Why This Partnership Matters

About BrandSource

BrandSource supports thousands of independent retailers across North America by providing buying power, merchandising strategy, and marketing programs that help local businesses compete with national chains and online-first brands.

As customer expectations shift toward instant, mobile communication, BrandSource continues to invest in tools that help members modernize how they sell—without sacrificing personal service.

BrandSource is a member-owned, non-profit organization, built with one purpose in mind: helping independent appliance, furniture, and home specialty retailers compete and thrive. Unlike traditional for-profit buying groups, BrandSource exists solely to serve its members—not shareholders.

Because BrandSource operates as a non-profit, profits are reinvested back into the organization to benefit members through stronger buying power, exclusive vendor programs, marketing support, education, and business tools. This structure ensures that every decision is made with members’ long-term success at the forefront, creating a collaborative community where independent retailers grow stronger together.

About AVB Marketing

AVB Marketing is BrandSource’s dedicated marketing partner, supporting members with digital strategy, websites, media, and customer engagement programs. AVB works directly with retailers to implement and activate new tools that improve performance across the customer journey.

About Chekkit

Chekkit is a unified communication platform that combines business texting, AI-assisted replies, website chat, calls, reviews, and follow-ups into a single inbox.

Retailers use Chekkit to turn conversations into conversions—and first-time buyers into repeat customers.

Texting Is Now the Default Way Customers Do Business

Customers no longer want to wait on hold or sift through email threads.

They want to send a quick text and get a clear, accurate response.

Texting:

• Is read almost instantly
• Feels natural and low-friction
• Drives faster decisions and higher close rates

This partnership helps BrandSource members make texting the front door of their business.

Where AI Makes Texting Scalable

Texting works best when responses are fast, accurate, and consistent—especially during peak sales periods.

Chekkit’s AI supports retail teams by:

• Instantly answering common questions
• Assisting with accurate, on-brand replies
• Routing conversations to the right team members
• Reducing response times without replacing human sales staff

The result: better service, less friction, and more closed deals.

What This Means for BrandSource Members

• Faster replies to inbound leads
• Higher conversion rates from web and marketing traffic
• Stronger post-purchase follow-up
• More repeat customers through ongoing text communication

All from one shared inbox built for retail teams.

From Chekkit

“Texting has become the default way customers want to communicate with businesses. AI is what makes that possible at scale. Partnering with BrandSource—and working closely with AVB Marketing—allows independent retailers to respond faster, sell smarter, and stay connected without adding overhead.”
— Daniel Fayle, Co-Founder, Chekkit

From AVB Marketing

“At AVB, we have a primary focus of helping independent retailers stay profitably in business. Text-to-chat and other key features Chekkit offers help our retailers reach their customers in unique ways. I firmly believe that for the price, features and support, there’s no better option.”
— Jon Cain, Business Development Specialist

Simple, Predictable Pricing

Modern communication should be easy to run and easy to justify.

Through this partnership, BrandSource members can access Chekkit for $99 per month, providing a flat, predictable way to manage customer conversations for their entire team.

This makes it easy for teams to adopt texting as a core part of their sales process without worrying about scaling costs as usage grows.

Getting Started

• BrandSource members receive preferred Chekkit pricing
• AVB Marketing supports rollout and activation
• Chekkit provides onboarding, AI-ready templates, and training

Retailers can adopt Chekkit alongside existing marketing and operations with minimal disruption.

Final Thought

Independent retailers win when conversations move fast and feel personal. Texting is now the default. AI makes it scalable.

Chekkit, BrandSource, and AVB Marketing are aligned in helping retailers modernize communication, increase sales, and build long-term customer relationships—one message at a time.