As you can see, the Halloween buzz is in the air, and we at TopTen are anticipating this year’s turnout to be a great one for the wholesale and retail channels who prepare themselves for the unique market demand and conditions of these challenging times. Of course, the possibilities are not just limited to Halloween, but the following holiday events as well. Preparation is everything this time around as we draw ever closer to the end of 2009, and there are some great ways you can boost your holiday revenue — without breaking the bank — and by adding value to the message that you are broadcasting to your customers!

Take a look at the solutions on offer to the wholesaler and retailer as sales are slumping in some areas, and booming in others! Make the changes to your selling strategy before it becomes a problem… and capitalize upon the proactive approach to delivering the news about your products and services to customers, before you need to tell them as a last-minute reminder… or worse, a pleading call to shop with you…

Dollar store aficionados and budget-conscious buyers are becoming more commonplace amidst these strained financial times, as consumers are getting wise to the ways of bargain hunting. There’s no longer any shame in the game of locating the wholesale steals and deals, and it’s especially true for those times when customers want to go all-out this Halloween, and have a good time without crashing their budgets. This may be the season for tricks and treats, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to watch hard-earned dollars disappear right in front of them… like a ghost.

It’s called a zentai suit, and this one is

an example of the crazy concoctions you’ll

find coming out of China these days.

(photo milanoo.com)

Calgary, Canada — Sept. 11, 2009

Since being released in July of this year, the new Shopster Merchant Network is experiencing exponential growth, in terms of increasing numbers of online wholesale and retail sellers joining its ranks. In the first two months since its inception, the new Shopster Merchant Network has attracted over 8,000 registered users, and current estimates predict that it will host over 20,000 merchants by the end of the year!

The Shopster Merchant Network is only a part of the entire Shopster platform (which is free to join) and  it enables entrepreneurs to make money online. Shopster members sell products from other merchants or list their own products to be sold by Network merchants. It’s worth noting that Shopster is the first e-Commerce solution to come with a built-in sales force for its customers’ products, along with instant inventory for businesses to sell.

ASAP Show, where apparel and textile manufacturers showcase their contract manufacturing to buyers, wrapped up its 17th trade show in Las Vegas on September 2. ASAP’s Match Maker and Foreign Trade Sponsor services connected global ready-made garment manufacturers with North American buyers at the Las Vegas Venetian Marco Polo.

Between twice-a-year trade shows, ASAP offers Buying Trips — Trade Mission visits to evaluate factories in China, Bangladesh and Pakistan; Fashion International — an international brand licensing show; and IBMC China — an ASAP affiliate that opens international fashion franchises in China … leveraging brands, designs and marketing.

Here’s a quick scan of ASAP Show Las Vegas 2009 and ASAP global sourcing services. Below, see also

TopTen Wholesale.com and Manufacturer.com global product search and online advertising.

 ASAP SHOW Las Vegas is a one-stop marketplace for sourcing apparel overseas, featuring hundreds of global manufacturers of men’s, women’s, children’s apparel, textiles and leather.

With a total attendance of over 10,000 at the recent August 2009 Off-Price Specialist Show, and over 450 exhibitors showing off their best merchandise, there was an atmosphere of high-energy activity that resulted in the formation of intense, exciting, and fresh new buzz over the steals-and-deals in the Closeout and Off-price Industry. While many of the doomsday-types predicted a rapid cooling period for the Retail and Wholesale business that would lead to catastrophic results for anyone who dared to get involved in such a volatile and dangerous market… the people who make up the Wholesale and Retail sector know that the show must go on, and it’s really up to us to determine whether that show is going to be a comedy, a tragedy, or a gut-wrenching drama…

If you need further evidence of a market that is promoting successful returns for the ones who are coming up with new answers to the old questions, there’s actually more answers out there than there were just a few months ago. Let’s think about the leading wholesale distributors that are offering big benefits to retailers during these tough economic times. Some national online wholesalers are offering free shipping to all new customers, and helping small businesses that are looking for new and improved ways to dial-in their efficiency and crank up their competitiveness in the market. You might even be surprised to find out that top-quality apparel, handbags, and fashion accessories are being put up against the goods carried by larger department stores, at considerable savings! This new angle on the perceived value of branded goods is creating a huge opportunity for those who want to break into the market.