2011 May

As the economy improves, industrial suppliers will see a rise in sales as buyers spend more time online researching product/service information for future projects. Global Spec’s whitepaper, “2011 Economic Outlook Survey: Improving Conditions Present Market Opportunity for Suppliers,” shows that key decision makers in industrial organizations prefer search engines when sourcing products, services and information. To a lesser degree, B2B buyers also use supplier websites, online catalogs and peer recommendations on social networks, blogs and forums. The study provides key search marketing tips for B2B marketers.

Latest reports from experts, along with current data, shows that the population of Chinese in America exceeds figures around 35 million, with the figure expected to increase substantially in the following decade. How we prepare for the coming changes in marketing and communication will be a decisive factor in determining our viability in a changing market that promises to be anything but predictable. The only ones who come out on top, will be the ones who adapt best.

I talked about the importance of signage in increasing sales in my April article, Playing the Trust Game. In this article I want to talk about one position in a store that can generate a lot of money for you. Every store has what is called a “Power Location.” It is generally about four steps into the store.

Retailers, as well as wholesalers of general merchandise, can increase sales by exploiting the power of customer product reviews. Besides using positive reviews as online testimonials, customer-generated content can be included in email messages, videos, and can even be used for company-wide planning. Marketers can capitalize on upbeat reviews for influencing existing and potential customers on the web and through email marketing.

The National Hardware Show closed May 12 after an eventful and successful two days in Las Vegas. “The buzz that began with the marching band at the Opening Ceremony continued right through to the end of the Show,” said Ed Several, senior VP and general manager of the National Hardware Show®. “We are so pleased to hear all of the great feedback from attendees and exhibitors who successfully identified products and services to move their business forward. The increased attendance and increased buying on the Show floor creates a strong foundation for 2012.”

You read it first on TopTenWholesale last week when we announced ASD’s 50-Year Anniversary celebration at its upcoming show in Las Vegas July 31 to August 3. And the buzz goes on… This is the show everybody looks forward to year after year – in Las Vegas this summer and in New York in October.

Wholesale Backpacks are back… and we don’t just mean slung over your back, shoulders, or hands. With all the cool new seasonal accessories that are making a splash this year, the humble backpack has gained the biggest share of attention thus far. If you need to find out where the best selection of these must have items can be found, look no further than the story we’ve brought straight to your desktop today.

Facebook has over 600 million users. It’s no wonder every business on the planet wants to create a fan page on this hot property. But many marketers don’t know what their page should consist of or how to use it interact with customers. If you’re a wholesaler selling general merchandise, you want to connect with retailers; if you’re a retailer, you want to interact with consumers. No matter who your target audience is, you want to create an attractive, functional fan page that engages your customers. Below are some tips to get you started.

Now that we’re going from spring into summer, we all look forward to many wonderful sunny days ahead. That means it’s time to stock up on the season’s hot new sunglasses. Frontier Fashion Wholesale Sunglasses, an importer and manufacturer of quality sunglasses, has a multitude of chic styles in trendy eyewear that can whet the appetite of any shades fashionista or sunglasses buyer.

When looking for safety apparatus and accessories, there is very little that should be left to chance. Major Gloves and Safety is a company that understands how their customer’s total satisfaction is always of the utmost importance, and this is also a company that understands the ins and outs of keeping that level going, long after the gloves have been delivered, as well.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – With only a couple of months left until the wildly anticipated start date for one of the most epic of ASD Trade Shows, there is already a lot of buzz being generated that will give everyone in the entire wholesale, merchandising, manufacturing, and retail industries something to talk about. There’s less than 18 weeks to go, and only the ones who start making their plans now will get the most out of this incredible event.

I recently visited a small town in the southwest of Australia. Like many small towns, it needed to try and stop travellers to get the extra dollar out of them whenever possible. I met the Tourist Committee, which had done a brilliant job in promoting the town and getting the traveller to stop. Travellers tended to stop at the corner store, so I mystery shopped the store while I was in town. Alas, it was made clear by the manager of the store that they did not like to serve strangers. All the work the committee of volunteers had put into building the profile and sales in town were destroyed in ten seconds by a salesperson with the wrong attitude.

For those who don’t know what the result of skillful engineering means to anybody who has ever tried to simply dig a perfect hole, the Terrax comes at us right now, at a time when hardware and tools are all the rage in every level of the wholesale and retail industries. Learn more about this ingenious invention, along with other useful accessories, by reading the story.

As a wholesaler or retailer, you likely have a lot of images of general merchandise and all kinds of products on your site, and many of you also have videos. If you’re not optimizing these digital assets, you are leaving top rankings on the table for your competitors. By using SEO tactics to optimize your images and videos, you can attract more traffic and sell more products. Below are seven tips for optimizing the images and videos on your site.

Mobile marketing is proving to be a viable sales channel for retailers. In fact, all merchants, including wholesalers and manufacturers, might want to consider putting mobile in their current marketing mix. Many companies have reported high click-through rates and good ROI with mobile campaigns on Google AdWords. In addition to the location-based targeting campaigns used by food and entertainment businesses, there have also been many successful m-commerce sales campaigns.