Phase 1: Top 50 Retailers Award – Single & Multi-Store
Description: Identifies 50 retail businesses that best exemplify the characteristics of professionalism, service and expertise.
Qualification: A publicly accessible, licensed brick-and-mortar retailer that has a dedicated mobile electronics department with full sales, and installation services. The business must have been open for a minimum of two years, regardless of location, use a professional POS system and have a website or other online presence, such as a Facebook page, Instagram, or YouTube page. (Home-based business are not eligible for this award.)
Nomination Process:
Each applicant nominates their store. The nominee must also have a person who will “second”* the nomination. This person must be unrelated to the store and must also be an industry professional (working for an industry manufacturer, supplier, distributor, affiliate company, or a retail location not related to the applicant’s retail location. Customers, Family and non-professional enthusiasts are not eligible.)
*Seconding the Nomination: The person providing “the second” must answer the following three questions:
- How long has the retail owner been in the industry?
- How long have you known about this retailer?
- Why do you believe this retailer is qualified to be a nominee for Retailer of The Year?
Additional Nomination Process: We are introducing Blind nominations for the Installer of The Year award. The person submitting the blind nomination must be an industry professional (working for an industry manufacturer, supplier, distributor, affiliate company or retail location, including the owner of the retail store where the installer works or a fellow employee. Customers, non-professional enthusiast and family members are not eligible.) The person will need to answer the same three questions a “second” of a self-nomination would need to answer, listed below. We also ask that the person submitting the blind nomination commit to being on a call with an ME Industry Awards Committee Member, to inform the nominee and encourage their participation.
- How long has the retail owner been in the industry?
- How long have you known the about this retailer?
- Why do you believe this retailer is qualified to be a nominee for Retailer of The Year?
Video Submission: Applicants must create and submit a video with a maximum running time of 10 minutes. Nominations are uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo (public or private) and the links are sent to the mobile electronics staff.
The video need not be professionally produced, however, please speak loud and clear, and answer questions in the order they are listed. Make sure to answer the following:
- Company Name, basics of how long in business, number of locations, location type, number of employees
- Business philosophy / mission statement
- Biggest challenge you’ve overcome in the past year
- What makes your business unique
- Sales performance over the past three years / WHY (important to know the reasons for sales increases or decreases)
- Why your location or chain should be part of the Top 50 Retailers
- Video walk through – customer experience from parking lot to cash register
- Video walk through – employee areas
- Still shots of any required documents (does not count against the 10-minute limit)
Selection Process: Mobile Electronics staff and select judges will vote based on submitted materials to determine the Top 50 Retailers.
Award Process: Winners are announced via Mobile Electronics Magazine’s Hotwire newsletter, and listed in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Winners receive a signed certificate as well as digital versions of each and logos for marketing.
Phase 2: Top 12 Retailers Award
Description: Identifies 12 retail businesses that best exemplify the characteristics of professionalism, service and expertise.
Qualification: Must have been selected as one of the Top 50 Retailers in the same year.
Nomination Process: Video submissions from the Top 50 Retailers nominations are used as a basis for industry voting.
Selection Process: The highest vote-getters in single-store and chain categories comprise the Top 12, and are announced after all votes are verified and counted (sharing your video with others is a plus).
Award Process: Winners are announced via Mobile Electronics magazine’s Hotwire newsletter, and listed in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Winners receive a signed certificate as well as digital versions of each and logos for marketing.
Retailer Performance Awards Nomination and Selection Process
Qualification for Award: These awards will be selected from among the Top 12 Retailer of the Year submissions (alternates will be included). Retailer Performance Award categories and questions will be in the Retailer of The Year questionnaire, to be included with your Retailer of The Year video submission. This will help streamline the process for both the Retailer participating in the awards process, but also for those doing the judging. To accommodate this change, we are increasing the max time of the video submission from 10 minutes to up to 20 minutes.
Selection Process: Retailer of The Year video submissions will now be used as a basis for industry voting. The finalists for each performance award will be determined by the judges scoring from those Retailers that make it to the Top 12 (including alternates).
Award Process: The winners are announced at the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards gathering at KnowledgeFest Las Vegas. The winners will receive an award and certificate, as well as a digital certificate and logos for marketing.
Phase 3: Retailer of the Year Award
Description: Recognizes one retail location that best exemplifies the characteristics of professionalism, service and expertise, as voted by peers, staff and judges throughout the Industry Awards process.
Qualification: Must have been selected as one of the Top 12 Retailers in the same year.
Nomination Process: Nominees are required to submit materials for judging, via video and survey. (This is a different video than the previously submitted one. You will be emailed your new video instructions and the time when they are due.)
Selection Process: Mobile Electronics staff and select judges will vote based on submitted materials to determine the Retailer of the Year.
Award Process: The winners are announced at the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards. gathering at KnowledgeFest Las Vegas. The winner receives an award and certificate, as well as a digital certificate and logos for marketing.