ASD/AMD Show

Top Ten Wholesale went to ASD/AMD Las Vegas and, maybe, should have launched satellite cameras and Big Picture macro lenses to take in all of the huge ASD/AMD trade show from March 15 to 18. Fortunately, trade show directors (big shout out to Chris, Dell and many others!) streamlined show navigation and traffic, with special market sections across four trade shows at all three venues.

We could focus on person-to-person buyer-seller interactions.

All-Access Passes. Every registrant got an All-Access Pass to Gift, Value, Variety Merchandise, Jewelry and Military-Tactical Outdoor Shows … multiplying access to more exhibitors and more product categories. As we cruised through all the venues, ASD/AMD became all-in-one opportunities for Buyers to add complimentary products to their merchandise mix, compare price points and leverage diverse exhibitors and products.

How To Navigate ASD/AMD

Spotted in Special Show Sections

Individual shows broke into markets and specialized sections. The combined Value and Variety Merchandise shows gathered 2200 exhibitors (275 new to ASD/AMD) into one-stop product sourcing, which made it more manageable and time efficient to track down exhibitors by market … Fashion Accessories, Toys & Novelties, Licensed Products, Health & Beauty Products, Smoking Accessories, Military Tactical Outdoor, Value Apparel, Tools and Hardware, General Merchandise and Closeouts.

Value-Priced General Merchandise. Dominating discount general merchandise exhibits in the Las Vegas Convention Center, we saw discount store inventory source Kole Imports and 4 Seasons General Merchandise , with its sports and outdoor hot items – including Flashing Clicker Balls – and its large home décor exhibit, featuring seasonal gifts, novelties, flowers and more.

Via Trading boasted a big presence in the Closeouts special section of the convention center, befitting a one-stop source for Overstocks, Closeouts and Customer Returns. And, tip of the hat to Jacobs Trading Company — direct-source specialists of customer returns, overstocks and shelf-pulls for discount/surplus stores, flea market vendors, auctioneers and online wholesalers and retailers. Jacobs Trading Company’s hot show commodities were electronics (video games) and value-price apparel.

Apparel, Accessories, Specialty Gifts Sellers Spotted. Ranging from manufacturer-direct irregulars, first-run and overstock inventory … to liquidation lots and narrow-market specialty items. We met up with R. G. Riley source of manufacturer-direct (Gildan, Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Russel, Delta) irregulars and casual clothes for men, women and children. Plus GENCO, home of liquidation auctions (Fixed Price, Sealed Bids) supplying over $5 Million in liquidation, below-wholesale retail inventory every day); and Great Lakes Wholesale . All at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

We found specialty clothing, gifts and accessories exhibitors, including Emby Hosiery , Trans USA Products (v. cool LED key rings), Eagle Emblems , Fun Express and Knockout Decals. PLUS the Seasonal & Holiday Specials – food, gift and party supplies; health & beauty products; supplies for babies, pets, household) lines from Jasmine Trading .

ASD/AMD’s dedicated market sections also helped us find booths focused on lifestyle or product segments, like Hip Hop Wholesale , Accessories West Imports , Cesti Handbags , Selni Neckwear and Capico Accessories . Oh … saw the latest in fashionable and functional shades at Jay-Y Sunglasses’ large booth.

Putting “Skin” in the Game. It was nice to sense the large booth and presence of Perfume Center America , as well as “second skin” sellers at Dealer Leather and Leather Impressions.

As the largest national gift show in the Western U.S., ASD/AMD’s Las Vegas Gift Show presented 360 exhibitors (more than 100 of them new to this show), with section breakouts for Home Décor, Gourmet Foods, Religious-Spiritual Products, and Plush & Dolls.

Full Bling Ahead. The Jewelry Show at ASD/AMD runs full-range at the Mirage Grand Ballroom and Events Center: From Fine and Custom Jewelry to Fashion and Costume lines; from loose gemstones and beads to engagement/wedding rings, diamonds, and estate jewelry. The jewelry show, too, was clustered by dedicated product categories for every-sized retail channel, working at all price points.

Hellos to jewelry designer-manufacturer-wholesaler J. Good and to Philips International Cool Jewels .

Right Merchandise Mix-Ups. A great feature of ASD/AMD is its wide-open, wide-ranging variety – where fine jewelry buyers cross paths with sword and knife sellers; where men’s / women’s / children’s discount apparel wholesalers easily cross tracks with all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes.

The Military Tactical Outdoor Show again appeared alongside ASD/AMD’s three main trade shows — so that buyers who focus only on their pre-show shopping lists can mix their merchandise lines and boost profit margins. We saw these profitable merchandise “mix ups” with Military Collectibles (like Sczo Supplies), with deeply discounted and popular Military Surplus Clothing, Government Issue Surplus Merchandise. Even motorized vehicles and ATVs … plus the leather “biker” apparel and accessories that go with the machines.

Booths With Buzz. These featured new products that attracted lots of trade show attention: Varabella with a uniquely designed 4-in-1 purse. Smoking Everywhere , among many new suppliers of electronic, smokeless and flavored faux cigarettes, smoking accessories. Plus Ortery , a light box/photo capture device.

“Cool” In Eye of Beholder. These caught the eye of ASD/AMD attendee – Susette of Top Ten Wholesale – as Cool Products: 95 and Sunny’s glass nail files (lifetime guaranteed) and hand-painted wine glasses. (It’s true!! I was gifted last season with a giant and gorgeous Happy Birthday hand-painted martini glass. Yes, it’s a work of handcrafted art; and it is way cool.) M&M General Fashion (colored fashion eye lenses). Peace Electronics’ “fun novelty items” including caps with hair extensions.

At first, I thought this Cool New Product tip might look like this …

Knit Cap with Hair Extensions

But that’s an OLD hot product, Pet Halloween Apparel

Rasta Cat Halloween

Here’s the real deal, the foldable Magic Visor with three fun changeable heads of hair … Gray (salt ‘n pepper), Brunette or Blonde.

Magic Visor Fun Hair

Email Peace Electronics at PeaceEle@aol.com for more on Fun Hair.

Linking Qualified Buyers and Sellers Globally … with Refined Marketing Tactics

Hat tip, again, to ASD/AMD show managers, who keep expanding the range of product Buy/Sell opportunities, and who also refine exhibitor floor plans to help show goers navigate through this major trade show to find the right deals.

A proven online path to linking up with the right wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers is by using search engines, ad networks, product directories and other industry vertical channels that are customized to the needs of Buyers and Sellers in the general merchandise, footwear and apparel industries.

Pinpoint Vertical Marketing Strategies. Free insider tips were available at ASD/AMD Las Vegas’ Industry Seminars. Topics covered: Branding; Buying and Selling Online; Email Marketing; Boosting eBay Auction Profits … and a basic Understanding Search Engine Marketing.

Beyond the Basics. Top Ten Wholesale.com (a media partner of ASD/AMD) publicized its link up with global product source Manufacturer.com (which remains HQ’d in China) … to drill down into the worldwide supply chain. Anyone see that sea of white bags at both Sands Expo and the Las Vegas Convention Center?? That’s where two global brands …

Top Ten Wholesale

and

Manufacturer.com

met.

No borders!

Search marketing opportunities refined for vertical, industry B2B searchers … Ad network reach … and industry Product Sourcing Directories of Top Ten Wholesale – plus, now, Manufacturer.com – are part of a global network. It includes Wholezilla, Off Price Network, WholesaleU, Top Ten Trends, Industry News Feeds, Professional Blogs. And more.

Benefits Beyond the Basics:

· Reach product sourcing Buyers and Sellers at every level of the supply chain;

· Gain visibility among qualified industry prospects and customer leads … who are in specific product category search mode. Vertical search prospects are ready to deal;

· Pinpoint advertising, rank on search results pages and reach an insider network of wholesalers, contract manufacturers, resellers, chain store buyers, auction power-sellers and retailers … 24/7/365.

Get an Individual Profile from global partner Manufacturer.com or check on Advertising with Manufacturer.com .

(1) Fashion industry editors working on celebrity fashion spreads?

(2) Queen Latifah as designer of a line of Lingerie and Foundations ?

(3) Men and women drawn from four ethnic/racial groups (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian) between the ages of 35 and 55+ who were measured for the SizeUSA study?

(4) Clothing manufacturers targeting the American market in the past decade; or, perhaps, those apparel marketers who fessed up to a CBS 60 Minutes reporting team?

Before asking contestants one through four, let’s back up to SizeUSA. Study sponsors included clothing and textile companies, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy and several universities. Body measurements (240 from head to toe) were taken with a relentlessly accurate light-pulse 3-D scanner from a sample group of 10,000 American adults in 13 cities spread across all regions.

Variations emerged between ethnic/racial groups (Over 90 percent of all measured adult women were classified as pear-shaped or without a defined waistline, while Black women in the study tended to have larger measurements but were also most likely to have a classic hourglass shape with a defined waist.) and within groups (Black women older than 55 tended to have smaller hips than Black women who were up to ten years younger.). However, the trend line for studied American men and women, across all age and ethnic groups, can be summarized in one word: Bigger.

Back to respondents one through four, above.

(1) The glamorous end of the women’s fashion industry depicts a svelte size 8 with standard measurements 35-27-37. Off the magazine pages, women between the ages of 36 and 45 averaged 41(43)—34(37)—43(46) … with variations in and outside parentheses occurring across ethnic groups. Even the lowest new averages exceed “industry standard” by 6 or 7 inches.

The fashion industry’s 40 Regular for the average man is a traditional 40-34-40 measure. In the real world study, men between 36 and 45 averaged 42(44)—37(38)—41(42). Again, the reality is two-to-four inches off fashion standard.

(2) Queen Latifah leveraged a career as New Orleans female hip-hop artist to film actress to fashion designer and spokeswoman. Before representing sensible diet for a weight loss program or bold eye make up for an upscale line, Queen Latifah designed lingerie and foundations for what she calls big beautiful women. The old fashion industry “standard” size 8 never matched the Queen; and current wholesale demand for Plus Size Apparel and Lingerie  has finally caught up, offering more silhouette-slimming body shapers and full-body leotards, modeled after Queen Latifah’s earlier designs.

(3) Of the 10,000 adults scanned and measured for the new SizeUSA average, just over half the men and 38 percent of the women held a self-perception that they were “about the right weight.” Only 21 percent of surveyed women, and even fewer of the men surveyed (10 percent) said they were “quite a bit overweight.” If the new SizeUSA women’s “average” is the old plus-size 14 — and if the new men’s “average” measure is 44 rather than the old traditional 40 — perhaps the survey group’s right weight self-perceptions are not all in self-beholder eyes.

(4) Apparel size labels over the past 10 years got smaller. A CBS 60-Minutes report whose conclusions appeared in the popular press uncovered a tendency of clothing manufacturers the past decade to design and construct larger-sized apparel to match a heavier market, but to label them down from commonly accepted sizes. The shrinkage in printed size labels sewn into larger-cut clothing produced an updated women’s average size 14 that may be closer to the old women’s 18 … clearly in the overweight zone. Those surveyed adults may have distorted self-perceptions of being “about the right weight” and, to protect ego, took mislabeled apparel that was sized down as evidence. The conclusion many drew from the 60-Minutes episode is that clothing designers and manufacturers were also going easy on their customers’ egos by mislabeling clothing sizes and allowing the size creep … mainly to keep their clothing lines marketable.

A more relaxed response to size creep, bigger “average” sizes and mislabeled clothing sizes spins off from the Queen Latifah point of view in number 2, above. That size and body type differences are not deviations from an idealized “norm,” but they are variations that need only be adjusted for health or energy reasons … not to match an airbrushed or youth-obsessed ideal. Some middle-aged women point out that “average” means about at the middle of the measurement scale … or the greatest number under the bell curve peak. Last, the range of designers and lines for plus-size jeans (Lauren Ralph Lauren, Seven7, Baby Phat, Levis Plus-size, Venezia; and Main Street Blues) plus-size retail chains (Evans in the U.K.) and the expansion of men’s apparel (Big and Tall chains, Men’s Work Clothes  in plus sizes show a certain comfort level with that formerly untouchable size class.

Both of these bits of export product research come from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, Office of Textiles and Apparel. Check out this import/export help site’s section on Trade Data . You can drill down to specific categories of apparel and search on volume or $ value of exports by importing country.

Looking for export trade leads? Like to move Plus Sized Women’s Apparel, or overstocks of surplus Outdoor Gear? U.S. companies who register with the federal government trade site can bid on importer requests for merchandise posted at the Export Division of Apparels and Textiles site.

Last we checked, Mexico was looking for U.S.-made “Extra Size Women Apparel,” Morocco sought suppliers of “Lingerie Products,” and Moscow, Russia needed potential sellers of outdoor gear.