Conferencing provider SoundConnect and retail consortium Retex have expanded their three-year-old partnership.

The move opens the retail vertical even further for SoundConnect channel partners, said Tom Sullivan, SoundConnect’s president. Agents and resellers “will have the opportunity to work … on best practices in the retail space as well as take advantage of marketing to new prospects,” he said.

To support that activity, SoundConnect and Retex have hired two people dedicated to working with retail customers. In addition, the organizations have developed new social media analytics for lead generation and qualification. Those will go live on June 1; further details were not available.

The SoundConnect alliance gives Retex members access to discounted and rebate-eligible audio, video and Web conferencing platforms. Retex was founded in 1992 to create buying power among members in need of communications, auditing, bill payment and transaction-processing services. Last year, the partnership contributed 6 percent to SoundConnect’s overall revenue, Sullivan said; for 2012, the company hopes to increase that figure to 15-20 percent.