2011 August

While wholesalers, manufacturers and other general merchandise suppliers rely more on search marketing to generate traffic and new business, many times they overlook another great tool – blogging. There are many benefits of having a company blog: it makes you a subject-matter expert, gives you more exposure to search bots, helps you connect with customers, helps brand your company and products, provides your customers with product information and creates new ways for users to find your business. So what’s the downside?

For years, people enjoyed looking for great products in glossy print catalogs from Sears, JC Penney, Lands End and more. Now, mobile technology makes catalog shopping engaging, social and creative. That’s why Google created Google Catalogs − a free app for tablet devices that enables shoppers to browse their favorite catalogs while interacting with rich-media content.

Dollar stores are flush with shoppers these days, and they have a new clientele, people who never shopped there before. For years, most dollar store shoppers were poor people and seniors, but now the affluent have taken to shopping their neighborhood dollar store as well. As reported by the New York Times, affluent households are driving the current growth. In fact, 22 percent of the dollar store market consists of customers making over $70,000 per year, which is the fastest growing segment.

Last month, I visited a shopping center in Chicago that once had 100 thriving shops. On my visit, however, only 25 retail stores were open, and the security guard said more were shutting down. He also said the owner had a solution; he was going to build a skating rink in the center as this would solve all his problems! At the same time in the UK, reports state 11.5 percent of the shops are empty as a result of the recession. In Australia, we are told we have too many shops per head of population and must be prepared for a reduction in retail outlets. No matter what country, retailing seems to be getting a bad rap these days. Be prepared for more retailers closing their doors; but remember, this is also an opportunity.

We at TopTenWholesale are pleased to announce that Forum Publishing Company, publishers of Retailers Forum Magazine and Swap Meet Magazine, is being honored for their 30th year of service to the industry at a special ceremony to be held September 11th, 2011 in New York City.

Collective buying site Groupon hit the wall in China as it closed offices in various cities and let hundreds of employees go just before its planned IPO. So, what gives? Like so many other successful companies that want to expand business in China, Groupon fell into the China trap. It’s not the only company to do so – Google, eBay and Yahoo! have all run into business problems in China for one reason or another. If there’s a lesson to be learned by U.S. and foreign firms, it is buyer beware when selling to Chinese consumers or doing business in China.

Retailers of quality apparel, accessories and home and gift merchandise who just attended the Las Vegas Off Price Show August 19-22 are saying it was a grand affair with the band Front Page performing, a full BBQ Buffet and cash bar, pool side at T.I. The Show has helped retailers from around the world build substantial profits through connections made with hundreds of vendors exhibiting in over a thousand booths. Exhibitors offer quality, unique products and below-wholesale prices.

China has become the world’s factory as global buyers continue to order products from China at cost-effective prices. Chinese wholesalers provide healthy profit margins on a wide spectrum of products, while Chinese manufacturers produce goods you won’t find anywhere else at such prices. That means retailers can quickly dominate their niche when they buy from China.

B2B merchants often find it challenging to select the best online marketing tactics, especially when working with a limited marketing budget. There are many to choose from: website design, email campaigns, search marketing, display, social media, etc. The 2011 MarketingSherpa B2B Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook indicates search engine optimization and email marketing are among the top tactics for B2B merchants.

Bing has been nibbling away at Google’s search dominance since last year, and it now owns 30 percent of the U.S. search market (14 percent Bing and 15 percent Yahoo!). As reported on Bing’s search blog, Bing Shopping now gives users more selection features, and helps them find products with fewer steps.

Before long, the number of people accessing the Internet by mobile web will outnumber those connecting on laptops and computers. Google CEO Larry Page said in a recent interview, “Computing is moving onto mobile.” So naturally, when it comes to back-to-school shopping, mobile will play a big role, as shown in a new study from Deloitte. In fact, this could be predictive of things to come in the coming holiday shopping season.

As a recognized leader in the liquidation industry, Via Trading has always been focused on the notion of continuous improvement. It strives to serve its retail customers and lead the industry by example. For that reason, we were not surprised to learn Via is offering its retail customers a standing floor display solution that can be used for influencing customers in the aisles.

Social media is becoming a great asset that B2B merchants can use to engage potential buyers on the web, as well as for getting found. As you know, Facebook has over 750 million active users. Media services provider Compete puts Facebook in second place behind Google in terms of unique visitors. ComScore deems it the most popular social networking site. There is no doubt most B2B companies can benefit from creating a Facebook fan page.

Our article about Mobile Marketing got a lot of interest from wholesalers and general merchandise vendors last month. While integrating social, mobile and email campaigns can yield great results, we know many merchants are not yet using integrated online marketing campaigns. Therefore, we’d like to provide information about social, mobile email integrated campaigns for your online marketing strategy as these media are used daily by consumers and marketers alike.

A new report by Borrell Associates states that “Main Street is embracing mobile marketing at a stunning rate.” Adoption of mobile advertising by small businesses was faster than any media adoption rates of the past, including cable in the ‘80s and the Internet in the ‘90s. There is no doubt that wholesalers, general merchandise vendors and retailers can also benefit from mobile advertising, but B2B marketers have been slow to adopt mobile.