Go4Gifts has been distributing exclusive hand crafted gifts and home décor products from India for 15 years. The company now takes pride in introducing these products to global markets. India is the land of craft and heritage. Buyers will want to discover these lovely gift products because they have proven to be top sellers.

Go4Gifts LLC is a supplier of a unique range of gift products for both corporate and individual purposes. These quality products can serve your needs for special occasions and to celebrate any event. Buyers will find these unique products a great way to expand their products offerings. They are sure to please customers and increase sales.

Go4Gifts differentiates itself from all competitors by excelling in the art of resin casting. Their skilled artists use an individual mold for setting real sea shells and dry flowers in sophisticated and elegant designs. Hand polishing gives the products a high-quality, glass-like finish.

These beautiful products are heat resistant and fully washable. Each piece is handcrafted, making each one unique. As you know, it’s not easy to find hand crafted products made of durable materials, and these are made to last.

At Go4Gifts, you will find all kinds of unique gifts, including:

• Home décor products
• Office table top gifts
• Handcrafted novelties
• Picture Frames
• Flower Holders
• Desktop Organizers
• Wall Clocks
• Mood Lamps
• Coasters
• Key Hangers
• Sundry Items

We asked Go4Gift partner Chaitali Dekhtawala, what makes customers come back for repeat business? “At Go4Gifts we are committed to our customers. High customer satisfaction and the utmost customer service are our company’s top priorities,” said Dekhtawala.

Why do buyers purchase from you rather than your competitors? “Our products are unique in the world. No one else can match the quality and finishing of the products we manufacture. We have more than 35 years of experience and expertise behind the manufacturing of our products,” said Dekhtawala. “Gifts are something always people have bought in past no matter how the economy behaves on consumers,” continued Dekhtawala. “We expect business will continue to grow in coming years,” he added.

Shown below are examples of the product range at Go4Gifts.

For a better idea of what you can find, buyers should visit the Go4Gifts website to see the complete product range.

Go4Gifts also sells online retail and currently has an exclusive 30% Off Season Sale running on its website right now that includes the entire product range. You won’t want to miss this offer!

Return Policy: While these products are of superior quality, if for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you may return the purchased item within 15 days of receiving it for exchange or store credit. The company does not give refunds. Click here for more details.

Contact Personnel: Neo Patel / Vips Shah
Address: 401 Buckminster Dr, #107, Norwood, MA 02062.
Phone: (707) 654 – 4438 / Email: info@go4gifts.net
Skype: go4gifts.llc / Follow us on Twitter: Go4Gifts_LLC
Like Go4Gifts on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Go4Gifts

As ecommerce becomes more competitive, online merchants must work harder to be successful. Most merchants have heard of Google Product Search, the Google price comparison service that displays products in the organic SERPs. Originally named Froogle, Google Product Search has been around for a while and continues to become more important because the comparison shopping engine helps drive customer traffic to merchant sites through Google’s search algorithms and technologies.

However, not all online merchants are using Google Product Search. Product Search offers retailers the opportunity to display specific products in search results. As indicated by Google: “It provides potential customers an on-hand price comparison service, with searches by keyword, which can then be broken down by category and ordered by price.”

When searching on Google, users can find your products via shopping results as part of organic search results, or through Google’s products search page.

Merchant access is available at the Google Merchant Center, where you can submit your product feed for display in search results. Ecommerce sites can gain visibility by uploading their products to Google’s free service, which has become a source of more revenue for many ecommerce merchants. You can potentially see millions of visits from product searches once you start uploading your feeds through your Google Merchant Center account.

• You can upload manually, but it’s not recommended
• Because of the changing nature of most products in your inventory and potential price changes, uploading product feeds should be automated
• To save time, your feed uploads should be in an XML file hosted on your main domain using a static file name
• You can then build a function into your CMS that can refresh (or auto refresh) your feed whenever necessary or when you add and remove products
• Your data feed can then be submitted through the Google Merchant Center requesting that Google download your feed contents on a daily/weekly/monthly basis

Google changed its feed specifications and policies in September, requiring additional fields to be filled in, so you will want to review the new instructions. It’s important to adhere to the new policies and to provide all the necessary information.

The formerly required attributes below are no longer required. If included in your feed, it’s not a problem, but the information will not be included in Google Product Search.

• Quantity
• Feature
• Manufacturer
• Genre
• Featured product
• Year
• Author
• Edition

The following are now required attributes:

• Image Attributes: required worldwide
• Availability Attribute: required in the US, UK, Germany and France
• New Google Product Category Attribute: required for US, UK, Germany, France and Japan
• New Clothing Attributes: required for US
• New Variant Attributes: required for variant clothing products in the U
• Prices: your most prominent price on the landing page must be the same price on Google Product Search

Data Freshness: This has to do with the availability, pricing and general product information of each product. If any of these attributes are inaccurate or false, Google will take action against the account. Therefore, you must monitor availability and price changes regularly.

Success with Google Product Search: Adhere to Google’s guidelines, keep your data fresh and make your product titles relevant so searchers can find them. Another thing you can do is encourage your customers to write reviews on third party sites since this gives you trust and authority. Be aware that merchants with better pricing are ranked higher as Google uses a combination of price, authority and relevance for ranking products.

To get the best results with Google Product Search and increase your revenues, be certain your files are correct when first entered, adhere to the new regulations, and ensure your data is always fresh.

DK Hawaiian Collection/Don Ko Enterprises is a great place for buyers to order top quality products from a great selection of fashions and gift items at incredible prices. All products come directly from factories in China, the Philippines and Indonesia. You must see these beautiful necklaces and jewelry to appreciate their uniqueness and quality.

Christine Miller of DK Hawaiian Collection tells us one of the company’s major strengths is its wide variety of items offered at incredibly low prices. “All of our fashion inventory keeps growing to meet the needs of fashion industry buyers,” said Miller. The company offers a wide variety of items including:

Aloha Wear
Anklets
Bags
Belts
Fashion Bracelet & Bangel
Fashion Necklace & Earring Set
Fashion Ring & Earrings
Gift Items
Hair Accessories
Hematite Magnet Bracelet/Neck
Home/Patio Decor
Key Chains & Magnet
Leather Bracelet
Lei Magic Hair Comb
Natural Jewelry
Rasta Items
Turtle (Faux) Items
Winter Shawl & Scarf

What differentiates the company from its competitors? “We are direct manufacturers of fashion items with factories in China, Philippines and Indonesia,” said Miller. “Our trends are like no other with items made from a wide variety of materials such as shell, colored stones, leather, coconut beads, and many other natural materials,” she added.

DK Hawaiian Collection specializes in a number of fashion items including gifts and accessories. “A selection of items are made from natural materials and thus are trend setters at great prices,” said Miller. We asked Miller: what makes customers come back to your company for repeat business? “We have had customers for over ten years, and the main focus, besides our price, of course, is the wide selection, quality and service they receive when they visit our shop or order online,” said Miller. “We are also able to provide the ability to customize certain products for customers and take special orders because we are direct manufacturers,” she added.

“Buyers love our stores because they can buy great quality items that sell fast,” continued Miller. “We are all in this business to make sales; if a item does not sell, they don’t come back. Our items sell fast, and our buyers love them because they know they’ll move quickly so they can come back for more,” she added.

Miller told us DK Hawaiian items are driven by the summer months, but they also have the ability and can supply the demand for summer items in the winter. “Plus we have added an incredible line of winter items that will continue to grow 2012,” said Miller.

DK Hawaiian is expanding and this will be a big part of 2012 for them. “We believe in supplying the demand with great quality items that sell fast, even in a down economy” said Miller. “Our products sell right off the shelves, so our need for expansion has begun with bigger facilities in the Philippines and Indonesia,” she added. It sounds very much like DK Hawaiian Collections’ vision for the future is to supply the world with a wide selection of unique, quality products. We wish Miller and DK Hawaiian Collection a great future.

DK Hawaiian Collection will be attending the Las Vegas ASD Show in 2012. You can see all their lovely items in Las Vegas.

Don Ko Enterprise/DK Hawaiian Collection
1135 South Main Street, Unit C
Los Angeles, California 90015 United States
Toll-Free: (866) 697-7400
Phone: (213) 747-7400     Fax: (213) 747-7482
E-Mail: DonKo@sbcglobal.net

According to recent research (GfK Custom Research and SapientNitro), 38 percent of U.S. smartphone users are shopping for the best deals on their devices. But are these devices safe? Retailers must stay ahead of the game by preparing for the time when mobile devices and mobile commerce sites become targets for criminals.

“Using digital devices makes it easier and makes me feel like I’m in control of the prices,” said one survey respondent in the above survey. “I get better deals and better prices, and it’s enjoyable.”

When it comes to enjoyable, 39 percent of smartphone users say their devices have enriched their shopping experience this holiday season, the survey notes. Not surprisingly, consumers think of their mobile apps as tools for saving money.

“As the use of digital devices moves more to the forefront of Americans’ shopping behavior, the ease of finding deals with them – whether through research, social media, deal sites and the like – has eased the pressures of gift giving in this down economy,” said Chris Davey, global head of commerce at SapientNitro. “This empowerment comes at the right time given that many Americans plan to spend less on holiday shopping this year than they did last year.”

According to mobile measurement firm comScore, we have 234 million mobile subscribers in the U.S., and 38 percent of them (89 million), have smartphones. According to the above study of U.S. consumers with smartphones:

• 31% have used the GPS feature on their phone to help with holiday shopping
• 30% have used a mobile app to search for or purchase a product this holiday season
• 19% have scanned a QR code to find more information about a product
• 18% have used a mobile coupon at the point of purchase

Among tablet owners:

• 42% have used a mobile app to search for or purchase a product this holiday season
• 41% have scanned a bar code to get more information about a product

Mobile Commerce Could Be Vulnerable

Most consumers think their smartphones are secure. However, security firm McAfee Inc., warns that retailers and consumers need to prepare now because cyber criminals are targeting smartphones and mobile apps due to the increase in reliance on these devices for ecommerce.

According to McAfee’s recent survey of 2,337 U.S. adults, 70 percent of consumers believe their smartphones are safe from hackers, malware and other types of cyber crime. Implications for retailers and consumers are: as smartphones and tablets increase in popularity, criminals could start targeting them.

“Mobile malware incidents are still relatively low in number, but with smartphones and tablets eclipsing unit sales of desktop and laptop PCs, criminals will continue to set their sights on mobile,” said McAfee.

That means retailers must stay ahead of the game by preparing for the time when mobile devices and mobile commerce sites become targets for criminals.

“Everything that happened in the PC world will and is starting to happen in the mobile world,” said Gartner analyst Avivah Litan, who specializes in Internet security. “For example, criminals might attempt to gain remote control of a smartphone like they’ve done with desktop computers. If they can control the handset, they can change the banking controls, allowing criminals to empty a consumer’s bank account,” said Litan.

The proliferation of mobile devices means that retailers have their work ahead of them to ensure mobile commerce remains safe. “Retailers can’t control the way consumers connect to their ecommerce or mobile commerce websites and must rely on data generated after transactions are completed to ferret out potential risk, said Litan. “They need better fraud protection on the back-end,” she concluded.

As most wholesalers know, press releases should be optimized for good rankings and to make them easy to find in search engines. Proper optimization will result in new traffic and brand recognition for your company and products. Below are 10 tips for creating an optimized press release, followed by a list of 8 press release distribution sites.

1. Keyword Research: You need Google News specific keywords, and the best resource for that is Ubersuggest. That’s because traditional keyword research tools such as WordTracker and Keyword Discovery focus on general search engines rather than Google News.

2. Single Keyword Focus: Narrow down to the focus of your release with one keyword phrase and use that phrase in several variations. Use this keyword phrase first in the title if possible, unless it makes the title awkward because the title must be compelling and user friendly.

3. Images: Always submit an image with keywords in the file name. You can attach additional images as well.

4. Video: If you have a video, include it as an embedded element of the release. Video can create a lot more engagement with your release.

5. Distribution Service: It’s wise to use a PR distribution service for wide distribution and exposure. These services are indispensible, and we provide a list below for your consideration.

6. RSS Feed: If you publish an RSS feed, use it to syndicate and promote your release. Tools include Twitter Feed and Pingomatic. Post a short or summary version of your release with a link to Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

7. Articles: You can create a timely, newsworthy article about your release to post on your site, blog or other publications for more links and editorial attention.

8. Multiple Releases: You can build more awareness by creating a series of sequential press releases over time.

9. Press Release Archives: Use keyword categories rather than chronological organization in archiving your press releases. This is more useful because they can be tagged with keywords and associated with topical categories relevant to your business, media interest and customer interest.

10. Links to Other Content: If you publish white papers, reports, ebooks or case studies, consider linking to a relevant press release. Just embed links within that content that can be found by search engines.

Press Release Distribution Sites

As advertising costs rise and organic visibility gets more competitive, a press release can achieve good rankings in the SERPs. Finding a quality press distribution site is essential. The better sites will get more link juice and will likely to get into Google News and be syndicated elsewhere, giving you exposure at the top. Below is a review of 8 press distribution sites to consider.

1. PR Web: One of the best and most well-known of all press release distribution sites, PR Web is the distribution network of choice for many leading businesses.

2. SEO-PR: Another well-known PR distribution site that also offers SEO services, video marketing and social media marketing services headed by Greg Jarobe and Jamie ODonnell.

3. PR.com: Provides the option of paid and free press release distribution, as well as a company profile page. Both paid and free accounts get distribution to online news sites.

4. Online PR Media: Free and paid press release distribution with traditional press releases augmented with multimedia, social media and search engine optimization.

5. I-Newswire: Used by a number of Fortune 500 companies, as well as small to medium sized businesses, I-Newswire offers small-business-specific packages.

6. SB Wire: Offers free (ad supported) or paid press distribution. Pro membership based on a monthly fee with free 30 day trial for premium membership.

7. Press Method: Free and paid press distribution with basic feedback including next day distribution and number of times the release has been viewed.

8. Free Press Release Center: An online news and press release distribution service for small and medium-sized businesses.

In conclusion, press releases must be optimized for good rankings and top search engine exposure. Following the above tips for creating optimized press releases should result in new traffic and brand recognition for your wholesale business.

Almost a thousand years ago, from lands far away, emerged a tradition that has endured time. Its true origins are believed lost in the past, although Wikipedia attributes its origin to 16th Century India. This ancient treasure captured the hearts of many, and so it spread from the old world to the new – generation after generation – from Asia to Africa to Europe and America. If you use a hookah, go no further than Sahara Smoke, where you’ll find the cutting edge of hookah designs along with shisha tobacco.

A hookah, also known as a water pipe, is a single or multi-stemmed instrument for smoking that is often glass-based for cooling the smoke by water. The tobacco smoked is called shisha. The origin of the hookah can be traced back to India where a court physician, Abu’l-Fatḥ Gīlānī, first passed tobacco smoke through a small bowl of water to purify and cool the smoke in the 16th Century. Smoking the hookah gained popularity from there, especially in the Middle East, and is currently gaining popularity in North and South America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.

We asked Michelle Masri, Sahara Smoke Marketing Director, what is her company’s major strength. “We love hookahs and we are always working on the next greatest idea to improve them and make them even cooler than they already are,” said Masri.

So, what makes you better than your competitors? Masri replied, “We design and manufacture the products. We aren’t just sourcing something similar to everything else in the market. And because we love the products we are designing, we are always finding new ways to make them function better and look different, while constantly working to improve our quality.”

Sahara Smoke is a true innovator and on the cutting edge of hookah and shisha design. The company has designed and patented some of the most innovative hookah products, including the Sahara Vortex Bowl, the Nar Stem, the Sahara Vase shape and the use of soft glass with the hookah design. You can get the following products from Sahara Smoke:

• Hookahs
• Hookah accessories
• Hookah pipe tobacco

Sahara Smoke products are top notch, and the company stands behind them. “We believe you and your customers get what you pay for, and we do not sell the cheap stuff that is going to fall apart in a few weeks,” said Masri. “Our glass is thick and hand blown, so each piece is unique. Our stems are solid and heavy and upgradeable, so there is always room for your customers to add on to it, change it up a bit,” said Masri. “We guarantee the quality and we support our products with excellent customer service,” she added.

Hookahs have become quite popular in the United States over the last ten years, with lounges popping up all over the USA. “Yet,” said Masri, “we constantly run into people who have only recently heard of hookahs, and there is still rising interest. It is a cultural product and the expansion of media in the Middle East is certainly fanning the fire in this beloved tradition.”

When asked about business in 2012, Masri replied, “We’ve seen a lot of growth each year, and we think 2012 will be no exception. People are still learning about this product and falling in love with the social aspects and the beauty of it. And we are still coming up with more innovative products and designs to cater to all different tastes and styles.”

Sahara Smoke ships from Georgia and provides FREE shipping on orders over $1,000. For orders ranging from $300 to $999, there is a $50 flat rate shipping charge.

Sahara Smoke
http://www.saharasmokewholesale.com/
1-866-208-1339 (Monday-Friday 9:00 am to 6 pm EST)
service@saharasmoke.com

Yes, the wholesale business sounds great − buy low; sell high. It may not be easy, but it could be worthwhile if you have some sales background, a head for business and a nose for what sells. If you’ve been laid off and can’t find suitable employment, this might be an opportunity to investigate. Consumers are always buying all kinds of needed goods; the secret is to know what type of goods sell.

Starting a wholesale business can be profitable for certain people. As you may know, manufacturers produce products and retailers sell them to end users. However, there is a middleman in between, also known as a distributor, who moves the product from manufacturer to market. Wholesale distributors buy products from the manufacturer and then ship them from their warehouses to retailers.

There are various types of wholesalers: wholesale distributors; manufacturers’ sales offices; and agents, brokers and commission agents. Many wholesale distributors run an independently owned business that buys and sells products, taking ownership of the goods. Such operations are typically run from a warehouse where inventory goods are received and later shipped to customers.
As an owner of a wholesale distributorship, you would be buying goods to sell at a profit as a business-to-business organization selling to retailers and other wholesalers, but not to the buying public.

The field of wholesale distribution is a buying and selling endeavor that requires good negotiation skills, ability to predict “hot” items in specific product categories, good people skills, business skills and top sales skills. The object is to buy the products at a low price, and then make a profit by adding a dollar amount that makes it a good deal for customers.

In addition to the above skills, the owner of a new wholesale distributorship will need the operational skills such as finance and business management skills for running a company, as well as back end skills like warehouse setup and organization, shipping and receiving, customer service skills, etc. The back-end functions can be handled by experienced employees if budgeting allows.

Operating efficiently and turning inventory over quickly are the keys to success. Because wholesaling is a service business that deals with business customers rather than the general public, a startup entrepreneur must understand the business customer’s needs and know how to serve them.

When starting up, your needs may vary according to the type of product chosen. You could conceivably run a successful wholesale distribution business from your basement, but storage would eventually be a problem, requiring a move to a warehouse. Wholesale distributorships are usually started in areas where rent is cheap and warehouse space is affordable rather than downtown shopping areas.

Actually, you could run a distribution company from home as a broker rather than a distributor. The difference is that a distributor takes title and legal ownership of the products; whereas, a broker simply arranges for the transfer of products via dropshipping.

Today, we have approximately 300,000 distributors in the United States, representing $3.2 trillion in annual revenue. Wholesale distribution contributes 7 percent to the value of the nation’s private industry GDP. Most distribution channels comprise of many small, privately held companies. A small percentage of distributors in the USA have revenues greater than $100 million (about 2,000 national distributors).

Every year, U.S. retailers and online merchants make approximately $3.6 trillion in sales. Of that, about one-quarter is from general merchandise, apparel and furniture sales (GAF). To imagine the scope of GAF, think of every consumer item sold, and then remove cars, building materials and food. The rest, including computers, clothing, sporting equipment and other items, fall into the GAF total. All these goods come directly from manufacturers or through wholesalers and brokers. They are sold to the public in department stores, high-volume and specialty stores, which make up the client base for wholesale distribution firms.

While all this sounds good, there are a few things you should be aware of. Consolidation is common in the wholesale industry. Some sectors are doing this more than others. For example, pharmaceutical wholesaling has consolidated more than any other sector. Mergers and acquisitions have reduced the number of U.S. companies in that sector from 200 to about 50. The largest four companies control over 80 percent of the distribution market.

To avoid consolidation, many independent distributors are going into the specialty market. These entrepreneurs are being successful by picking up what the national companies don’t want. As distribution evolves from a local to a regional or national business, the national companies don’t want to service certain types of customers because it’s not cost effective. That leaves small customers behind, and that’s where the opportunity lies.

If you need unique caps or custom made hats, you should know about this large scale manufacturer in Jiaozhou Qingdao, China: Yaguan Cap Co., Ltd. Most recently, Yaguan Cap was designated a Supplier Pass™ member of Manufacturer.com and has also opened an office and showroom near LAX as a new ChinaMart Los Angeles member.

Yaguan specializes in producing fashionable headwear like no others. With its experienced cap design team, the company can supply the latest fashions in caps, while producing custom caps to client requirements. Yaguan Cap makes various types of caps and hats including baseball caps, sports caps, casual caps, golf caps, beret caps, bucket hats, sun visors, knitted caps and more. The company’s design team can supply any type of cap or hat to order.

As a large scale manufacturer in Jiaozhou Qingdao, China, Yaguan Cap recognized the advantage of becoming a new ChinaMart Los Angeles member with sales and display space in Los Angeles, CA near the Los Angeles Airport. Yaguan Cap will be exhibiting at the ASD Trade Show in March and August 2012. Buyers can see their products when attending the show or at the ChinaMart Los Angeles showroom.

Yaguan Cap is an expert at manufacturing custom caps for any company or occasion. Not only that, buyers can source with confidence because this is a Supplier Pass™ company on Manufacturer.com. That means the company has been verified as authentic by a qualified third-party agency, making sourcing completely dependable.

You can find the best in headwear and related accessories from Yaguan quickly and easily sourcing on Manufacturer.com. Buyers will want to see the full range of Yaguan goods because offering these caps will give retailers a competitive edge, coming from a top supplier in China.

Yaguan Cap Co., Ltd. is known in the industry for its professionalism in producing every kind of cap imaginable, including:
• Baseball Caps
• Sports Caps
• Casual Caps
• Golf Caps
• Beret Caps
• Bucket Hats
• Sun Visors
• Knitted Caps

Yaguan Cap Co., Ltd. accepts OEM requests, and its design team produces the newest and most fashionable designs in demand. Fashion caps are now being ordered by global customers, made to fit custom requirements.

The company’s manufacturing facility covers an area of 10,000 square meters, giving them plenty of room to produce top quality in a full range of goods. Customers can rely on Yaguan Cap, knowing that its products are welcomed by consumers with high quality standards in countries such as the USA, Canada, Korea, the UK, Italy, Spain, Austria, South Africa, East and South Asia, and more. Its list of export markets continues to grow as Yaguan Cap brings complete satisfaction to buyers around the world.

The general manger and the staff of Yaguan Cap Co., Ltd always welcome visitors from China and abroad, providing factory tours in China. In Los Angeles, visit Yaguan Cap’s showroom at the ChinaMart Los Angeles facility. At ASD Las Vegas, visit Yaguan’s booth in March and/or August 2012.

ComScore reported that Internet retailers made over $1 billion in online sales on four of the five workdays last week. That means ecommerce is almost 15 percent ahead of last year for this holiday season, although growth is slowing a bit compared to the frenzy around the Thanksgiving weekend.

Holiday season retail sales for November 1st through Friday, December 16th, totaled $30.937 billion, up 14.95 percent from $26.914 billion during the same period last year, according to comScore, which estimates retail sales based on tracking the online activity of a panel of 1 million U.S. consumers.

The most profitable online shopping days last week was Monday, with sales reaching $1.13 billion and Friday, the day that 2,300 e-retailers took part in the Free Shipping Day promotion organized by FreeShipping.org. Shoppers responded by spending $1.07 billion at retail web sites.

ComScore indicated the year-over-year growth rates for major e-retail promotions have slowed in the past couple of weeks. For example, Friday − Free Shipping Day − was up 14 percent over 2010, and last Monday − which marketers dubbed Green Monday − was up 19 percent. By contrast, the Friday after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, had an increase in online sales of 26 percent over the same day last year, and sales the following Monday, which is called Cyber Monday, were 22 percent ahead of 2010. So far, Cyber Monday was the heaviest online shopping day of 2011, at $1.251 billion.

Although there may be a few more heavy online sales days yet this week, comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni said, “It’s clear that we have now reached the crescendo for this season and that spending will begin to slow as we get closer to Christmas, leaving Cyber Monday as the top-ranked shopping day for the second year in a row.”

ComScore also notes that free shipping offers rebounded last week, with 56.0 percent of online buyers carrying no shipping charges for the week ended Friday, December 16, up from 52.2 percent during the same period last year. Last week’s percentage also represented an increase from 53.0 percent for the week ended December 11, 2011; 59.4 percent for the week ended December 4; and 64.4 percent for the week ended November 27, which was the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend.

“This season has seen a continuation of the trend where an increasing percentage of transactions involve free shipping, as more consumers demand it and more retailers provide it,” said Fulgoni. “During the week of Thanksgiving and Cyber Week we saw at least three in five transactions use free shipping, significantly higher rates than we’ve ever previously observed.” Cyber Week is the week following Thanksgiving weekend.

Another company tracking the sales of some 500 major online retailers reported that e-retail sales were up 10.8 percent for the week ended December 11 over the same week in 2010 at those ecommerce sites. IBM Corp.’s IBM Benchmark survey, based on data from its Coremetrics analytics unit, reported mobile devices accounted for 12.1 percent of site traffic during that week, an increase of 5.0 percent over a year earlier, and that 8.9 percent of those retailers’ sales came from smartphones and tablets, up from 3.8 percent last year. IBM predicts online sales will grow in December by 9.5 to10 percent over December 2010.

Retailing for Christmas 2011 is now behind us, and many forecasted it would be one of the more difficult Christmas trading periods we have had for a number of years. In the lead up to Christmas, I travelled through Europe and the Americas and found that retailers and businesses were coming up with novel ways of creating ideas for the consumer experience. These are the top ten ideas I discovered.

1. Interactive Shop Windows
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is not the first place you expect to come across innovation, but a walk down Whyte Avenue shows how you can bring a nostalgic Christmas to life .The Old Strathcona Business Association created the “Return of Magic” for Christmas 2011. Nine retailers joined forces to create a Christmas destination with old fashioned Christmas windows. These included Santa’s workshop, nativity themes, etc. It was not this alone that is worth mentioning, but the way they integrated a traditional theme with modern marketing. At each window there is a MP3 Code where you can scan onto the Return to Magic website using your smartphone. The website then provides the story and history of the display you are looking at.

It talks about the fact that this type of window display started in the late 1800’s in the USA when such windows also included live circus acts. In the 1920’s, electric motors were introduced to bring animation into the shop windows, bringing paper-mache Santa’s to life.

For me, this highlighted how we can bring the nostalgia of Christmas, history and modern technology together to create a retail destination.

2. Toys for Tickets
St. Albert is a small city in central Alberta. Like many cities, it has parking meters and consumers who will park illegally. One thing it does at Christmas, though, is “Toys for Tickets.”

If you park illegally between November 15th and December 7th, you will get a parking ticket, but you have a choice on how to pay the fine. You can simply pay your money or you can give a toy gift to a charity for under privileged children. This is how it works:

• The ticket must have been issued between the above dates
• You must pay the fine within the agreed time frame on the ticket
• The toy you gift in must be suitable for a baby or up to the age of 16 years old
• The toy must be new and in the original toy box
• The toy must be to the value of a minimum of $25 and must be presented with the receipt

The authority found that the average gift donated is valued at $40, and last year 70 percent of those fined donated toys to the value of $4,200. What a great way of marketing and sharing the good spirit of Christmas. The idea has now been taken up by Red Deer, Vancouver and Fort St. John in Canada.

3. Added Value for Poinsettias
The Poinsettia has now become a commodity retail Christmas plant. You will find them in supermarkets, petrol stations, hardware stores and other retail outlets, and as a result, they have become price sensitive and are often sold at the cheapest price. I was therefore impressed to see how Holes Enjoy Centre in Alberta are adding value to the product and moving it away for the price point. A few Christmas trimmings and a bauble and you have a new non-price sensitive product. Christmas is an ideal time to move commodity products into added-value zones, and we need to think of other products where the same can be achieved. Chladek’s in Prague in the Czech Republic went one step further and sold 1m high Christmas tree-shaped Poinsettias.

4. Reward the Sales Team
ASDA is the UK sister of Wal-Mart and one of the major supermarket retailers. The company is also aware that it’s the sales team that make the difference on the lead up to Christmas. In December, it launched “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Every day in the two weeks leading up to Christmas, they handed out ten pound gift vouchers to team members who delivered exceptional customer service. Apart from this, they also passed on twenty pound gift vouchers to all the team, along with a free Christmas meal. This is when team members are at their most stressed and of the biggest benefit to the business. This is the time to reward the team as it brings in the most beneficial rewards.

5. Delia Smith Wins Again
Delia Smith is the most trusted celebrity chef in the UK and works closely with Waitrose supermarkets. This year, the business created Delia Day in November and promoted her as its food hero for Christmas. The real winning idea was to pick up on the trend of baking and create the Delia Smith Christmas Cake in a box. All the ingredients were placed in the box so all the customer had to do was add the egg and start mixing. It was a huge success. The key secret was providing a solution in a box − something many retailers miss out on as a retailing idea that adds value to the consumer.

6. Dare to Be Different
The key to doing anything noteworthy is to dare to be different. Take a walk through St. Pancras Station at Christmas and you would have seen the traditional Christmas tree in the station foyer. But, the live tree had been replaced by a 12.2m; 6,000-brick Lego tree created by Duncan Titmarsh, the UK’s only certified Lego Professional .The tree was made by two local schools, involving the local community.

The key is daring to be different. Taking a traditional idea and developing it to the next stage. The world’s largest Lego Christmas Tree is an example of this thinking process

7. Build on Nostalgia
Marketing has moved back to nostalgia as a result of the desire of the consumer to reflect back on the “Good Old Days.” As a result, we have seen a surge in traditional markets and the Christmas market in town squares across the world at this time of year. Gloucester on the edge of the Cotswolds in the UK went one step further by creating a Victorian Christmas market. All stall holders had to wear Victorian clothes and old Victorian equipment and props were brought in by the organizers. This included a traction engine, and the memorable smell of the steam engine waffled through the air. Actors interacted with the consumers. When I was there, an actor pinched an apple and the old “peel” policeman chased him through the market. If retailing is about atmosphere, then the Gloucester Victorian Market had it for me. As more markets appear, the leaders need to do something different.

8. Make Christmas Candles to St. Nicholas Day
Chladek’s Garden Centre in Prague, Czech Republic, is one of the must-see Christmas shops in that city. I was there on St. Nicholas Day, which is three weeks before Christmas. They had all their team dress up and get involved with the visiting children. They had a candle making session, but spread the components required to build the candle around the garden centre. This meant child and parent had to visit all parts of the store and see what was on offer. A simple idea, but something we often forget. We need to engage the consumer, but also get them to see the whole store.

9. FaceBook and Christmas Trees
Chladek’s is also the largest single seller of Christmas trees in the country. This year, when a consumer bought a Christmas tree, they were given a leaflet inviting them to take a picture of their decorated Christmas tree and place it on FaceBook. The garden centre would then judge the best dressed tree. As social media becomes more acceptable by business we need to build more of these integrated marketing campaigns

10. Nostalgia is a Trend not a Fashion
Everywhere I travelled in the weeks leading up to Christmas indicated that nostalgia is a trend rather than a fashion. In Livermore, Colorado, I worked with a client who has developed Miniature Living Gardens based on an idea that was introduced to the Chicago World Fair in 1893.The traditional miniature gardens were decorated to develop a Christmas theme. 2012 will continue to be a year of innovation, but we need to blend nostalgia with new technology.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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

If you are a retailer, now is the time to take advantage of the consumer couponing trend. Social networking sites like FaceBook and Twitter can be key tools for merchants that want to connect with their customers and acquire new ones in a cost-effective way. Coupon sites like Groupon, Living Social and others have become very successful, sometimes at the expense of the very merchants providing discounts on their goods and services. Read on for tips that can help prevent that from happening to you.

Some retailers offer their own online deals, which can help protect their margins and focus on “problem” merchandise. However, the advantage of coupon sites is their wide reach to potential shoppers who may not be on the merchants’ contact list.

Why Do Consumers Like Daily Deals?
Research shows Daily Deals extend beyond merely saving consumers money; they provide a layer of emotional and social satisfaction for consumers such as:

• Sophistication: Daily Deals make consumers feel like they’re in on an exclusive secret because the daily deal sites require membership and consumers feel that they’re in the know.
• Empowerment: Consumers are empowered to do what they love more often because the daily deal allows them to indulge in more luxuries on a regular basis.
• Higher Perceived Value: Consumers felt these deals provided better value than coupons and other discounts because they are more meaningful, relevant and convenient.

Following are the implications based on what the consumers said:

• Daily Deals are here to stay because consumers love them. Therefore, they should be part of the discussion when brands are planning marketing initiatives.
• Daily Deals are enabling consumer to feel spontaneously indulgent, so brands should use them as a way to surprise and delight, while understanding how, where, when and how much.
• Daily Deals are about much more than short-term sales. They provide consumers with social and emotional benefits and therefore, brands need to take into account all the intangible benefits and not just look at dollars and cents.

Leveraging Coupon and Daily Deal Sites
Wouldn’t you like to learn more on how to leverage these coupon and daily deal sites to your benefit? First, it’s important take inventory of the requirements and your assets to ensure you are ready for this kind of promotion. You must determine if it’s consistent with your business plan, if the idea is relevant to your target audience, and if you have the staff to execute and deliver high volume orders without losing margin.

If it’s a go, you might want to offer a coupon or daily deal through a company like Groupon or Living Social. Concentrate on the tips below to ensure profitable sales with these promotional tools.

Provide a Compelling Offer: Get the attention of the coupon company first, and then the consumer. For instance, rumor has it that one coupon provider has more merchants competing for its offers than it can handle, so you might want to try several providers to close the best deal. PayPal, the payments division of eBay, plans to start offering daily deals in the first quarter of 2012, so that’s another option.

Offer something in your inventory that will drive significant sales volume. Make the offer profitable, both for your company and the coupon site, as some retailers and service providers have actually lost money on deals after the coupon site takes its commission. Focus on ways to encourage the new customers to come back for more and partner with key vendors on the margin consequences of the offer.

Prepare for High Volume Sales: First, make sure you have enough inventories to support the offer, especially in the initial rush. Secondly, make sure you have a trained staff to accommodate a rush of orders. Prepare for high-volume days to make a good impression on your new customers.

Collect Contact Information: A successful coupon promotion will drive a lot of new customers into your store or website. Be prepared to capture contact information such as names and email addresses. Then use this data to drive repeat business, long-term loyalty and higher-profit sales. It’s okay to work on a slim margin on a narrow offering, but only if you can get these bargain-hunters back on a regular basis.

There’s a lot to consider before stepping into online couponing, and the key is to have a plan and the necessary support in place before generating your coupon ideas. Make sure your product/service offer attracts sales and brings the coupon customers back so your venture into couponing delivers future sales and profitability.

The Off-Price Show is only two months away, and will be coming to the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas February 10-13, 2012. Make plans to attend now as you won’t want to miss this fabulous Show.

Below is a letter from Off-Price CEO Stephen Krogulski.
“It is with great satisfaction that we look back on 2011 and ahead to 2012 knowing that the OFFPRICE shows continue to deliver a valuable solution in a tough retail environment. Our two Las Vegas OFFPRICE Shows are known for connecting merchandisers with the best deals and dealmakers in the industry. The continued growth of our “Taste of OP” events enables exhibitors to reach an even wider audience. The “Taste” show in New York City saw a 12 percent increase in attendance from 2010, while our August Las Vegas show featured more vendors and booths than ever before.

“There are many new faces making great contributions to our successful OP events but there is one face that will be missed. Carol Fitzmaurice will be retiring at the end of the year and she will be missed. We thank her for all the great memories and excellent work. Many different ingredients go into making each and every show a success and Carol has been a main contributor for many years.

“Everyone at OFFPRICE is extremely excited to continue growing the shows in 2012.”

We thought you’d be interested in some of the latest Off-Price news, which is followed by registration and hotel reservation information.

JC Penney Outlet Stores Becomes JC’s 5 Star Outlet
SB Capital Group formed a new retail entity, JC’s 5 Star Outlet. The stores will continue to operate as JCPenney Outlet Stores for a period of time until the rebranding to JC’s 5 Star Outlet is complete. The acquisition also provided for the continued employment of the existing store staffs and management.

New Store Opening in Canada
Winners, the largest Off-Price retailer in Canada, recently opened a new store in Cornwall, Ontario. Winners Merchants International L.P. is the Canadian division of The TJX Companies, Inc., the world’s largest off-price retailer.

Steele’s Stores to Open in Small Towns
Recently, Stage Stores announced a new Off-Price concept, Steele’s, with 35 new Steele’s stores opening throughout small-town America and the first stores opening in Texas and Louisiana. The Off-Price Show welcomes Steele’s to the industry and wishes them every success.

Hotel Rates Are Set
The best hotel rates you’ll find in Vegas during the OffPrice Show in February can be found on the Off-Price website. Book early to ensure the best rate possible for your stay. There are lots of perks included in your stay when you book through the show:

• Unlimited local and toll-free calls
• Unlimited in-room internet access
• Daily newspaper
• Access to Canyon Ranch fitness center for (2) adults

The Off-Price Show says that no third party vendor contacting participants directly can provide better rates than you’ll find through the Off-Price Show website, so make your reservations now.

To register, call (262) 782-1600 or go to the Online Registration Center.

As the 2011 holiday shopping season moves into its final weeks, research indicates ecommerce sales growth is greater than that of offline stores. Due to the increasing consumer preference for online shopping, major retail chains have been keeping their doors open 24 hours.

The U.S. Department of Commerce released early retail sales estimates for November that show total retail sales increased 6.7 percent in November. However, sales at non-store retailers increased at more than twice that rate (13.9 percent). The Commerce Department says ecommerce and mail-order sales make up over 75 percent of the non-store retailer subsector.

According to the Commerce Department, total retail sales increased 0.2 percent from October to November, whereas non-store retail sales grew 1.5 percent on a month-to-month basis. The November estimates show that physical stores are continuing to lose ground to ecommerce retailers during the decisive holiday sales period. Non-store retailer sales accounted for 8.7 percent of total adjusted retail sales in November, versus 8.2 percent in November 2010 and 7.8 percent in November 2009.

Early research data for December from the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index show a continuing trend: store sales grew 2.9 percent year-over-year for the week ended Dec. 10th. In tracking web sales, comScore reports online sales increased 15.7 percent for the week ending Dec. 9th, compared to the same period last year. Additionally, Green Monday (the second Monday in December) experienced an overall sales increase of 19 percent compared with the same time period in 2010. ComScore estimates approximately 30 percent of all consumer electronics sales in the U.S. are currently purchased online, as online consumer electronics sales grew more than 15 percent during the third quarter versus the same time a year ago.

Best Buy reported its same-store sales of consumer electronics declined 4.8 percent during the third quarter ended Nov. 26, compared with the same quarter last year. The electronics retailer also reported that same-store sales (including BestBuy.com sales) increased almost 1 percent during the quarter. On its own, BestBuy.com revenue increased 20% percent year-over-year during Q3.

Because of the above trends, many store retailers have announced they will extend their hours to capture sales before Christmas. Sears announced most stores will stay open until midnight starting Wednesday (today) and lasting through Friday, December 23rd. Department store chain Macy’s said it will have 14 stores open 24 hours a day in the final days before Christmas and another 27 stores will be open until 2 a.m. On top of that, online-only retailer Amazon.com extended its deadline to qualify for its free super saver and standard shipping until Dec. 19th.

Buyers looking for the best assortment of western clothing and accessories for men, women and children need look no farther than Western Express, Inc. From wholesale cowboy hats, to Rebel flag shirts and from western jewelry for women, to John Deere logo items – Western Express has quality wholesale western styles retailers would be proud to stock and sell to their customers.

For over 30 years, Western Express, Inc. has served a fast-growing clientele as a wholesale distributor of western clothing and accessories. In fact, many of their original customers still shop there. Western Express has built its reputation as a 33-year-old, family-owned business. It is committed to quality and top-selling merchandise, along with fast shipping and great customer service. What more could a buyer ask for?

Western Express offers an extensive and ever-evolving line of products, including:

Cowboy hats
Belt buckles
Bolo ties
Leather products
Holsters
Bandanas
T-shirts
Sweatshirts
Tote Bags
Ladies tank tops
Belts
Suspenders
Blankets
Ponchos
Boot accessories
Bumper stickers
Embroidered patches
Denim dusters
Flags
Gift items

We asked Dan Mottsman about the company’s major strength. “Our ability to respond to our customer’s demands is one of our greatest strengths, although we have a large inventory and a large variety of merchandise; we are nimble enough that we can respond to individual customer requests,” said Mottsman.

What differentiates Western Express from its competitors? “Personal service and a unique product line. The owners are in daily contact with our customers, both large and small. Many of our competitors do not offer online ordering for the reseller. We have a password protected online website. We sell only to resellers, so we do not compete with our resellers’ customers,” replied Mottsman.

“Our most popular category is cowboy hats,” said Mottsman.” We have a great variety of western hats, as well as costume hats. We can do special orders for other lines of hats also. In addition to hats, we have an extensive line of belt buckles, including licensed buckles – John Deere, Jack Daniels, International Harvester, Ford, Chevy, and more,” he added. “We also do a large business in western shirts. Our fastest growing line is our gun holsters. They are used by both shooters, and by people who like to dress up as cowboys. We carry a wide variety of other country western products, including western jewelry, bolo ties, and much more,” he concluded.

With a large variety of good-selling merchandise, dependable customer service and in-stock inventory, Western Express customers come back time and again for repeat business. Buyers like the product variety, personal service and ability to respond to customer needs. The company also offers drop shipping.

Asked to identify any industry trends affecting their business, Mottsman said, “The Country Western business often acts counter cyclical to the general economy. The nostalgia of the Old West tends to have an appeal during challenging economical times, and the Western business has remained steady during the economic boom of the 1990’s as well. Our conservative business approach has resulted in our steady and stable growth.”

“Our expansion has been consistent and steady. We except to increase our main product lines of cowboy hats, belt buckles, holsters and holsters – as well as our other supporting lines We are constantly adding new lines,” concluded Mottsman.

Western Express, Inc.
Phone: 800.245.1380
Toll: 412.257.5020
FAX: 412.257.5022
Email: info@wexpress.com

So, what exactly does Erika’s Bargain Sales do? To put this simply, it performs an important role in the retail industry by helping retailers and manufacturers to dispose of surplus and consumer returned goods. Erika’s Bargain Sales’ ultimate goal is to offers its clients wholesale merchandise at delightful prices.

When it comes to the product line, Erika’s Bargain Sales offers everything their customers might need. Their wide range of product categories include the following:

• Accessories
• Electronics
• Housewares
• Shoes
• Clothing
• Domestics
• Health & Beauty
• Hot deals
• Tools
• Truckloads
• Jeans
• General Merchandise

So, be it sunglasses, jewelry, home décor, bath accessories and even toys, Erika’s has something for everyone. What’s more, it also features a “Hot Deals” section which you can’t afford to miss. You are bound to find something great at amazing prices starting from beautiful candles, swim suits, Christmas decorations and a lot more.

Erika’s Bargain Sales is located at Houston, Texas, and employs a talented and experienced team of multi-lingual individuals, fully-equipped to assist and address your every need. Erika’s major strengths are competitive prices and an experienced team, which not only fulfills your orders but also educates customers in helping them improve the longevity and success of their business.

The company believes its achievements lie in its customers’ success. Its reputation as an industry leader in the surplus merchandise industry reflects in the merchandise it sells, and we are sure many of their satisfied customers will vouch for that!

Erika’s Bargain Sales

8685 Scranton Street

Houston, TX 77075-1012

1-713-910-5414