social media platform which is too often ignored is Instagram.

Granted, working with a format which primarily promotes products and brands using pictures can seem challenging at first, particularly depending on your industry, but when done correctly, a well-curated Instagram page can be a phenomenal brand awareness and sales generation platform.

A CRM is not just “another software installation.” It is a powerful engine that should be the front-facing tool for Management, Inside/Outside Sales staff, Engineering, Marketing, and Customer Service. Focusing on the “front-end” processes and user adoption can and will help with the CRM’s return on investment. It should NOT be used as a micromanagement tool or feel like a “big brother.” When implemented correctly, the system will run smoothly and give a company a competitive edge.

The benefits of marketing automation in the B2B space are impossible to deny nowadays. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’re sure to have at least heard of it. If you’re serious about taking your business to the next level, marketing automation adoption may just be the best strategic move you could make this year. More than half* of B2B Fortune 500 companies have started using marketing automation. The biggest businesses in the world clearly see the immense gains that can be made by automating their marketing efforts. To understand more, let’s consider the advantages of marketing automation.

"Warehouse management and logistics face tremendous challenges due to the consistently growing e-commerce sector. Whereas brick-and-mortar store logistics are subject to general regulations (most notably due to business hours), online retailers experience almost no limits when it comes to time and quantities. This is why warehouse logistics has to be flexible as it pertains to time and the capacity to store a wide range of products. It requires space-saving storage options and most notably adequate manpower to process these orders."

In the past, warehouse operations were highly dependent on dozens of trained employees operating expensive loading and shipping equipment. Compared to the modern era, the 20^th-century warehouse industry work was error-prone, relatively expensive, and labor intensive.

What's more, anticipated technological developments in the industry are prone to drastically increase warehouse operation productivity and reduce costs in myriad ways.

E-commerce can bring tremendous benefits to companies today. It levels the playing field between larger and smaller businesses because the cost of maintaining and marketing an e-commerce website has a lower barrier to entry. Additionally, by having an e-commerce website that remains visible twenty-four hours a day, we’re better able to serve our customer base.

Thank you for exploring our new site! 

You play an important role as our partner, and we’re so grateful that you choose to do business with us. In addition to your purchase, we want you to be completely satisfied with your experience, so that’s why we’re proud to announce the new & improved austinhardware.com! Our streamlined user interface provides a more interactive experience allowing you to easily find the information you’re looking for. You can now purchase online, browse products, learn about our services, & much more.

In your business, you have a multitude of buy-sell relationships. Wouldn’t having a partner be more efficient and beneficial? With a Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) program, you can have just that! Aside from having a close relationship with your supplier, there are a variety of benefits to utilizing a VMI program such as cost savings, forecasting, inventory management and more.

Did you know that Austin Hardware and Supply, Inc. carries the Scorpion line of Protective Coatings that can be used to line truck beds and other surfaces?

Scorpion XO2 is a chemically engineered product that uses the best characteristics of polyurethane. This gives Scorpion incredible strength and when combined with their patented acrylic blend, adds ease of application and UV stability. The best part of the Scorpion System is that all coatings are applied with minimal, cost-effective equipment. Scorpion is a batch mix system, which allows the applicator to infinitely adjust critical factors such as dry time, texture, and color. Batch mixing also allows the applicator to introduce a number of granular additives for various effects.