A long time ago, it was pretty easy to get noticed on the Internet. All you had to do was put a few lines of code on your web site’s home page meta tags, and let the search engines do the rest for you. Now it’s a whole different story, and there are more new ways being generated every day… as old ones are phased out almost as quickly. Is it even worth it? Of course, letting toptenwholesale.com and its network of sites manufacturer.com, wholesaleu.com, offpricenetwork.com help buyers to connect directly with the wholesaler or manufacturer of choice is an easy option, but there’s a few things you can do for yourself too. I’m going to give you a few ideas that don’t require a degree in Computer Science to implement, that will perhaps help you gain visibility in a sea that is awash in technological mysteries.

Let’s take spiders, for instance. Spiders are not always a welcome sight, but in the world of Internet marketing they are indispensable. These “spiders” are the little pieces of code that is often referred to as a bot, or a software agent. Sounds like I’ve been watching the MATRIX too many times, eh? The job of the web spider is to crawl around and find information. This can be a simple one-line affair, or more usually a complex set of variables and instructions that are designed to work within the parameters of an environment that is constantly being modified, upgraded, and sometimes corrupted. It also takes a bit of know-how to craft one of these little bots, and to send it off on its way, without wasting your valuable time… or returning with nothing useful.

You don’t need to write code. You don’t even need to know much more than the usual routine of checking email, browsing sites, or using an online form. Some of the best things you can do to drive traffic to your site is to simplify your strategy, focus on the goals, and follow through consistently. If you’ve spent any time doing sales (which I suspect many of you have) then you know all about the 30-second commercial, the value of organizational skills, and the power of relationships. Here then, is a TopTen list of things you should consider when looking at the real basic methods for driving traffic to your site:

• Branding is not just coming up with a cute logo and a clever name, but it means you should design a look and feel for your site as well. Choose a color and style that you like, and stick with it. Tie it all together through your online presence, printed materials, and promotional goodies. Bring the virtual and physical together on your terms, and people will come to associate these subtle themes with your business.

• Make sure the customer can trust you. Build policies into your business that don’t confuse consumers or leave them with a bad taste in their mouths… and remember to look at everything you do from their perspective first.

• Be creative with the added values on your site. Offer things that the customer will appreciate, like industry related links, recommended reading, or just galleries of fun pictures from the latest trade show or wholesaler event. These things don’t cost you much, and they will add to the time your customer spends on your site… as well as adding to the usefulness of it, too.

• Include the ability to recommend your site to others. This can be as simple as putting a button on your page that lets the user submit an email or subscribe to a newsletter.

• Pay attention to the changes. Google is pretty good about keeping a cap on things, and that means you should keep your site up to spec, in order to avoid getting penalized for putting one line too many in your header text, or making a meta tag that upsets some part of the analytics. Keyword placement can be an issue too, so find out what you need to know, and keep looking it up to stay ahead of the curve.

• Advertise your site when it launches, and keep in touch with anyone who comments on it. Word of mouth is still a great way to generate leads and sales, so make sure you’re staying in front of people by reminding them about your site and services.

• Create a piece of material – like an article or news piece – that is targeted specifically to your customer… and then put it on your site! Give it to them, because they won’t be asking for it. Also, it would help if you made an effort to pass it around, by offering it to readers with reprint permission. This is a great way to find your work in some unexpected places.

• Use your web address for everything! Put it on your business cards, printed literature, T-shirts… everything and everywhere is best. Don’t be shy about it, since directing eyes to your site is numero uno in this game.

• Join other sites that have chat rooms and discussion boards, in order to become more familiar to those in the business. It might take some time and effort, but you’ll end up becoming well-known in some circles, even if they’ve never met you! Of course a signature line with your company’s site address is a good idea… and try not to be too assertive with the self-promotion. Moderators on discussion forums love to zap anyone who comes around just to cheer about their own business without leaving anything useful for the other members to discuss.

• This one sounds silly, but… visit your own site regularly, and check the links to make sure they’re okay. You’d be surprised how mahy dead links and error pages come up as your site grows and changes, and this is not the message you want to send out to those customers who have no time for figuring out why they got a 404 error when they just wanted to see your online catalog.

As you can see, there is a lot you can do without getting too technical, or without having to jump onto viral campaigns to boost your site’s visibility. For more specific and targeted strategies, be sure to contact the people at toptenwholesale.com for information on how you can use the power of heavy-hitting SEO to bring your site to the forefront. There’s a lot you can do, but the only thing you want your customers to do is Find it. Source it. Profit! From you, that is.

Plenty of information. As someone wisely pointed out to me once upon a time: “Everything you put on the Internet exists somewhere, even if you don’t see it anymore.” Scary stuff indeed.

To put it simply, much of it can used to drive your sales in the right direction, if you know the answers to the five ‘W’ questions, and us them to track your website performance…

• Who is checking out your site right now? Who visits most often, and browses the contents of your online catalogs, but never buys? Don’t you want to know which customers are using your FAQ page, then heading straight into the order form? This kind of information can help you better service the people that are currently working with your site… and tailor the rest of it to suit the ones that seem interested, but not fully compelled to follow through.

• What are visitors looking at, anyway? Do you really know which parts of your site get the most traffic, and which components are getting the most clicks?

• Where does your site show up on the Internet, anyway? You might be surprised to see some blogs and other sites that have linked your site in reference to a story, article, or random post. On top of that, you’ll probably find a few reasons to work out a deal with some sites that you’d love to have a link posted on, which will direct traffic back to your site very easily.

• When do visitors frequent your site? Are there particular times of the day, month, or even year that seem to get the most activity? This goes beyond the simple logic of holiday season peak traffic, but maybe there are some connections to other events on the calendar that tie in very nicely with your site’s offerings. Once you’ve identified these trends, it could be easier to position yourself for some higher visibility during the times that count most.

• Why are consumers even looking at your site, anyway? True, you’ve spent some money and worked out some deals with partners and affiliates to promote your property, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg… consumer buying habits can be tricky to nail down, and chasing down the answer to the ever-elusive why can put you in the lead. It may also expose some flaws in your system, and help you to answer the other logical question: why not?

One major thing to consider is the rise of the vertical search market on the Internet. Companies like our very own Toptenwholesale.com specialize in narrowing the spectrum of search, to give seekers of industry-specific information the tools they need to find more relevant results with fewer clicks. While search giants like Google are doing an amazing job of bringing information to everyone, they almost do it too well, and a simple search for a text query will turn up thousands of results. Who’s got that kind of time? Fewer clicks - in terms of buyers looking for sources - means the difference between somebody choosing you… or your competition! It also means that you’ll get answers to questions that are heavy on the wholesale, and lighter on the other stuff that doesn’t apply to your business. All of this will work towards your goal to Find it. Source it. Profit!

I’m going to assume that you already know the basics of SEO… in fact, you’re probably implementing a number of advanced schemes already, as the holiday season approaches and makes those elusive clicks even more important than they are at just about any other time of year. However, there are a few things you could do to make your site a little more SEO-friendly, to direct that crucial traffic where you want it to land. Here’s a TopTen list of SEO ideas that will help you to clean up and streamline your site, just in time for the fearsome 2009 holiday season:

• Time to reorganize, and get the place ready for party-time… after all, don’t you clean up and straighten out your home whenever you plan to entertain guests? Your site is an extension of your space, and whether it’s real or virtual… it’s got to have a new look for the occasion. On top of that, customers have different shopping habits right now than they do at any other time of the year. Liven up your site, and make it reflect the good times! This doesn’t mean you have to scrap your existing page code, but maybe just hook it up with keyword-rich anchor text over additional links that will pass page-rank to your most popular holiday categories and products. In addition, you can take measures to cut out the excess links by putting a link on your home page that sends visitors where they need to be, in one click instead of three or four.

• Crank up the PPC… sounds like some kind of futuristic weapon from a sci-fi movie, doesn’t it? Pay-per-click advertising is good for advertisers who pay their host only when their ad is clicked… and even better for the rankings! This is crunch time, and there isn’t a lot of wiggle room on the calendar for companies who haven’t figured out that increasing your PPC adverts will also produce more traffic to your site. Customers will be clicking whether you put up an ad or not, so why not increase the chance that they’ll be directed to your site? Check out TopTenwholesale.com for  PPC Ad opportunities.

• Offer additional information that is useful and fun… a highly effective technique is to write an article or blog post on a specific product or service, because straight content ranks well in search engines and, as you probably know, content is everything for SEO. Get started and post a blog or comment on TopTenWholesale.com community blog.

• Banner ads are good… sounds too simple to be included in this list, but it’s amazing how many companies forget this one. Back in the day, it used to be quite typical for magazine and newspaper adverts to skyrocket during the holiday season… now it’s the online version that’s getting all the attention. Put yourself in front of the customer by getting a banner ad out there. Toptenwholesale.com has a wide range of online banner ads that will get you in front of targeted buyer groups ready to purchase.

• Meta tags and updates are small, but powerful… make sure that the most important key words you are targeting are listed in the beginning of the meta title! Since your title tags are probably structured by category, make sure they are ordered in importance. Since you’re promoting holiday goods and prices, don’t forget to dial-in your meta descriptions so that customers will quickly recognize the keywords they’re looking for. As the clock runs out, frantic shoppers will only be looking for the search responses that speak directly to them. Everything else is just noise.

• Keep it simple… because quite frankly, the law of averages don’t care if your site is amazing… or a lifeless pile of HTML. Most of the clicks you actually do get will not lead to anything substantial, and that’s a fact. A good rule of thumb is to keep 80% of your link authority (page-rank) coming from 20% of your back links, which means that you should focus on building more of those strategic links that deliver more of your link authority. This is definitely not the time to try something big and crazy, but rather a time to use what already works… find the sites that have a nice stream of traffic, and see if you can’t get some of your content posted up there, for a mere link to your site as the payback. Bartering can be good for both of you, and it will crank up your traffic if you make friends with a high-ranking site!

• Clean the place up… especially if you haven’t been doing it all year. Dead links, bad graphics files, and other detritus from the past can cause link splits and dead-end search results that don’t help you in the least. Simply cleaning up your internal linking structure can result in a higher ranking.

• Don’t fear the audit… unless it’s the IRS at your front door! Seriously though, this is a good time to think about doing an overall assessment of your site’s ups and downs, and a time to take inventory of what is being used, and what’s not so useful anymore. Some sites are possibly under the annual code freeze right now, but you can still  check basics like your customer contact form, live chat/customer service scripts, or other mechanisms that are in place. Go over the last few months of log files and site analytics, especially to turn up any 404 errors and other missing files.

• It’s better to give than to receive… gifts, that is. Create some pages on your site that will promote the word “free” to your visitors… since everybody loves free stuff, right? This will be a tremendous boot to your page rankings, as long as you’re promoting the freebies actively.

• Don’t forget the real world… If you live and breathe SEO, offline may be the furthest thing from your mind. Of course, there are other angles to the offline world. Hopefully you have the basic fundamentals covered, like making sure that your web address appears in all your mailings, advertisements, and anywhere else you may be marketing offline. If you have brick-and-mortar locations, it doesn’t hurt to remind people that you also have a website. Don’t forget that many of the traditional offline entities now have online presences themselves. TV news, radio stations, and newspaper reporters are often looking for interesting holiday stories, from the “most unusual” gift ideas to how to entertain for the holidays. Come up with an interesting story idea and you may not only get valuable airtime or print mention, but a link from their site to yours. Separate out, into “buckets,” those purchases that happened offline (e.g. phone orders) but that resulted from online marketing (i.e. were generated from natural search, from paid search, from print, etc.). You could even go more granular, beyond the referral source, and associate actual keywords (search terms) with these referral sources.

Sounds like a lot of stuff to do? Well, it is. Let the SEO experts at Toptenwholesale.com help you out with some of that tedious computer geek stuff, while you spend your time on any of the other hundreds of tasks that require your attention! Contact us by email for details at sales@toptenwholesale.com, and we’ll give you the straight answers to making your company’s SEO goals a reality. After all, we’re already helping thousands to Find it. Source it. Profit!

So… who do I get my products from?

It’s a serious question. Assuming you’ve already found a product, or maybe a range of products that seem to be in demand… a viable market that expresses demand for the product… and as long as the product isn’t currently flooding the market (unless you thrive on the thrill of high-pressure competition), you will need to find a source. On top of that, you’ll need to find one that isn’t going to leave you high and dry when you need support later on.

There’s a lot of different kinds of suppliers out there, and you might want to start with these top categories:

• Dealing with distributors could be the way to go for a lot of choices right upfront, or if you want to eliminate the guesswork of having to put complimentary sets of items together by yourself. It could also come in handy if you don’t fancy doing the paperwork and technical stuff that might need to be done to tie the whole order together when dealing directly with a manufacturer. This way of sourcing goods will probably cost you more, but it might save you a lot of time and aggravation in the long run.

• Discount sellers and liquidators can lead to big savings. This means you’ll have to be pretty flexible, too… since you won’t always be assured of being able to fill repeat orders for something that was an awesome steal last week, and has quickly dried up this week.

• Importers are bringing the goods from far away right to your front door. If you are trying to get goods from another country, this is where you’ll need to look. Luckily, there are some rather firm rules regarding the processes involved in import and export… but it’s all going to be smooth ride or a bumpy one, depending on who the importer is. Larger importers are not as flexible as smaller ones, but tend to be a safer bet. Small companies can give you exactly what you were looking for, but might have their hands tied by some sudden political instabilities or policy changes that they have no power over. I’ve seen this happen a number of times with associates of mine here in China, and it’s a reality you should be prepared to face.

• Distributors are great… but maybe drop shippers are better for you. In the case of large or heavy items, it makes a lot of sense to shave off as much of the overall shipping price as possible, both for logistical and price cutting purposes. This can save you from having to coordinate the transport of goods from the source, to you, then to your customers. It will also save the customer some money too, which makes you a lot more attractive as a seller when your competition seems to always have a higher price point for the same merchandise you carry.

• Go straight to the source… the manufacturers. This is the best route to take when you are hitting high quantity numbers per order. It also leaves you in a position where you are dealing with fewer parties, and this could simplify things considerably. On the other hand, many manufacturers are great at producing the goods you desire… but awful at customer service, after-sales service, and even simple stuff like accounting or invoicing. This could be a problem if you aren’t willing to take ownership of the situation, and handle as much as you can for yourself.

What are you waiting for? Get online and start looking for these sources! Of course I would recommend that you take a little time to browse the numerous categories of Toptenwholesale.com and Manufacturer.com to see some great examples of global manufacturers and distributors who have made the cut, and investigate the ones who have become part of our search results pages. One of the biggest advantages to using a wholesale-specific search engine like this one is the simple fact that your search results are all going to be relevant to the business of manufacturers, wholesale, and retail… instead of returning hits that are coming from popular celebrity gossip headlines and YouTube feeds. You want information that has been put together using the leading wholesale directories and search engines connecting thousands of buyers and sellers daily. These B2B directories and platforms were designed to connect buyers  directly with domestic and international wholesalers and manufactures. There are over 100 different product categories to search from including: general merchandise, apparel, accessories, gifts, electronics, handbags, jewelry, toys, and more. Toptenwholesale.com and its network of sites (manufacturer.com, wholesaleu.com, offpricenetwork.com) help buyers to connect directly with the wholesaler or manufacturer of choice, because the Internet is frustrating enough with 80% of content being spam-related… so do yourself a favor and use the tools that will streamline your search! Of course, there is a lot of traditional media you can subscribe to a well, and trade magazines and newsletters are readily available if you like to have something more tangible to read. Making the voyage out to major shows like the huge Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China could offer you a tremendous advantage too.

Be wary, though… there’s a lot of fake stuff in circulation, and after living in China for the past three years, I’m never surprised anymore when I see something new that turns up, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. Doing your research is paramount to protecting yourself, and there are many ways to find out if a business is legit or not. Visit the website, and take a few minutes to move around within it. If it doesn’t seem to be a worthwhile investment of your time, walk away. This extends beyond simply sniffing out the scammers; it’s also a good indicator of which companies have their acts together… or which ones will be a challenge in terms of simple communication, or basic ideologies behind doing business with them. Make sure you do your homework once you find a possible partner. Taking the time to read through policies regarding returns, damages, backorders, and other essential parts of the company’s customer service plan will save you some headaches later. If you notice that the company has a contact number or PO box… instead of a physical location that you can visit… this is a huge indicator of something shady. Of course, nothing substitutes for calling the supplier directly and asking a few questions. If in doubt, you can also take a shot at checking the business out through the Better Business Bureau, Hoover’s Online, or any other background investigation agency.

Finally, besides getting everything squared away in terms of setting up your company and getting a business license and tax ID number… you need to establish payment terms with your new source. Sometimes they are easy to work with, and sometimes you will feel like you need to get certified as a CPA to understand the paperwork. In either case, remember that many of these suppliers will allow you to apply for credit, or set up payment terms that work for you. If you need to know more, try contacting us at Toptenwholesale.com for the answers! Find it. Source it. Profit!

It looks like the ones who research the trends and the global news are going to win. Fortunately for the number-crunchers, there are a variety of resources available for those who want to sink their teeth into the dizzying piles of numbers and spreads that break down consumer spending patterns, regional areas of distinction, and pretty much anything else that you can think of… but how do you filter out all the noise, and find the resources that make sense to you? What’s being offered by manufacturers to your market category? Where can you turn to, without spending all of your time going bleary-eyed from the bluish-cold glow of your PC monitor, and without making you feel like your world has been reduced to a 1680 x 1050 display? Okay, maybe that last part was really just describing my own situation… but you get the idea.

Since every one of you in the wholesale and retail biz are as different as the customers you serve, I’ll try to bring up a few of the main traditional focal points, with another nice and neat TopTen list of popular off-price products being outsourced this holiday season:

• Accessories… there’s never been a better time to start carrying a full range of accessories, from classic to outrageous. With prices dipping and once-successful export companies in China feeling the pinch… you might get a lot for a little, if you apply the right tactics in getting a piece of that surplus at a price you’re happy with. Your customers will be even happier when they see how easy you make it for them to find what they want.

• Apparel… I’ve actually noticed some military-grade bags and other small items that are hitting the racks – with the minimal addition of brands and logos – here in China, because there are a few companies that were making actual military gear… who now find themselves without contracts. Guess who’s going to be rocking the desert-camo cargo pants this year? I’ll be one of them. Maybe you can reach out to these manufacturers, and make a deal?

• Shoes… while there will always be a market for high-end footwear, it’s certainly the designer-inspired and budget-conscious suppliers that will be getting more attention this year. Don’t be afraid to check out the huge market for discount shoes.

• Jewelry… I’ve talked about the rise of online jewelry wholesalers in past posts, but another thing to consider is all the talk about gold and silver prices going through the roof. No, I’m not suggesting that buying jewelry will really be the best way to invest in wealth protection, but what I’m referring to instead is the fact that gold broke the USD1000 mark not too long ago… and it continues to climb. That means people had better buy their gold now, rather than waiting for the prices to continue the hike. Are you educating your customers about this? Of course, this means your timely large-volume purchases will protect you from rising costs down the road, too.

• Toys… factory closures in China - and more than a few unscrupulous bosses disappearing with the company’s cash - have been making news here in the PRC, and that means that there are a lot of toys floating around with no place to go. This year’s Christmas will be the year of seeking value, and you can direct your customers to the best ones, if you act fast.

• Electronics… I don’t need to say a lot about this one, do I? China is on a mission to build up its reputation as the world’s next electronics empire… and that means that right now you will find a lot of companies that want to bring their low price-point goods to you, in the hopes that it will boost their budgets for development, and push them to the front end of the surge. Again, this is a nice example of some leverage you may have over them. Beware of really poorly-performing hardware, though… just remember to buy smart, and win.

• Health and Beauty… this is a great example of unknown Asian companies making their move. Did you know that Asian and Indian women have distinctly different needs than Caucasian women, with regard to simple things like concealer, lip liner, shader… and… all that other stuff that I’m suddenly embarrassed to admit I know a lot about? Do you know the demographics of your community – both online and on your street – that will influence your buying decisions? Do you know anything about Kevin, the famous makeup artist from Taiwan? Why don’t you Google him (by the way, this is a different guy from Kevyn Aucoin, the famed American cosmetics entrepreneur) and find out what Asian women are looking for in the USA. Be the first one to offer it to them at a special price! Here’s a tidbit for you: in China, the general consensus is that Japanese and Korean companies are the only ones who make top-quality cosmetics for the Asian market. That means the Chinese products can be had for a low price… for now.

• Handbags… nothing replaces this category, and both men and women will be looking for the all-purpose ‘field kit’ that looks less like a nerdy excuse to keep all of your valuables on your person, and more like a stylish reason to carry extra items that come in handy when you’re out and about.

• Home Décor… lots of folks are going to be moving to smaller homes, rental homes, and even moving in with friends and family as this housing crisis continues its graceful descent into oblivion. Sounds great, right? Well, the fact remains that people like to be comfortable… and that means offering the goods to make a new - and perhaps less posh - living space feel more like home, will be appreciated.

• Food… ah, I saved the best for last. I was in the Food and Beverage business for years, and my prediction is that more families will be giving the gift of cookware this year, in an effort to curb spending by not eating out too often. There’s a lot of choice in the market, since the culinary craze of the past 20 years has built a very solid foundation of foodies far and wide… but this year, the emphasis will be on finding high-nourishment… and half the fat. Bad joke, I know. Pay attention to the smaller, low-cost items of choice in the area of home cooking, and family-sized wares.

Lest I forget, you can always turn to the power-packed pages of Toptenwholesale.com for a solid lead-generator, and a glimpse into what the trends are, in real-time. Other information to peruse would be COMSCORE’s helpful data, like the chart below.

It’s impossible to cover all the bases in one post, but it’s a start. Hopefully you will continue the search for the best outsource options, as you gear up for the most unpredictable holiday shopping season we’ve seen in a long time… just remember to Find it. Source it. Profit!

A little bit of planning goes a long way. Looking at the large retailers and big-box stores, we can see that there are a lot of nice strategies to drive spending, most of which are created at the point of purchase… and sometimes even combined with online activity to form a potent custom-made coupon, for example. I’ve seen some retailers that are offering Internet-only rebate codes and e-coupons that don’t serve any purpose unless the consumer has already gone to the physical store, and made a purchase there to get a URL that grants access. Pretty good for the customer… and twice as nice for the seller who gets a double-dose of revenue from what could otherwise be wasted time, as the consumer gets back home after shopping… and logs back online to check emails and play around with Twitter anyway!

It’s all about choice… and you might be in a

great position to offer this to your customers!

Is there really any reason why you can’t put this information to work for you? Maybe you don’t have the physical storefront, but there are a few things a wholesaler can offer online that will give customers something to smile about. After all, as an online seller, you are able to make changes rather quickly, as opposed to the shops with huge inventories, employees, and overhead to worry about. Since there’s so much to talk about, let’s take a look at the TopTen ways you can be ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

• The power of choice is on your side… and you should be thinking about how you can offer the best and hottest assortment of goods for your customers, in order to be first on their minds. Internet sellers will be in the best shape to quickly rearrange and categorize everything to promote variety on their sites.

• Time is of the essence… because time is on your side, for now. Major players like Best Buy were known to hold sales events that started at specified times, ending that day as the store closed. This kind of strategy works well if you have a retail location, and can boost your holiday revenue nicely if you already have the staff and environment for it. If you don’t have the space, why not do something like this online? Experiment a little, and see what people’s responses are to a limited-time offer on the Internet… maybe even post a real-time countdown clock on your site, to drive traffic to your discount category.

• Laziness can be a virtue… since nobody likes to get up early, and not everybody gets a thrill out of waiting in line for a shop to open so you can elbow and claw your way to sale-priced items that could be drop shipped just as easily. In a recent COMSCORE survey, early morning between 04:00 and 08:00 accounted for just 11% of the day’s total online retail sales, while the period after 08:00 accounted for 84% of online sales.

• Get to know the bargain-hunters… the guys have it, this time around. In a recent CIB survey, men were found to be the largest demographic group to spend time on the internet looking for a special price. They were also found to be the biggest group of self-proclaimed bargain hunters, at 48% compared to 41% for women.

• Dare to be different… it looks like the biggest reason for online shopping is simply the desire to find deals that are not available in stores. If you come up with a new way to bring a special discount or bargain price, don’t print coupons and mailers… bring it to light online, and let your customers follow your links to a rewarding shopping experience!

• Educate your customers… because those who put the information out there will be regarded as the source for everything else, too. Are you utilizing video (or at least audio) on your site? You should be. In a world of overbearing advertisements and ad copy that eclipses the product profiles on some of the less-skillfully crafted sites, your message could be coming through loud and clear.

• Appeal to the young buyers… but do it carefully. Young holiday shoppers aged 18-24 plan to spend less than $50 this year. Of course this means if you have a product that is perfect for this demographic, you should pull out all the stops and hit it hard this year.

• Think outside the box… especially the gift-wrapped ones, as customers will be making purchases this year for their friends, family, and other loved ones… and for themselves. Let’s face it, with so many great deals floating around during the peak of competition this holiday season, there will be a lot of side-buys that are made by people who decide to indulge a little for themselves while the price is right.

• Don’t wait around… because all signs are pointing to consumers doing their holiday shopping pretty early this year. With a big expected surge in seasonal spending kicking off right after Halloween, it’s going to be more important than ever to get your message out there before the competition does.

• Break it down… and remember that in a world of Internet-driven sales, categorizing products effectively has a major impact on how quickly your customers will find the goods they are looking for. If you want to be the one to offer it to them, try using a site like the Toptenwholesale.com site for the best way to put your product category directly in front of the people who are looking. While you’re at it, check out the Toptenwholesale.com facebook site for some ideas and strategic content that will give you the edge this holiday season!

Today’s consumers are looking to you to provide them with the wholesale fashion accessories that transform a lifeless, drab, and uninspired costume into one that leaves people wondering why they didn’t find the source first? Clue your customers in to your secret (well… not so secret, I hope) cache of bling and other things that will increase your item count, and push your sales volume a tad further than if you strictly tried to rely upon the outdated strategy of thrusting a ready-to-wear costume in front of the customer… expecting them to dutifully take it, with no further questions to ask.

This is where you’re going to have to get creative, and start thinking fast about how you can create a palette of colors, textures, and materials that perhaps don’t just fall into the Halloween category. You might want to think about upping the ante with high-value goods that can be used for occasions other than fright night. Here’s a little TopTen list of hot wholesale fashion accessories that you might want to consider:

• Jewelry – it’s a bit more expensive, sure… but it represents an investment. Raise the bar on your sales goals, by offering something that is classy, functional, and not too easily pinned down to the purpose of being part of a Halloween costume. Something that can be used year-round will justify itself when the customers are reaching for their wallets.

• Belts – these things practically sell themselves. If there were ever a fashion accessory that could be classified as supremely versatile, the humble belt is it. It will look great as an add-on to the Halloween costumes that hit the streets this year, and those same belts will continue to bring satisfaction to your customers, as they become part of the wardrobe for the Autumn/Winter season.

• Scarves – another old stand-by in the accessories game, this one will instantly add a splash of color to any outfit, bring the focal point to a new location, or add an element of mystery to an ensemble. It’s just a matter of what style, and what is done with them. Suggest three or four to your customers, and maybe even give a special holiday BOGO to keep them moving.

• Hats – while these can be tricky to accessorize into a costume, there is the benefit of cold weather on the way. Function over fashion might be a selling feature, and in some parts of the country an easily-stashed, colorful knit hat will be a lifesaver for those who decide to wear less, and stay outdoors a little more.

• Glasses – in China, the trend for the past year has been big, thick, plastic glasses with no lenses. Time will tell if this takes off in the States… but you could be the one to pull the trigger on this accessory getting early publicity! Glasses can be found on the cheap from a variety of producers these days, and you might be surprised to learn that the optics industry has been taking astonishing profits on specs for years… there’s no reason to let them have all the fun.

• Shoes – the undisputed champs of fashion accessories, these items are going to become more important as the focus shifts from an overall ensemble, to details that count.

• Bags – how else are you supposed to carry things? You might as well make sure that your customers are doing it in style.

• Chains – these are the ‘wild card’ goods that have been gaining popularity over the past few years… they appeared on the belt loops of punk rockers in the 90’s, and now they are becoming synonymous with the hip-hop crowd. It pays to keep some of these in stock, just to keep things on an even keel.

• Quirky Items – trust me when I say that sequined gloves are going to be big this year. So will the toys that resemble futuristic weapons like Star Trek hand-held phasers. Goofy ties, stockings with designs, and all manner of cosmetic appliances will be the rage, as people try to copycat their favorite looks from Hollywood’s blockbusters.

• Gifts – what, nobody ever gave you a pair of plastic glow-in-the-dark Dracula fangs, just because you showed up at the party? Giving gifts to your guests and friends - even unsuspecting random victims – will set the tone for fun, as the party goes on.

There’s a lot of great ideas out there, and you should try to put your feelers out early, to see what your customers are asking for. A quick survey or e-newsletter with an email response option to a few simple questions could prove to be highly valuable, since it will not only give you a feel for what accessories are making news… but it may even provide you with some useful data about who’s reading your newsletters anyway! If you’re not sure how this works, take a look at the Toptenwholesale.com email blast newsletter, and be sure to register if you’re not already getting the news!

We’re hearing a lot of talk about the economy swinging upward, the improving health of the GDP, and a rebuilding of the country’s assets… we’re also hearing a lot of noise regarding the ’softness’ of the economy, and the second bubble bursting once those printing presses cool off after creating truckloads of fresh cash. Who’s right? Who knows what the answers are to the world’s ills? Who cares. As a wholesaler or retailer, you should hope for the best and prepare for the worst, in an effort to provide your customers with the highest level of security and value for their money. Those who protect their clientele will be rewarded later, as they are the ones who will be remembered for displaying a trustworthy and realistic mindset during these turbulent times.

“This is going to be a very competitive online shopping season,

so retailers should take immediate steps to bolster their

customer retention strategies in order to ensure repeat purchases.”

- Forrester Research Principal Analyst Sucharita Mulpuru.

The truth is that a lot of today’s shoppers don’t have the money they had a couple of years ago. However, they are still in need of goods, and they probably have added incentives - maybe even a little extra time - to shop around and look for the best deals. It’s a pretty simple scenario, and if you adjust your own selling methods to take this into account, you will be able to deliver the goods time after time. You will also keep your loyal customers coming back for more. Online sales will be grabbing a share of about $44 billion this year, as shoppers increasingly turn to the Internet for their purchases. The chart above comes from Forrester Research Inc., and it shows a mixed bag of factors that drive consumer spending. Some of it is predictable, while other factors like shipping prices and returns could be the make-or-break detail for your company, as you target your market and make the move to create a feeling of safety and comfort on your site. Time is of the essence, as well… since reports are showing that shoppers will start their holiday shopping early this year, and as many as 40% will begin buying right after Halloween. So much for Black Friday, the traditionally-cited benchmark for setting KPI’s and goals for the year-end!

“The good news is that those shoppers who

you thought were disappearing may not be gone,

they may just be delaying.”

- McAfee Research Analyst Shane Keats

On a more recent note, McAfee - the Internet security giant – has issued reports showing some of their findings regarding the security-based issues that underscore consumer spending patterns and buying decisions. According to McAfee, key reasons for consumers to delay their purchases fall under the following five points:

• Brand Recognition

• Demographics, and level of Experience

• Competitors

• Novelty

• Price

Some of this comes as no surprise, while the bullet showing “Competitors” should be setting off alarms. Competition will be ferocious this year, and all indicators are pointing to an escalating battle ahead… for all of us. We’re gearing up for the challenge, and you can always get more information by following the link to the various industry-oriented knowledge bases like Manufacturer.com site, for example.

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…

Ready? Okay, I’m going to give it to you straight, in the form of a power-packed TopTen List of Advertising Methods that Make the Most Sense for Buyers and Sellers this season:

• Are you utilizing pay-per click (PPC) advertising with your site? Why not? Toptenwholesale.com is affordable and easy, and with a minimum budget of $200 or more, PPC can be implemented with only $0.40 cost per click. Be sure to contact us for the details, and get your PPC engine revved up!

• Have you said everything that you could possibly say on your company’s site? Are you feeling Twittered out? Facebook is not giving you the leads you want? Let TopTen Wholesale tell everyone about you, more effectively! A directory listing  on Wholesaleu.com or Offpricenetwork.com can be achieved for only $299 for 6 months of listings with 100 keywords available, to maximize your advertising budget… and to help you reach a targeted audience base this season!

• TopTenWholesale.com offers many other online banner ad and email solutions reaching thousands of buyers & sellers daily. Prices vary to fit all kinds of wholesaler needs, so contact us for more information on this option.

• Just so you don’t think we’re tooting our own horns, here’s a  few customer testimonials to help send our message home:

“The results I have received from TopTenWholesale are phenomenal! I have advertised with TopTenWholesale since 2005 and have received a high return on my investment. We highly recommend using TopTenWholesale, Wholesale U, OffPrice Network, Wholezilla, and any other JPC INC properties”

- Alain Sambouli, Via Trading

“I personally would like to thank TopTenWholesale for the significant growth we have received since 2005. We have been advertising with TopTenWholesale for the past 4 years and have seen a tremendous increase in our online orders and traffic. We continue to expand our presence with TopTenWholesale services because of the quality leads we receive.”

- Marc Joseph. CEO, Dollar Days INC

• Stay on top of the news! Some popular and powerful methods for culling useful information can be found through sites like MarketingSherpa and ForresterResearch, to name a couple. It’s a lot of information, but boosting your business is worth the effort!

• While I’m on the subject of light reading… here’s something to sink your teeth into: Vertical Search Reports. With condensed, no-frills, and heavy-hitting statistical content at your fingertips, these white papers will give you a real knife-edge when you’re cutting through the nonsense of a highly imperfect world. Take the time to read copies of SearchChannel and Slack Barshinger’s reports, or maybe subscribe to CONVERA’s e-consultancy report. These are amongst some of the papers out there that make up the real deal, and they are often available in international or country/region-specific versions as well.

• Have you tried collecting your own email database list, and sending out promotional offers to your customers via email? Sure, it’s a lot of work, and takes a lot of time… and it will surely end up in the spam bin if the customer doesn’t perceive it as being valuable right away…

  Hmmm, maybe you don’t have the time or energy to do a fully-featured, informative, and value-added newsletter on a regular basis? It sounds to me like you had better select another option, like doing a series of targeted Toptenwholesale.com email blasts, since we’re already doing them… and our current customers are quite happy with the results.

• You should create in-house specials and holiday promotions (such as: free shipping, or a 15% e-coupon for $500 or more spent on an order), then advertise them with banner ads on your company’s site. Of course, promoting these special offers to a targeted demographic audience through some nice banner ads on Toptenwholesale.com can’t hurt either!

• After you’ve designed and implemented a general-purpose banner ad on one of our sites (like Wholesaleu.com, Offpricenetwork.com, or Manufacturer.com), why not focus upon one particular market or demographic, to offer a response to a more specific challenge, or to provide a custom solution to a specific type of buyer? Sending an email out to your entire customer base with a special promotional offer for tracking purposes is fine, but giving extra attention where it really counts is the secret of success.

• Last but not least, placing a directory listing on Wholesaleu.com or Offpricenetwork.com for only $299 for 6 months (which breaks down to about $49 per month for 6 months of targeted advertising!) instead of placing your ads within a traditional printed medium could be a real deal-maker. Have you ever tried to track results from magazine advertising? On the flip side, it’s pretty easy to do with online content. Besides, there is always a great chance that your advertising budget will be wasted on print, because it simply might not reach the desired demographic group in the first place… and you’ll never know about it, until you realize that those magazine ads didn’t turn anything up after all.

Go ahead, give us a call or send an email. For more information, contact a Marketing Specialist at sales@toptenwholesale.com to get the information you need, and the service you expect! Good luck, and happy wholesaling!