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 .

Also good news: It works Internet-to-TV, rather than forcing film buffs to watch their faves on a computer monitor. The film viewing service, called “Watch Instantly,” is free to Netflix’s 8.2 million subscribers. It will even stream entertainment from a wireless signal. And it rides the Next Wave: streamed media. 

The bad news is that some loyal Netflix customers are nostalgic, already, for DVDs. Reactions to the Netflix Evolves announcement include: 

·  Many are still cable challenged. “People DO still live in the country where ‘high speed’ anything is only a myth. Can’t use streaming …” 

·  “Bonehead move, Netflix.” (opining that streaming video lacks picture or sound quality of a DVD) 

·  Not the “Right Stuff” – Netflix offers >100,000 movies and TV shows on DVD, but less than 10% of that is available through streaming. Put another way: Over 30% of Netflix’s DVD rentals are for new film releases, which are not stocked in the “Watch Instantly” library. Ooops, I mean database. 

As both a film-loving pack rat and a book lover (remember how all dead tree books and readers were supposed to die off with the dinosaurs and e-Books?), my favorite feedback to Netflix was this one: 

“It’s not practical that the DVD will be eliminated as some think. … There will always be a physical medium involved because people need that tangible connection. 0 nad 1 on a hard drive is not tangible nor permanent and most people will want to KEEP copies of movies to share.” 

But, that’s when 8-track cassettes rose from the graveyard: “I take it you still have cassette players in your cars …. good luck with that.” This tech evo stuff is sooo tiring.