Allsop Inc.
Over the last 50-plus years, Allsop Inc. has become known for doing exactly that, developing innovative and useful products that solve specific problems for consumers, like its ClickGO fitness series of mobile device mounts that can easily be transferred from a stroller or bike to a sport armband or sport belt. The company’s products can be found at major retailers around the world, and it also provides many of those retailers with private-label versions of its products.
Earlier this year, Allsop completed the acquisition of Digital Innovations, a leading provider of affordable consumer electronics care products including its Screen Doctor patented screen-cleaning solution. Allsop says the acquisition will be a major step forward for Allsop Inc. as well as Digital Innovations, and should help raise the profile of both brands in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Strong Competitor
Although Allsop Inc. isn’t the largest company in the consumer products sector, Allsop says its close-knit family atmosphere and quick decision-making put it in a position to out-maneuver its larger competitors. When the company’s leadership spots an opportunity in the marketplace, it is quick to jump on that opportunity and develop a product to fill that niche. “We’re a smaller, more nimble family business,” Allsop says.
The company’s ability to take fast advantage of opportunities has allowed Allsop Inc. to diversify into market segments such as home and garden and bicycle racks. Nevertheless, Allsop says the company has had to adjust to the current state of the industry, which is much more marketing-focused than in the past. It takes more than an innovative and useful product to be successful in the consumer products world today, and Allsop says the challenge Allsop Inc. faces is making sure its name and image are front-and-center for retailers and consumers.
“It isn’t necessarily about the product or the consumer benefit; it’s also about brand recognition,” Allsop explains. “As a smaller company, that’s always a challenge.”
Acquisition
Fortunately for Allsop Inc., to keep its brands strong it made a major step in the right direction with the acquisition of Digital Innovations in September. Allsop says the acquisition is a first for Allsop Inc., but it made sense for the company to make the move considering where Digital Innovations’ strengths have been. As a market leader in consumer electronic maintenance products, Digital Innovations complemented Allsop Inc.’s catalog well.
“Some of those products we had let go of over time, including the cleaning products. Their strengths in those categories, combined with their technologies compelled us to move forward with the acquisition.” Allsop says.
Along with how well the companies’ product lines fit together, Allsop says another major factor in Digital Innovations’ favor was how closely its culture and mentality aligned with Allsop Inc.’s. He says product lines such as Skip Doctor demonstrate Digital Innovations’ mentality of finding niches where it can fill a need with an innovative product. “They’ve carried that forward into this day,” Allsop says.
New Opportunities
Allsop is excited about the opportunities ahead. The acquisition will be mutually beneficial for both brands as Digital Innovations has accounts that Allsop Inc. has not worked with in the past, and vice versa. In addition, Allsop Inc.’s presence in the European market opens new doors for Digital Innovations’ products.
In addition, the company is working to expand its successful office ergonomic product offerings, with new and updated products to be launched in 2016. Allsop is equally excited about its expansion of Allsop Home and Garden including its proprietary solar garden lighting with its GLOW product lines.
Allsop Inc. plans to continue its agile and innovative culture by expanding into new product niches as it has for more than five decades.