Beth's Best

Hello Autom customers! Have you ever wondered what it takes for us to develop our products at Autom?

My name is Beth and I work in the purchasing department here at Autom. My counterparts and I just returned from a purchasing trip that lasted several weeks and took us through a handful of countries looking for new items that will appeal to our Christian customers. On these trips we are faced with several choices and decisions on which products we would like to develop. Before we embark on these trips, we run through a typical thought process: What are the new trends? How can we change it so it works for our Christian customers? And how can we get the best quality for the best price?

A good example of this was the recent popularity with the silicone wristbands like the "Livestrong" bracelet from Lance Armstrong. We took the idea and through parallel marketing, we added phrases such as: Pray Hard, Forgiven, and Live for Jesus to the bands. They were an instant success! Based on the our past experience with the popular trends, our current focus is the explosion of the rubber band bracelets that are formed to resemble silhouette shapes, called "Silly Bandz." Due to our customer’s response from our past product offerings, we have artists that are currently working on Christian designs for these rubber band bracelets that we are going to offer in upcoming catalogues.  

We continue to shop for affordable church supplies. Whether its communion ware, banners, candles or apparel, like clergy shirts; we look for the very best materials, design, and quality at the very best price. This will never change. But my favorite part is stepping out of the traditional mold, looking for what is new and exciting, and thinking: How can we make this work for our Christian customers?

Another exciting aspect of our purchasing process is we must stay ahead of the trends and determine what the next exciting product is going to be. It takes us on average about 12 months from the initial development of a product, until they are available for purchase via our catalog or website.

We are given the opportunity to be innovative and traditional at the same time. And, giving a trendy item a Christian message just makes it that much better. Who could argue with the message “Live for Jesus” being worn on the wrist of their teenage son?