The world has 5.3 billion mobile subscribers, which is 77 percent of the world population. The U.S., in fact, has 87 percent wireless penetration, and the use of mobile phones is rapidly becoming the norm. Couple these statistics with the technology that allows merchants to process a credit card by phone when receiving customer payments and you have the beginning of a paradigm shift in the way retail merchants accept payments for goods. Below is a review of how retailers, wholesalers and general merchandise vendors can take advantage of the mobile payments opportunity.

Consumers can now enable credit card payments quickly and easily by mobile payment. People can swipe their credit cards with their iPhone, Blackberry, or Android cellphones and pay for products and services on the go. Authentication is fast, receipts are sent by email, and the system is fast and easy.

Google’s support to NFC (Near Field Communications) by integrating NFC in Android phones will foster the use of mobile payments. Mobile payments have the attention of banks, payment gateways, handset manufacturers, entrepreneurs and phone companies, and they should be a boon to merchants as well as consumers.

Opportunities in Mobile Ecommerce
Mobile ecommerce consists of (a) Mobile Banking and (b) Mobile Payments and Money Transfers. Mobile Banking is where you use your mobile phone to access financial services like online banking. Mobile Payments and Money Transfers are where you use your mobile phone as a payment device to transfer payment from one party to another. Mobile banking has already gained traction in developing countries, where banking customers can check their bank balance, transfer funds and receive alerts. Mobile banking provides convenience and accessibility for customers, as well as portability, security and multi functionality.

Mobile Payments and Money Transfers are of more interest to business organizations. This is how mobile phones are being used beyond mobile banking, involving the transfer of money from one party to another. This provides the potential for huge transaction volumes initiated via mobile phones, and this volume can translate into significant revenue opportunities for many stakeholders, including wholesalers and retailers.

Growth in the mobile payments market will be driven by (a) the growth in mobile subscribers, (b) the increasing versatility of mobile devices, (c) the proliferation of contactless acceptance terminals, and (d) the span of geographic locations gaining access to mobile technology. The foundation for large-scale use and increased adoption of mobile payments and money transfers is being set right now in many places around the world.

Mobile payment is becoming a major way of paying in Asia and Europe. Instead of using credit card or cash, users need only use their mobile phone to do a transaction. Additionally, mobile phones are currently delivering safe and stable payments and money transfer systems in countries that have well developed mobile networks yet lack a widespread banking infrastructure.

Types of Mobile Payments
There are different types of mobile payments depending on the reason for making the payment, and these are described below.

Remote Mobile Payments. The purchase of services or physical goods remotely using SMS text, browser-based wireless access protocol (WAP), or proprietary apps on a mobile device. A good example is the remote mobile payment of digital content through mobile operators (like purchasing ring tones or digital content).

Mobile Top Up. A mobile prepaid account using a credit/debit card, or cash at a store location via a scratch card, point of sale, or kiosk. The mobile top up opportunity is significant in markets where the majority of mobile accounts are prepaid like in Europe and Asia.

Person-to-Person Remittances. The transfer of funds between mobile subscribers by mobile device, aka Mobile Money Transfers. Providers like Western Union enable remote consumer-to-consumer payments by accepting cash at a physical location and electronically transferring funds to a recipient for a fee. The ability to send money transfers through mobile phone messages provides convenience as well as safety.

Mobile Bill Payment. The use of a mobile device to initiate the transfer of funds from a person to a business to pay an obligation. In developing countries, mobile bill payment represents a very convenient and significant change. In these countries people must physically travel to make certain types of payments, like getting on a bus with cash to pay a utility bill. In these markets, the mobile channel is forming a banking infrastructure.

Physical Mobile Payments. The purchase of goods or services using a mobile device at the point of sale through contactless technology, which are also known as proximity payments. Consensus is being created around standards for Near Field Communications (NFC) since Google’s support of NFC in Android.

The Future of Retail and Ecommerce
Since almost everyone has a smartphone, and retailers can bring costs down with mobile payments, providers of transaction services are getting ready to market their offerings. Some providers plan to give away free swipers to be used with an app on a phone. Actually, there are two ways to handle transactions. One way is to use an application where consumers can type in their credit card information. The other is to add a swiper that plugs into the smartphone and they can swipe the card. In fact, there are even apps that allow a retailer to use an iPad as a cash register. Retailers that operate entirely online also benefit from this new technology, even if they never physically handle plastic.

In closing, it’s coming to the point where customers will be able to use cellphones to send and receive money quickly and easily, as long as they have funds in the bank, without worrying about cash, checks or other higher-cost services. This is good news for wholesalers and retailers alike.

Each day, thousands of merchandise items are sold at pennies on the dollar in thousands of product categories. Distressed merchandise is a multibillion-dollar industry in the U.S, and there are also opportunities for exporting these products. American Merchandise Liquidators (AML) specialize in selling closeouts, overstocks and returns by the truckload. Through AML’s PalletBid, you can bid on pallets with different types of auctions.

American Merchandise Liquidators, Inc. is a 17-year old bricks-and-mortar company that moves millions of dollars in distressed merchandise monthly. AML sells a variety of quality merchandise at below-wholesale prices, carrying one of the largest inventories in the liquidation business. Buyers are invited to visit AML by appointment by calling 1-251-970-1100 or 1-866-479-1100 Toll Free. American Merchandise Liquidators, Inc. is located just north of the beautiful, white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, in Foley, Alabama, located 15 miles south on the left/east of US-59 (about 1/10 mile north of the Foley Beach Express). The company is open Monday – Friday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Below is a partial list of merchandise available from AML.

• Domestics Truckloads
• Clearance Furniture
• Tools and Equipment
• TRG Clothing
• “E” Department Store Returns and Surplus
• Electronics Truckloads
• “All in One” department Store Loads
• Home Ware Truckloads Under $3,000
• Electronics Pallets
• General Merchandise Department Store Overstocks

AML specializes in general consumer merchandise, including hard goods, furniture, clothing and accessories. They buy in large quantities and offer smaller quantities to their customers. AML ships FOB their warehouse or to other direct FOB points. Their freight department can handle customer shipments at the lowest possible rates. AML also exports and imports products.

You’ll find excellent customer service from AML. We interviewed Bill Gulledge of AML, who told us, “We want our customers to be successful with purchases from our company so we build relationships to increase repeat sales. We don’t do retail, our customers get all the cherries, just as they should,” he added.

AML wrote the original book, “Liquidation 101,” which was responsible for many business start-ups that populated the liquidation industry. We asked Gulledge who their customers are; he replied, “We sell to off price buyers, closeout sellers, brokers, flea market vendors, auctioneers, online sellers, wholesalers, retailers, exporters, distributors, non-profit organizations, surplus stores, chain stores and yard sales,” he replied. “We also sell to competitors,” he added. “In fact, we support the off price retailers who are the future of this industry, and we believe in good old fashioned integrity, accountability and creditability,” said Gulledge.

AML also sells by the pallet in addition to by the truckload. They have a huge variety of pallets in stock, and they have an electronic system that notifies customers of the latest deals. Customers can join AMLs mailing list to be advised of up-to-the-minute offers.

American Merchandise Liquidators wrote the first book on liquidation, which has been expanded, updated, and revised. The 3rd edition, Liquidation 102, is compilation of step-by-step information about the liquidation industry authored by American Merchandise Liquidators, Inc. This vast wealth of information is from real life experiences and covers information gleaned from being in the liquidation industry for over a decade. As a pioneer in the liquidation industry this expert knowledge is priceless and has been well guarded for many years. You can download Liquidation 102 for $19. BTW, if you become a registered member of the site, you can get access to a 15-page sample of this manual. After registering, look at the User Menu and you’ll see the link to your free sample.

It’s the middle of summer and the weather is getting warmer by the minute. That makes it time to shop for t-shirts in every style and color for barbeques and many other summer activities. You can get a great deal on bulk t-shirts at The Adair Group because this wholesale supplier gives buyers a Best Price Guarantee.

The Adair Group can give you the best prices on bulk t-shirts, fleece and polos. They carry trusted brands including Gildan, Hanes, Anvil and more. We interviewed co-owner Jordan Adair and asked what gives Adair a competitive advantage. “We ship quickly and provide a very easy online shopping experience for our customers,” said Adair. “In fact, our company has been around for three generations, so customers can benefit from our many years of experience,” he added. “Another thing,” said Adair, “we buy in bulk, which gets us the lowest prices from manufacturers, and we like to pass those saving on to our customers.”

We asked Adair what he felt was the company’s greatest strength. “We primarily sell first quality closeouts and slight irregulars, which we inspect and certify for quality,” said Adair. “Because we buy in bulk by the truckload, we are able to negotiate the best deals with manufacturers, and in turn pass those saving on to our customers,” he added. The Adair Group prides itself on its top-notch customer service and fast shipping. In fact, web orders typically ship within one business day from the time the order is placed.

With so many wholesalers selling t-shirts, we wonder what differentiates this company from its competitors. The Adair Group maintains a very deep inventory of its top items, primarily t-shirts. “My grandfather was wholesaling apparel in the 1950’s,” said Adair. You can’t stay around that long without doing right by your customers. We like to keep up with the times. That’s why we made our website very user friendly and keep it updated all the time with new products,” said Adair.

The Adair Group carries the following products:

• Adult T-Shirts
• Polo Shirts
• Ladies T-Shirts
• Kids T-Shirts
• Golf Shirts
• Tie Dye
• Pocket T-Shirts
• Long Sleeve T-Shirts
• Fleece Sweatshirts
• Fleece Hoodies

We’d like to call your attention to an informative video on the site that shows you the difference between irregulars and TagCertified irregulars. Adair is very selective and only purchases from manufacturers who perform a multi-step process to grade their irregulars, selecting only top grade merchandise. They never purchase seconds, which are shirts that may have holes. Adair performs its own quality control process before shirts meet their criteria as TagCertified by randomly unfolding and visually inspecting a good percentage of their shirts. They also examine every Internet order before it’s shipped. So, buyers can be confident they are getting quality goods at a very good price. “Cotton Prices have gone up, which is making goods more expensive,” said Adair. “We have done our best to keep our prices as low as possible and I feel our customers appreciate this,” he added.

Below is The Adair Group’s Promise to Customers:
• High Quality
• Low Prices
• Convenient Ordering
• Secure Checkout
• Fast Shipping
• Customer Satisfaction

Adair’s Returns Policy states if customers are not satisfied with their order, a full refund minus shipping charges will be made if the merchandise is returned within 30 days in its original packaging. No merchandise is accepted without a return authorization, and they don’t accept returns on decorated or washed garments under any circumstances.

Minimum Orders are $50.00, which does not include shipping. Shipments outside the state of Georgia have no sales tax.

While many merchants have been disappointed with ecommerce sales since the downturn, Jordan Adair thinks 2011 will be better than 2010, and the company goal is to always improve year over year.

Company Information:
The Adair Group
1379 Logan Circle, Atlanta, GA 30318
Email: info@theadairgroup.com
Phone: 1-800-537-4232

Since the advent of social media, wholesalers and general merchandise vendors have seen a significant change in B2B buying behavior, especially over the past few years. People are using social networks to access and share many different kinds of information about companies, brands and products. As a result, wholesalers are using social media marketing tactics more and more on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

According to a B-to-B Online study, (Emerging Trends in B-to-B Social Media Marketing: Insights from the Field), B2B marketers believe branding is of top importance. The study also reveals 93 percent of B2B marketers are very engaged in social media marketing, with 26 percent of them citing LinkedIn as their most important social channel. Next in importance is Facebook (20%), blogging (19%), customer communities (14%) and YouTube (7%).

While not all wholesalers and web merchants have used social networking, search engines − especially Google, Bing and Yahoo − realize the impact of social signals on the way users find content online. As more people get connected via social media due to their interests, they will connect to companies that have a presence in social networks. This also impacts the way they will be finding new information and their future search behavior.

Note the following information about social networking:

• The Google +1 button is being served 2.3 billion times a day.
• Google Plus exceeded 10 million users in only two weeks.
• Seventy-three percent of Americans with an Internet connection visit Facebook each month (comScore)
• Twitter is “delivering 350 billion tweets a day.”

As you can see from the above stats, social networks represent a significant part of current online behavior, in the social networks and in relation to how users now share information.

We’ve seen how Facebook and Google are becoming part of our everyday lives. Google, for instance, with Gmail, Group Collaboration, Events, etc., has the ability to bring a larger audience into Google+, positioning itself as a major player in social networking.Effective social networking by wholesalers and other merchants can provide “free” marketing research on what your potential customers really want in the way of products and policy. Effective listening within social networking sites is the first step toward discovering what will resonate with your target market, providing clues for the content strategies for websites, email campaigns or other promotions, as well as clues on what your customers want and what they think about your brand and products. To get your company involved in social networking, start with the following steps.

1. Identify Volunteer Company Team Members
You need individual representatives to support your social networking strategy. Because social networking is mostly a personal initiative, not every employee will want to share their social network for business purposes.

2. Create a Complete Company Profile
It’s important to develop a completed company profile in all your social networking communities. Don’t forget to include images, video, and opportunities to integrate business specific initiatives. For instance, you can have custom landing pages on Facebook for a welcome message or for product information. You can create custom background images and messaging on Twitter.
Wholesalers should be exploring Google+ at the personal level, integrated with business specific initiatives.

3. Create Cross Links and Develop Awareness
Once your profiles are completed, it is important to contribute content and information where it can be easily seen. For instance, you can integrate new cross-links and information in the following places:

• Facebook basic information and website links, in addition to callout information in the page icon and about section.
• Change your URL information in your company (and individual) Twitter bios.
• If you have Google Plus, add relevant links in your links section and directly in your profile introduction.

Conclusion. Quality participation is the key to getting the most value from social networking sites. It’s important to start by listening to what’s going on in the community, and then progressively develop communication strategies. Social networks work the same way as traditional relationships, you must build the connection over time.

Exhibiting at ASD for the first time, giant dollar store merchandise wholesale supplier and distributor International Wholesale is offering buyers a special show-only incentive that give you up to $200 off your orders from the Show. Visit them at Booth V-2046 and see all the great merchandise they have to offer.

In fact, if you plan to visit the booth on Preview Day, International Wholesale invites those attending to make an appointment and win a prize. You can sign up here. The first 100 appointments will also receive 10 cases of Pureau bottled water free with their order.

Dollar Store buyers won’t want to miss this huge exhibit of thousands of dollar store items.
With over 4,000 items, International Wholesale has helped their customers open and operate dollar stores throughout the United States − from New England to Florida, and from North or South Carolina to California. International Wholesale also exports their dollar items across the globe to the Caribbean, South America, Mexico, Canada, Africa, the Philippines and the Middle East.

As a dollar store wholesaler that really knows the business, International Wholesale offers services to customers wanting to open a dollar store, and dollar plus or discount store. They can provide you with suggested items for your opening order. You can trust their expertise as they’ve been in this business a long time. So, if you’re thinking of opening this type of business, put International Wholesale’s knowledge of the dollar store industry and merchandise to work for you, and you won’t be sorry. If you are an existing dollar store owner and are looking for ideas to expand your business, International Wholesale is the dollar store supplier for you. Whether you are looking for a case of Awesome Cleaner or a truckload of bottled water, International Wholesale can handle it.

International Wholesale has a 132,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art showroom and warehouse where they are headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. “We are a traditional wholesale with a fleet of twelve trucks servicing our local and regional customers,” said Michael Sheehan of International Wholesale. “To service our customers throughout the country, we have negotiated with multiple LTL carriers to offer some of the lowest rates in the industry,” he added. “Don’t be fooled by wholesalers that WOW you with capped freight or discounts; if they can offer that they are overcharging for the merchandise, explained Sheehan. “We are also a distributor of many brand name, national brand merchandise, and these types of items are a great draw for dollar and dollar plus stores,” said Sheehan. “People have a misconception of dollar store merchandise, they think it’s cheap because it only costs $1, but the truth is either way it sells,” he added.

So visit International Wholesale at ASD in Las Vegas and save money on your order placed at the Show. You’ll get quality and great customer service. Here’s a sampling of the type products you can stock up on at ASD: cleaning products, disposable products, food, general merchandise, health and personal care, kitchen and housewares, office and school, seasonal items and toys and games. You can get all that from International Wholesale because they are giant wholesalers, suppliers and distributors of merchandise for dollar stores, dollar plus stores, wholesalers, jobbers, supermarkets and discount stores.

If you’re looking for the road to success when planning your holiday email campaigns, let us give you some pointers for getting started. Back-to-school season is upon us and then your holiday campaigns will start in earnest. It’s time to test email campaigns, ensure your landing pages work and ramp up your social media activities to generate new subscriptions. Doing all this now can give your email campaigns momentum for the rest of the year.

Build Your Subscriber List with Social Media. You can start by providing content in your emails that is share-worthy; for instance, educational tips or valuable offers. Provide social media buttons to encourage subscribers to share the information with their social network. At the same time, alert your social media followers and fans that you have a special offer available to anyone who signs up for your email newsletter. You can provide different content depending on what channel you use: social media gives you ongoing information streams, while emails provide a personal and direct call-to-action.

Conduct Promotional Campaigns. During the month of August, conduct a special campaign with content and promotions aimed at different demographics and customer segments. Integrate your campaigns throughout email, the web and social media. This cross promotional strategy will generate a higher degree of relevancy, which means a greater chance to attract and retain customers. These campaigns should also familiarize your audience with your products and brand ahead of the holiday season.

Test Campaign Elements. Test the format of your offers to provide some early insights as to what will work and result in conversions. You want to know whether your audience prefers $10 off a large purchase or 25 percent off any purchase. Don’t forget about the images you include, which are good differentiators during the holiday season when customers are hit with an endless stream of messages and offers. The right visual can tip the scale in your favor.

You might also test for the right placement of your calls-to-action. Do they result in more conversions when the button is on the left or the right? Try out different color schemes. Does one color work better than another? You’d be surprised what minor design elements can have an impact when it comes to holiday buying. Finding out what elements motivate your audience and all the purchase-motivating details of an email campaign can pay big benefits that you can use even beyond the holiday season.

Test the Navigation Bar. Make sure your navigation bars work well ahead of the holiday shopping season. People are always in a hurry when it comes to this time of year. They might not read all your content, but they can use the navigation bar to visit your site or go deeper into your product pages. Some email programs use a nav bar that varies according to the season.

Test the Subject Line. This is also the best time to start testing the format of your subject lines. A good subject line grabs immediate attention, but don’t forget to include keywords, and don’t make it too long.

Segment Your Audience. You need to test around key audience segments. For instance, you might target different age demographics. In that case, use images that correspond to each age group. Discover what resonates with each segment before holiday shopping begins. This will increase the relevancy of your message and give you a lift in response.

Other segmenting strategies include: active vs. inactive segments based on opens and CTR; subscribers’ desired frequency of communication; purchasers vs. non-purchasers (let purchasers know you appreciate their business), etc.

Conclusion. When building your list, segmentation and testing are both important; however, the key is engagement. You want to engage as many customers and prospects as possible with your messages and your brand as the holidays approach. To do that, you must plan ahead by testing and fine-tuning your campaigns  to compete with all the noise consumers are exposed to during the holiday season. Do it now, before it’s too late.

Borders, the Michigan-based bookseller announced it will liquidate all its assets and close 399 stores since the offer from Najafi Cos. fell apart and there were no further offers. This is a great opportunity for consumers to discover which liquidation centers and closeouts dealers will pick up Borders’ inventory.

The company opened its first store in 1971 and helped pioneer the book superstore concept along with competitor Barnes & Noble. The book chain’s downfall was accelerated due to fierce competition by discounters and online booksellers, as well as the popularity of electronic books and e-readers like Kindle. At its peak in 2003, Borders had 1,249 stores including Waldenbooks.

A lot of Borders goods will be available through liquidation centers and closeouts dealers throughout Q3 and Q4 of this year for early Christmas shopping. Smart consumers will be on the lookout for these bargains in books, music and related goods.

Wholesale buyers can stock up for resale in flea markets, bargain bins and dollar stores. Visit the new TopTenWholesale.com for quick and easy sourcing as well as many new features.

You can also visit Manufacturer.com, WholesaleU and OffPriceNetwork for closeouts goods. Don’t forget, it’s time to shop for Christmas in July.

Listen up, all you wholesale buyers and suppliers in cyberspace. What I’m about to tell you is nothing short of awesome. I’m talking about the newly re-launched TopTenWholesale.com website that went live less than 24 hours ago. This new B2B wholesale trade platform extraordinaire now offers Supplier Pass® in addition to many new professional services and sourcing tools.

TopTenWholesale’s new features were designed to make global online trade more transparent and convenient than ever before. And it’s there for you to try out. Supplier Pass® Premium Membership gives suppliers verification and credibility never offered before in the USA. Other new features include free listings, product feeds, website templates, video channels and a custom messaging center.

I encourage you to sign in or sign up and complete your company profile. Then, take a look at our new account center by going to My Account. You’ll see the new back end which is very cool and a major improvement over what we had before.

Then take a look at the Search Results Pages; do a few product searches and you’ll notice the difference between Free members, Premium and Supplier Pass® member icons within the listings. Pretty cool, right?

Take a look at the new Website Template for each company. This allows buyers to contact suppliers on the spot and they will know when the supplier is online to provide an immediate response.

All these new features offer time savings and convenience. Best of all, they make TopTenWholesale more transparent and easier to use than ever before. Buyers can see Product Alerts at the bottom of SRPs where they can customize Email Alerts for the new products they choose.

Message Center will keep a record of your communications with Suppliers. You can add suppliers or products to “My Favorites” and manage your favorites in the account center. You can also connect with suppliers via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, which  are now accessible on their website templates.  Buyers will notice TopTenWholesale covers over 100 new major industries including agriculture, food, hardware and automotive to name a few.

The door to TopTenWholesale is now open, and we invoite you to join our community. Suppliers can join free. It’s no longer necessary to have a website or to be a paid member. Buyers will feel confident choosing you as a supplier if you have SupplierPass®, which means your company has been verified by a 3rd party bank and other institutions. That kind of transparency gives you buyer trust, and the verified supplier option is available in the USA for the first time.

Another first is Batch Upload where you can upload product feeds. If you sign in and go to My Account, you will immediately see what’s available at a glance. Look at the Quick Menu on the left, where you can click on the following links to take action: Premium Membership, Featured Listings, PPC Campaigns, Banners, Add Products, Batch Upload Products and Upload Videos. Clicking on one of these options will either give you the opportunity to take action, or to view information on the status of your campaigns, product uploads, etc. It’s very cool with everything you need at your fingertips.

With these new TopTenWholesale features, buyers can interact directly with potential suppliers, and suppliers can interact with buyers in real time, or not – it’s their choice. Buyers can sort products, add products and suppliers to their List of Favorites and save searches on their own Admin Page. These features will save a lot of time and they provide more convenience for buyers and suppliers alike. Try it, and let us know how you like it!

It was interesting to read about the study, “Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips,” by Betsy Sparrow, Jenny Liu, and Daniel M. Wegner in Sciencexpress, suggesting Google is affecting human memory, and in fact, has become an “external memory for humans.”

Theories of memory differ in psychology and medicine, with psychology favoring cognitive theories and medicine favoring physical theories that rely on synapses between neuron cells. As a graduate student in psychology in the ‘80s, I did my thesis on memory and can give you a rundown on the cognitive theories at the time. The earlier theories suggested a stimulus-response bond for memory retention, with forgetting a function of the loss or weakening of previously made associative bonds due to decay or interference.

 The newer theories were based on an information processing framework where memory associations were made in different levels of the brain as they processed information at increasingly higher levels of analysis, with deeper processing resulting in more lasting memories. Fast forward to the 21st century. Now, most people can go to Google for instant recall of facts they can’t remember. Therefore, it’s no surprise that researchers are looking for new cognitive theories of how memory works.

In conducting the above named study, the authors carried out several experiments to examine how the human brain uses memory differently when computers are involved. When you can access data anytime, anywhere on search engines like Google, why bother to do the work of processing information in your brain to remember? Most people are wired 24/7, so it’s no problem to make your cellphone or computer your second brain.

These researchers found that the use of computers with availability of instant access to data is having an effect on human memory, altering the way the brain functions. Part of the reason we don’t bother to remember everything is due to information overload. That, and the ability of Google to tell us what we need to know, has resulted in the Internet becoming an “external memory” for humans. That was the conclusion of the study, and I don’t doubt it.

“The advent of the Internet, with sophisticated algorithmic search engines, has made accessing information as easy as lifting a finger,” the report reads. “No longer do we have to make costly efforts to find the things we want. We can ‘Google’ the old classmate, find articles online, or look up the actor who was on the tip of our tongue.” So true – I find myself looking up information I don’t have off the top of my head whenever the need arises. And I’m confident Google will come up with all the information I’ll ever need.

Here’s an example of the type of task the researchers used to conduct the study. They asked 60 Harvard students to type 40 pieces of trivia such as, “An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain,” into computers. These students, divided into two groups, were told (1) that the information would be saved, or (2) that it would be erased. Those who believed the data would be saved were less likely to remember what they typed. A no brainer, right? Nevertheless, the information is reliable because this was a well-designed study, carefully controlled, with scientifically proven results.

In one of the experiments, participants were asked not only to remember the trivia statement itself, but which of five computer folders it was saved in. The result was that people were better able to recall the folder. While this surprised the researchers, I don’t  find it surprising. Nor would those who carefully file email information in folders. Experts call this “transactive memory” − remembering where you can get the information and not the information itself.

The authors conducted four studies and concluded the following. “The results of four studies suggest that when faced with difficult questions, people are primed to think about computers and that when people expect to have future access to information, they have lower rates of recall of the information itself and enhanced recall instead for where to access it. The Internet has become a primary form of external or transactive memory, where information is stored collectively outside ourselves.” There, you have it. These memory studies suggest that using search engines causes our brain to change the way it accesses information, depending on computer technology rather than relying solely on memory.

So the next time you forget, let Google refresh your memory. What did we ever do before Google!

Many wholesalers and general merchandise vendors have heard of Microdata, a markup language provided by Schema.org and supported by Google, Bing and Yahoo. Microdata are markup attributes (tags, code) that give semantic meaning to product pages or any X/HTMLweb page. These tags allow all product details such as price, image, reviews, manufacturer, etc., to be accurately understood by search engines. As a result, they can display complete, accurate information about your products in the SERPs.

The example shows how an enhanced listing looks in the SERPs with structured markup, in this case, a rich snippet. The listing contains a photo, reviews and cooking time for a recipe. Google started using rich snippets in 2009 and now supports more extensive structured markup with Schema Microdata.

Rich Search Listings. Search engines can serve rich search listings with more detailed information when you have Microdata markup attributes on your web page content. This is a major advantage over your competitors because your listings will get more clicks and conversions for the products and services exhibited online. Right now, most wholesalers don’t know about Microdata, or how to implement it, so it’s a good time to learn more and get ahead of the competition in Google.

The ability to put structured markup on your product pages is good for suppliers and their buyers, as well. Structured markup attributes on your static and/or dynamic pages can increase traffic and conversions for suppliers, while making sourcing faster and easier for buyers. Google likes structured markup because it helps classify information on web pages through the use of tags that break down individual content elements. That allows the googlebot to serve more relevant results, which is what propelled Google ahead of Yahoo and Microsoft in the first place.

Schema Microdata. You can find out more about Microdata at Schema.org. Basically, Microdata schemas are broken down into different “types” that are categorized. The types follow a hierarchy with the most general type named “Thing.” The more specific types under Thing are: Creative Work, Event, Intangible, Organization, Person, Place and Product. For example, Creative Work attributes can be used to describe books, movies, photographs, software programs, and so forth. Event attributes are used to describe an event that’s happening at a certain time and location, like a trade show. It’s amazing what a little code can do to make your content machine-readable by search robots. The end result is a richer search listings and possibly higher rankings.

WordPress Microdata Plugin. You can get a WordPress plugin called Schema for WordPress, which lets you insert markup consistent with schema.org to enhance your blog’s search results on the major search engines. The plugin requires WP 3.1 or higher. Tell your webmaster about it because it may require a little technical expertise.

Conclusion. Wholesalers and general merchandise vendors can gain competitive advantage with Microdata markup provided by Schema.org. These markup attributes give your product pages semantic meaning and a rich product listing in search results. You can act now to get Microdata markup on your content with a WordPress Microdata Plugin.

With 87 percent wireless penetration in the United States, wholesalers and retailers can both gain by using mobile marketing to reach their customers and prospects. SMS (short message service) is one of the most effective mobile marketing channels in the advertising realm. That’s because of its simplicity, widespread adoption and extensive reach. All cell phones can receive SMS, which means you can reach 5 billion subscribers worldwide – a great way for wholesale and retail merchants to reach their target market.

ABI Research estimated consumers worldwide will send over 7 trillion SMS messages in 2011. According to Nielsen Mobile, the average consumer sends 600 messages per month and uses less than 200 voice minutes. On top of that, 22.7 percent of the U.S. population uses wireless rather than landline phones. When you look at the fact that over 90 percent of text messages are opened and read, versus less than 40 percent of email solicitation messages read, you can see that mobile marketing is a great opportunity.

Wholesalers and retailers can use SMS in the following ways:

• Reach customers who don’t have smartphones
• Reach your customers for retention and loyalty programs
• Acquire new customers
• Drive sales through coupons and discounts

Here’s how SMS campaigns work. Mobile subscribers use a Common Short Code (a 5 or 6 digit carrier-approved number) to send SMS messages in order to receive promotions, alerts and other content on their devices. This enables them to access mobile applications and participate in various activities such as: customer feedback, voting and polling, news and offer alerts, contests, surveys, games, couponing, direct marketing and mobile commerce. Short code campaigns are rapidly growing in popularity because of their simplicity and easy access to consumers. Mobile coupons, incidentally, get a 10 to 20 percent higher conversion rate than print coupons.

Setting Up an SMS Campaign. There are three types of SMS campaigns you can use: text blasting (bulk messaging), keyword response and smart texting.

Text blasting/bulk messaging involves a single message is sent to a group of users. Systems that offer bulk messaging functionality usually have an address book that stores names and phone numbers to create groups of recipients.

In most countries, it’s illegal to send unsolicited text messages. Therefore, it’s important to create and maintain your list of phone numbers to text with care, knowing who has opted in and that they may later opt out. This is important because most people will not tolerate unauthorized use of their phone number. Service providers have tools to help you manage opt-outs, and some stand-alone software has default opt-out rules.

Keyword response involves an automated reply sent to all incoming messages containing a specific keyword. For example, if you requested a response that requires texting the words “I accept” to a mobile phone number, the response would be “Thanks for texting! You’ve accepted our free trial. We’ll send you the software in 24 hours.” This is a good way to gain leads for future sales, but you must follow up on every message.

Smart texting is an advanced form of keyword response where an incoming text message triggers a complex interaction that could involve requesting further information from the user. For example, you might ask a consumer to text the word “Report” to describe the report they want among many offered. It could be something like “Report SEO for Retailers.” The response could be, “Thanks for requesting the report SEO for Retailers! Do you want it sent electronically or postal mail? If so send address by return.” The report could then be sent as requested.

Commercial Service Providers. There are many commercial providers that offer bulk SMS services. Some offer international service with local numbers (in the case of incoming SMS) to many countries, while others cover a specific country. Message costs vary, and sometimes there is also a monthly subscription cost. Commercial providers can provide a simple setup in addition to other services such as free web-based or desktop management tools; a technical helpline is often provided at no cost.

Conclusion. Mobile marketing and SMS are very attractive promotional channels for many reasons. SMS mobile marketing is particularly effective because these brief messages can deliver personal, immediate and actionable content to a targeted audience that has opted to receive such messages. Additionally, research indicates mobile coupons get a 10 to 20 percent higher conversion rate than print coupons. Lastly, there is significantly less clutter in the SMS channel from too many brands using it at this point.

Research shows about 75 percent of online shoppers fail to complete a purchase for one reason or another. While retailers and general merchandise vendors have many good offers on their site to attract sales, they might not be doing enough to ensure that shoppers complete the purchase once selected items in the shopping cart are processed at checkout.

The main reasons for shopping cart abandonment are:

• High shipping cost or hidden fees
• Slow payment process
• Not enough payment options
• Transaction security and personal information concerns
• Price comparison not available
• Coupon or discount not available
• Shopper intends to buy offline
• Lack of support for the purchase

As all web merchants know, just because a customer puts an item in their shopping cart, that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. Shopping cart abandonment rates are fairly high, and this is troubling for large as well as small online ecommerce sites. So let’s see what can be done to save your potential buyers from leaving your site.

Know Shipping Rates and Be Transparent About Costs. A recent research study revealed 46 percent of shoppers abandoned their shopping carts because shipping charges were too high. You are competing for business online, so it doesn’t’ make sense to inflate shipping costs to increase your profit – especially when big sites like Amazon can offer free shipping with a $25 spend. Make sure the price is clearly marked next to the “Buy” button so shoppers know the price of the item on checkout. If you charge for shipping and handling, make that clear up front and not at the last minute. A last-minute surprise with such hidden fees may be the reason why the transaction fails. Keep your entire purchasing process transparent and you’ll get more sales in the long run.

Ensure Your Order and Payment Process Are Fast and Easy. Don’t require any extra questions to complete a transaction online. All you need is name, delivery address and credit card authorization. Only ask for information that is directly relevant to delivering the products and receiving payment. Your marketing people may want some extra customer information, but the point of sale is not the time to get such information. Marketing can request that information in follow up emails. The other thing you want to do is test your site to see how fast it operates with different browsers. Make sure your checkout process is fast and smooth.

Provide All Possible Payment Options and Make Them Known. Say your buyers complete the order and move on to make payment only to find you don’t offer their preferred payment option. You need to offer as many payment options as possible and make sure this info is clearly stated on your homepage, product pages and landing pages.

Promote Transaction Security. Use the latest security technology to protect your customers and your business and make sure your customers know this by showing a seal of approval from established security companies like VeriSign. Post a privacy policy that is also easily found so your customers know you won’t be careless with their personal information. This will go a long way toward assuring buyers this is a safe website that can be trusted with personal and financial information.

Give Shoppers Price  Comparisons. This can help you avoid a situation where shoppers take your price and then visit a competitor to compare the price. Enabling customers to perform price comparisons directly from your site gives you the opportunity to influence prospects by showing them why your product or service is better than the competition.

Provide Chat for Support. Many times, customers have questions about the product, and if they’re not sure and can’t ask a question, they will abandon the idea of buying online. You can avoid this by providing a chat service.

Make It Easy to Come Back. Many shoppers abandon the cart but return at a later date, perhaps because they weren’t ready to buy yet. Send a follow up message by auto-responder using the captured email address. You can send an incentive to buy, offer a coupon or discount. Also, you can provide the ability to put items on their wish list. Use an abandoned cart recovery script so customers can return to the point where they left off

Buyers have the unique opportunity to purchase the best in plastic housewares from Brazil, courtesy of The Export Plastic Program. Exhibitors from eight Brazilian companies will feature attractive plastic housewares at the ASD Variety and Value Show in Las Vegas Sunday July 31st through Wednesday August 3rd. You don’t want to miss the opportunity of seeing these lovely and distinctive plastic housewares.

Brazilian plastic housewares are known for their quality and diversity. Eight manufacturers from Brazil will be presenting their assortment of plastic housewares, and you won’t want to miss these exhibits.

The Export Plastic Program has about 70 member companies, 40 of which specialize in plastic housewares. Together, these companies exported plastics to over 50 countries in Europe, North America, South America and Africa for an export volume of $36 million in 2010. This was a 12.5 percent increase over Brazilian plastics exported in 2009.

The Export Plastic Program was created in December 2003 through collaboration between the Brazilian integrated plastic supply chain (ranked among the 10 largest in the world) and Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency). Brazilian plastic companies are renowned for their high technology as well as the quality of their human resources.

Under the coordination of the Brazilian Plastic Institute (INP), the Export Plastic Program promotes the exporting of finished plastic products by encouraging Brazilian plastic industries to develop and expand their business overseas. For housewares buyers, this means high-quality products with product availability and on-time delivery on plastic housewares that fit your local market demand.

Brazilian Exhibitors at ASD Variety and Value Show. The following eight companies will be exhibiting plastic housewares at the ASD Las Vegas Variety and Value Show.

Cobrirel: This company operates in the household utilities market in Brazil and also produces plastic components for the electro-electronics, automotive, telecommunications and home appliances industries. The company started in 1972, and has been in the household utilities market since 1989. Today, it offers a line over 50 products for the kitchen, garden, bathroom, organizers, water dispensing accessories, hangers, school lunch, floors and casters, etc.

Kos: Kos Acrylics has over 40 years experience in plastic manufacturing. Kos has been introducing new products to the market for over seven years. It carries a complete line of top quality products in five categories: tableware, kitchenware, hotel and restaurant, giftware and promotional. All products feature advanced designs and are made entirely of acrylic.

Multbox: Located in São Paulo, Brazil, Multbox guarantees the quality of its products and services. With over 35 years experience in injection and lamination of thermoplastics, the company is certified in ISO 9001 and designs products of technical sophistication to meet the needs of national and international markets.

Naxos is in the home appliances market and offers reliable, quality plastic products that are sold throughout Brazil and abroad. The company provides fast delivery, fair prices and guaranteed customer satisfaction. Naxos sells the Lume lighter, which has been a trusted brand in Brazil for 20 years due to its quality. Naxos is a SGS certified company.

Plasútil: A leader in the Brazilian plastic market with a presence in over 30 countries, Plasútil has a product range of over 700 plastic housewares items. The company produces products that combine high quality, modern design and functionality.

Oky Replasmac: A plastic injection company operating in the technical parts market for 20 years, the company developed the Oky brand for the domestic appliance market, innovating and transforming common products into special pieces. Oky provides plastic products in four categories: appliances, lighting, gardening and design. Products are manufactured though the application of details and blending transparencies and colors, creating practical solutions.

Schwanke: Founded in 1951, the factory is located in the South of Brazil. It manufactures plastic cleaning housewares and nonwoven products from natural and synthetic fibers.

Tritec: With 20 years market experience, Tritec specializes in the industrialization and commercialization of plastic products designed for domestic utilities. It has a children’s line and a packaging line for food products. Tritec is a high-tech plastic company that uses many manufacturing processes, including injection.

Here’s where you can find these exhibits: 

Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall, Upper Level
Booth #: V3704
ASD Las Vegas Variety & Value 2011 – July 31 to August 3

For more information about the Export Plastic Program, contact:
Gilberto Agrello
Phone: 1-786-683-9499 (during the show)
+ 1 305 832 1434 (direct) or +55 11 2148-4773 (office)
E-mail: gilberto@exportplastic.com
Website: www.exportplastic.com

Getting customers to buy your product has become a real challenge. Many marketing and advertising campaigns are not working, and many retailers are wondering what they should do to generate traffic. There is one tool that is currently a hot marketing tool. Provide coupons for your customers and, at present, you will grab the attention of a lot of potential customers.

Coupons are not a new idea, they have been around and been used by many generations of shoppers, it is that they have taken on a new lease of life at present. Many of your customers are looking at their cost of living and the family budget and wondering where they can save money. The result is that they are being bombarded with discount offers in almost every shopping window.

The more shrewd retailers are targeting consumers and using coupons as a means of getting the customer into their businesses.

American consumers are particularly attracted to coupons, and over the years that I have been going to America, I have observed coupon offers in newspapers and in stores. According to AC Nielsen, the research company, these coupons peaked in 2000 when the value of coupon offers reached 4.4 billion dollars. This has declined, but in 2010 it was still a 3.3 billion dollar industry.

According to Advertising Age, the advertising bible, 87 percent of American shoppers use coupons. Research carried out by AC Nielson indicated that 95% percent of customers like coupons and 60% percent actually look for them.

Extreme Couponing. One reason some retailers dislike coupons is because of “Extreme Couponing.” This is where the consumer abuses the coupon situation. It is estimated 13 percent of American shoppers fall into this bracket. They are heavy coupon users and abuse the situation. Some are buying the specials and then reselling them at markets or to their friends at a profit. Having said that, 70 percent of coupon users are enthusiasts, and many of them redeem coupons 188 times a year.

The old fashioned paper coupon is still popular with many shoppers and should not be neglected as a promotional tool. In the new “Bricks and Clicks” retail world we live in the coupon has taken on a new life.

Value Marketing Coupons… E Marketing. The fastest growing marketing technique at present is Value Marketing Coupons. This is where a retailer provides a coupon on a dedicated web site. Thirty four percent of women who are exposed to E Coupons are frequent users of them, whilst 51% percent of 18 to 24 year olds will use them if they are presented with them. The value of coupon marketing is that they can:

• Expand your geographical market
• Entice new consumers to come to your business
• Attract existing customers to come more often
• Increase your profits by allowing you to sell add-ons at a greater profit than the offer.

The introduction of digital marketing has seen the coupon move from being a paper coupon that was cut out of a magazine or newspaper or collected in store to a digital downloadable coupon. Most digital coupons are time or volume related, and this can be down to hours or a few hundred units, encouraging the potential consumer to make a quick decision.

The role of the retailer is to ensure that they have plenty of the product on offer in stock, plus use the opportunity to get the consumer to purchase other full-priced products or to return to the store again.

Coupons are usually discount coupons, but BOGOF [Buy One and Get One Free] coupons are also promoted on such schemes. The Value Marketing Coupons via a dedicated provider is either promoted via international sites, “GroupOn” being the most commonly recognized, or via local web sites. In our city of Perth, we have numerous sites including Cudo, www.cudo.com.au and Scoopon, www.scoopon.com.au

Integration is the Key. How can you make coupons work for your business? Imagine you have a coupon online. It promotes a select number of products that are only available on a coupon offer during a quiet time in your business. You promote the coupons online and tell the consumer they have to rush into your store before you sell out. The offer is promoted in-store as well as online with a ticking clock and number of units left. Create some theatre around a coupon offer and let your team and the consumers join in the fun.

John Stanley provides conference presentations, workshops and consultancy to the retail industry in 30 countries. He can be contacted at john@johnstanley.com.au.

The Google Plus project has been operational for a couple weeks and seems to be catching on “like wildfire.” Yesterday, Paul Allen estimated 4.5 million users. Today, Clint Boulton of eWeek said it passed the 10 million mark! It remains to be seen if Google will surpass Facebook in social networking, but at its current adoption rate, Google Plus could finally be the move that breaks the Facebook juggernaut. Google has a good chance to get ahead since it’s been around since 1998 and everybody from your kids to your grandparents use it every day.

The Google plus project is in a limited field trial at the moment. Google says it is testing with a small number of people, but it won’t be long before Google+ is ready for all. You can leave your email address and Google will let you know when they’re ready to invite more people to use it.

What is Google Plus all about? Since social networking is all about sharing, Google wants to make it easy for people to do a lot more sharing. So they’ve been working on adding some social networking options to Google, hoping to make connecting with people on the web a little bit more like connecting in real life. Here’s what Google has so far, and they promise there’s more to come.

Circles: Everyone shares different things with different people; it could be photos, stories, recommendations, etc. Google thinks sharing these things with your circle of friends shouldn’t be a hassle, and they’re doing their part to make it easier. Circles makes it easy to put your friends from the gym or curves in one circle, your parents in another circle, and people from work in yet another. You can arrange your circles the same way you have different groups of friends and family in real life.

Sparks: Remember the good old days when people would cut articles out of the paper and send them to friends and family? Google thinks that was a nice idea so they created Sparks to look for videos and articles it thinks you’ll like. When you have free time, you can watch, read and share with friends and family.

Hangouts: Running into friends when you’re out is always fun and exciting. With Hangouts, can have fun as well when you have these unplanned, virtual meet-ups on the web. You can let your buddies know you’re hanging out and see who drops by for a face-to-face-to-face chat.

Instant Upload: This one is for mobile users. We all agree taking photos is fun. and sharing them online is even more fun. But getting photos off your phone (or digital camera) and on to the web is not a lot of fun, right? That’s why Google created Instant Upload − so from now on, your photos upload themselves.

Huddle: This is also for mobile users. Texting is great, but not when you’re trying to get six different people to decide where to go for lunch, right? Huddle takes care of it for you by turning all those different conversations into one simple group chat, so everyone gets on the same page long before you get sore thumbs.

So these are the new social services coming to Google: Circles, Sparks, Hangouts, Instant Upload and Huddle. Sounds exciting, right? Just think what you’re missing if you weren’t invited to try it. Google Plus is just another way of networking with friends and business associates without much effort. You can share and socialize, and Google makes it easy as pie.

Will Google Plus have abuses? Not if Google can help it; Google does not allow Google + profiles with fake names. If you create a Google+ account under a fake name, your profile can be suspended. This thread in the Gmail Help forums tells you how to solve the problem if you do get suspended.

In closing, there are many benefits of the Google + project for individuals and businesses. Go to the signup page to be notified when Google Plus becomes available for you.