by Ben Dwyer The Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA) is a group purchasing organization for consumer electronics retailers. A group of consumer electronics retailers founded it in 1996, and, as of September 2016, is the only member-owned cooperative buying group in the consumer electronics space. The group’s purpose has always been to give independent retailers in this field a stronger voice, which it does by increasing their purchasing power, serving as a forum for best practices, and increasing members’ market share.
This review is part of our directory of buying groups/group purchasing organizations.
Buying Group Name: HTSA
Industry/Specialty (if applicable): Consumer Electronics
Number of members: 65
Website: http://www.htsa.com/
How does this group work?
There isn’t any information on HTSA’s website about how members of the buying group make purchases (whether they buy directly from vendors or through HTSA) but there is a dealer locator on the group’s website. Additionally, members do receive discounts on merchandise, according to a client testimonial on the group’s Facebook page.
What is its focus?
The goal of HTSA is to enable its members to flourish in their respective area. It does that by giving its members greater purchasing power and offering a wide variety of services, including lead generation, marketing, merchandising, and training.
How does it work in terms of the purchasing process?
There’s no information on the website about the purchasing process and whether it contains consolidated shipping and billing or if that remains separate for each member business. To learn more, contact the organization directly.
How does the buying group choose vendors?
Unfortunately, the group also doesn’t discuss how it chooses its vendors. However, you can rest assured that there are over 80 vendors from which to purchase, including top names in the consumer electronics industry, such as Epson, LG, Samsung, and Sony.
How much does it cost to join?
No information about the cost of joining, let alone whether there’s a fee or not, is available on the website. There is some information about what you need to do in order to join the group, though. You need references from designers, architects, builders, or clients. Furthermore, you need what the website refers to as “partnerships” with real estate developers and electronics manufacturers to be considered for membership.
HTSA Buying Group Reviews
Reviews of HTSA are scattered throughout the website. There’s also a client testimonial on the group’s Facebook page.
Members praise HTSA for being a resource for knowledge sharing, for its lead generation efforts, its annual conferences, and its general efforts to help members boost their businesses and succeed in the marketplace.
If you’ve worked with HTSA and have experiences to share, let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear more about how HTSA benefitted your business, or hear about any difficulties you’ve had.
