Larry Kim of Wordstream analyzed Google AdWords spending to see which industries and companies spent the most on Google advertising last year. Kim created an infographic listing the results of his research and also published some insights into what he believes his findings mean for the U.S. economy in his report, What Industries Contributed to Google’s $37.9 Billion in 2011 Revenues?

In his report, Kim offered an analysis of commonly used keywords and their corresponding cost-per-click, viewable in the infographic. Below is a listing of the industries and amounts spent by the top ten big advertising spenders.

1. Finance & Insurance – $4.0 Billion
2. Retailers & General Merchandise – $2.8 Billion
3. Travel & Tourism – $2.4 Billion
4. Jobs & Education – $2.2 Billion
5. Home & Garden − $2.1 Billion
6. Computer & Consumer Electronics – $2.0 Billion
7. Vehicles – $2.0 Billion
8. Internet & Telecommunications – $1.7 Billion
9. Business & Industrial – $1.6 Billion
10. Occasions & Gifts – $1.2 Billion

Advertising revenue from the above ten industries accounted for 60 percent of Google’s $37.9 billion 2011 revenue, while the remaining $14.4 billion came from other industries.

Retailers & General Merchandise Industry

In the retail industry, Amazon.com led the pack at $55.2 million spent on AdWords in 2011, with eBay ($42.8 million), Macy’s ($35.6 million), Sears ($34.3 million and JCPenney ($30.9 million) following. Commonly used keywords and cost-per-click are shown on the infographic.

Analysis of U.S. Economy Based on Google Ad Revnue

Kim made some conclusions about the economy based on Google AdWords spending. His reasoning is that we can learn a lot from Google’s 3 million advertisers and 2 billion daily queries. Among his conclusions:

1. Concerns of Occupy Wall Street are legitimate since the finance and insurance industries were the biggest spenders despite the financial meltdown. They wouldn’t be spending big if they weren’t making money by acquiring new customers with PPC ads.

2. Consumers are spending despite the weak economy and high unemployment. While Kim did not mention the disparity between the poor, middle class and rich, I suspect that is a factor, with the affluent doing the majority of the spending.

3. High unemployment has created opportunities for education and training. Unemployment continues to remain high, prompting people to get retraining or college degrees. That has created a boon for online universities and schools. However, there have been complaints on misleading ads that do not result in jobs.

4. Home & Garden ads beat Real Estate ads since the housing recovery has been slow. That means more people are spending money fixing up their homes and gardens rather than buy a new home.

5. Business and industrial spending was soft compared to other industries and based on the industry’s GDP. It appears corporations are holding back and are slow to invest. While this is typical of a recession, it does not help the slowly recovering economy.

Based on his research, Kim predicts the U.S. economy “will be OK in 2012.” Let’s hope he’s right, and that businesses starts hiring, investing and flourishing in 2012.

IF YOU THINK YOU’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE…THINK AGAIN
We’ve all seen the plush toys that dance to music right? Well, these
are definitely not just that! These ADORABLE plush toys sing and dance
to really cute songs that are carefully chosen. They move their mouth,
ears, feet, legs, neck all according to the animal and the song. It was
pretty hard to choose just one to feature here so check out their
website before coming to the show. These would work great in hospital
stores, zoos, gift stores, seasonal stores and many more. Take a look
at the video and be sure to
turn up the volume!

CUDDLE BARN
South Hall Lower Level, Booth #5000

BOTTOM’S UP!
95 and Sunny introduces ‘Bottom’s Up Jarware’ with hand painted lids
and stems. These creative wine glasses are made with jars which make
them very unique. Your customers will laugh and will want to buy them!
It’s on the “must have” list for all retailers and are handcrafted in
US. This company also sells unique, funny hand painted wine glasses
that are great for any gift store. There are wine glasses for every
occasion: birthdays, brides, party girls, religious, you’ll even find
animal inspired prints such as giraffe and cheetah.

95 & SUNNY
South Hall Lower Level, Booth #1536

BLINGED OUT SNOOKI STYLE!
This line is hot hot hot! After only 3 months of launch, Snooki and NYS
Collection is expanding their Snooki’s Spring 2012
collection.  According to the MTV reality stars tweets, the
Spring line looks totally different than anything else in the
collection.

Snooki’s collection is inspired by the MTV reality
star’s own eyewear fashions with names like Rockstarz and
Champaign and Chains. Snooki’s keeping the sunglasses
ultra-affordable for her fans. The shades range in price from $20 to
$35. NYS brands include Elite, Forever K Michael, Snooki by Nicole
Polizzi, Jersey Shore and more.

NYS COLLECTION
Central Hall, Booth #3153

WHO WANTS TICKETS TO THE GUN SHOW?
Do you want to increase your gross dollars per square feet? Sell
products for the major sports fans or those that are related to them!
Make your store a year-round destination for a variety of high-quality
licensed products including: MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and more. See the best
retail programs for this profit driving merchandise at the upcoming ASD
show.

SPORTS LINE DISTRIBUTORS
Central Hall, Booth #4662

Sensortags provides a wide range of new and used security products including security hard tags, Checkpoint® and Sensormatic® sensor tags, used Checkpoint systems and retail loss-prevention store security. These affordable retail store anti-theft security solutions will stop shoplifters in their tracks!

What exactly does Sensortags Inc. provide that makes you sit up and notice? To begin with, the company prides itself in offering refurbished equipment. This means you can save money on your retail security with refurbished Checkpoint systems or used Sensormatic tags. These products not only come with a three-months full parts warranty, but also with five years technical support via telephone to the company’s highly trained security specialists.

When it comes to the product line, the company provides economical solutions to shoplifting deterrents. Sensortags Inc. buys and sells:

• Used and refurbished sensor tags
• Ink Tags
• Anti theft barcode sticker labels
• Stop shoplifting security equipment

It offers a wide range of affordable security devices including:

• Checkpoint®
• Sensormatic®
• Knogo®
• Ketec®
• Sentech®
• Detech®
• BSI®
• WG
• Vector®

If you are in doubt as to what system would work best for your store, simply call Sensortags for a free consultation.

We asked Sensortags tech support executive Mary Fouts what makes customers come back for repeat business. “Friendly and very knowledgeable security specialists,” she replied.” Once a customer secures their store, they have a lot of questions in regard to the use of security tags and their proper placement. Our staff helps the customer secure its assets economically and to modify the security if the shoplifters change their tactics.”

The company’s major strength is undoubtedly its technical support which is offered by phone. Security solutions from various competitors such as Checkpoint and Sensormatic can burn a hole in a customer’s pocket due to the 3 hour minimum time required for a service call to diagnose and repair a system. Sensortags does it all by phone, which is faster and at no cost to the customer.

What differentiates Sensortags from its competitors? “Affordable prices and high-quality of service,” declared Fouts. “Down the road, if a customer has a problem that cannot be solved by technical support over the phone, we have them send in their electronic boards out of the towers, allowing the store to look secured by the towers,” she said. “We then tune the boards or repair them and return them to the customer. We are committed in giving our customers the best value for their investment,” she concluded.

When asked about her prognosis for business in 2012, Fouts replied, “As we make our systems self-installable and offer tech support via phone, there is a realistic market for growth. We have even expanded our toll-free lines to Canada, as we have received very good response from the Canadian marketplace. Even if the Canadian dollar exchange varies, it’s still advantageous to do business with Sensortags’ pricing.”

The company has over ten years of experience serving the security needs of small business owners. Thanks to Sensortags Inc., any small store can now get security solutions at amazingly affordable prices.

Sensortags, Inc.   5660 Roberts Rd., Terre Haute, IN 47805
800-934-7080 Toll Free USA & Canada
812-877-9442 Tech Support & Fax
812-877-9930 Office Line
Email: sensortags@yahoo.com

In addition to her retailing and consulting businesses, Jodell also teaches business, advertising, public relations and marketing courses as an adjunct faculty member of Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY.

Jodell’s E-Commerce 101seminar will take place Sunday, February 12 at 2:00 p.m. in The Connection. She will cover all the important aspects of the industry, such as website format options, how to build and maintain a site, internal and external marketing strategies and social media.

You won’t want to miss this seminar because all this valuable information will enable you to return to your store equipped to get better results online. The seminar costs only $20 per company, and a maximum of two people per company can attend.
Register with Todd Fabos: 262-754-6910 or tfabos@offpriceshow.com

The OffPrice Show runs February 10-13, 2012, at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas. Register for the Show here.

The new patent legislation makes reforms in the way a patent is filed and how patent fees are paid. The biggest change involves a switch to “first-to-file” from “first-to-invent” in the patent system. The U.S. patent system used to operate under a “first-to-invent” rule, which means that the date of the invention itself takes precedence over the date the patent application is filed. Because it is hard to prove when a product or concept is invented, this change will hopefully make long, protracted court battles less likely.

The second change in the bill allows the U.S. Patent and Trade Office to set its own fees rather than have them set by Congress, which prevailed before. This will give the Patent Office more control over its budget so it can streamline its entire process, including updates.

E-Retailers Threatened: While the patent overhaul is expected to have a big impact in many areas, the patent litigation climate in the tech area is not likely to change drastically any time soon. In fact, E-retailers have been receiving threatening letters from companies claiming to own e-commerce technology patents. These patent holders are targeting both big retailers and small, and they are not afraid to take them to court if they don’t agree to pay patent fees.

Online retailers have increasingly been hit with e-commerce patent infringement lawsuits that sometimes force them to pay hefty licensing fees to avoid going to court. E-commerce technology patent holders are aggressively targeting sites with annual web sales ranging from over $100 million to $20 million or less.

These letters usually advise the online retailer they are in violation of a certain patent and demand a licensing agreement for fees that range from $50,000 to several hundred thousand dollars. If they don’t sign, the retailer faces a possible lawsuit. In some cases it can cost up to $25,000 to have an attorney investigate the claim and respond. Unfortunately, some retailers have been hit by several patent holders during the past year. That means dealing with this kind of threat is expensive and can even put some e-retailers out of business.

Patent infringement is not something new in the retail industry, but the number and types of patent holders attempting to collect licensing fees and other monetary damages from web retailers is increasing. In some cases the patent holder actually developed the technology; however, some companies have acquired patents through mergers, acquisitions or bankruptcy and have made a business out of collecting licensing fees from those patents.

It remains to be seen how the new patent legislation impacts e-retailers. One thing they can do is fight. For instance, Newegg and Overstock.com won a patent infringement case involving e-commerce technology last October. Patent attorneys said this ruling was significant, which could make it harder for patent holders to pursue similar cases.

Founded in 2001, Natural Miracles Inc. offers six proprietary products that contain essential oils which are more superior to dried herbs used in other supplements. Two of these products are in high demand due to their therapeutic power. Menstrual Magic quickly and naturally relieves a woman’s menstrual symptoms, and Inflamagic quickly and naturally relieves inflammation. “As our products become well-known, we expect to have the best products on the market for the relief of menopause symptoms,” said Natural Miracles COO Jennifer Savage.

The essential oils used by Natural Miracles provide bioavailability and potency, powerful ingredients that are both natural and healthy. Before the final product reaches any consumer, Natural Miracles ensures all of the oils are steam distilled and tested for safety. In addition, all ingredients are supported with a Certificate of Analysis (COA). In fact, the company’s products are highly recommended by Mike Adams, the well-known “Health Ranger” from NaturalNews.com.

We asked Savage what makes customers come back for repeat business: “Our customers trust us to provide all natural products that are true to label, plus they know they will always receive superior customer service from us,” said Savage. “Another reason buyers purchase from us rather than anyone else is that no other manufacturer makes supplements with pure, essential oils. We have combined top-of-the-line, essential oils into softgels that are taken orally. That is unheard of anywhere else,” continued Savage.

“Consumers are looking more closely at product labels,” noted Savage.” Many companies are having to backpedal as customers are discovering that products are being spiked with ingredients that are not on the label, “she explained. “We have remained steadfast; our products are true to label and they perform the way we say they will perform,” she added.

A quick look at Natural Miracles’ product descriptions will tell you these products are made only with the finest food-grade essential oils from plants that have been selected, studied and tested for their therapeutic properties. What earns Natural Miracles so many accolades from its loyal customer base? It is undoubtedly the company’s commitment to provide its customers with the best possible  ingredients, while taking  its customers’ health into consideration. Every consumer is promised the following benefits:

• Effectiveness: Doctor-recommended formulas made from food-grade essential oils in easy to swallow softgels

• Affordability: Comparable in price to many nationally recognized brands

• An Alternative Remedy: All natural food grade essential oils with no side effects or negative drug interactions

The WOW factor doesn’t stop here. Natural Miracles’ products are backed by an iron-clad, 100 percent money-back guarantee. In case customers are not completely satisfied with a product, they need simply return the unused portion along with a copy of their receipt to the retailer for a prompt and courteous refund. With one quick look at the Natural Miracles website, potential customers can read testimonials from real women with honest opinions about these products. Theys are sure to become best sellers with so many currently satisfied customers.

Wholesaler buyers can order through the company’s Wholesale Page or through distributors listed on that page. Natural Miracles also sells to Retail Customers through its Online Store.

The most important thing Natural Miracles provides the customer is peace of mind. This priceless benefit comes from the use of high-quality, all natural products that are manufactured in the USA. The use of FDA approved facilities which are GMP certified, further sweetens the deal.

Natural Miracles, Incorporated
5510 North Union Boulevard
Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Telephone (719) 598-5300
Fax (719) 522-1071
Toll Free (888) 5-MIRACLE, (888) 564-7225
Email Address: Sales@NaturalMiracles.net

Last week, Google introduced some new features in search results that make search more social and tie in with its Google+ social network. This latest change is called Search Plus Your World. The new features will display personal results in the SERPs, mostly from the Google+ network. Search Plus Your World is available to users who are signed in to Google and searching on https://www.google.com in English. The following features will now be integrated into your search results: People, Pages, and Profiles.

Google says it wants to enable its search engine to not only understand content, but also people and relationships, making it more social. Below is a brief description of the three new features.

1. Personal Results: Lets you find information that’s only relevant to you, such as Google+ photos and posts. You will see your own and those shared specifically with you.

2. Profiles in Search: Available in autocomplete and results, this feature enables you to immediately find people you’re interested in.

3. People and Pages: This helps you find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic, enabling you to follow them with just a few clicks.

These results will contain data from the Google+ network rather than Facebook or Twitter. Google says the reason for this is due to their terms of service with social networks like Facebook and Twitter that do not allow them to crawl those networks deeply. However, Google is open to crawling other networks in the future. Below are some examples of what you can do with the new features.

Personal Results: Say you’re in the market for a big ticket item and want to know what experience others had with various brands. Of course, you can search the web; but who can you trust? That’s why most people prefer to learn what their friends think. Here’s what you can find with Search Plus Your World.

• Google+ posts. You can find relevant Google+ posts from friends talking about the car they just bought, or a home entertainment console. You’ll likely find links shared by your friend talking about their buying experience with various brands.
• Photos. You might find great photos of your friends’ car or some other product right in your search results page. You can also find your own private photos from Google+ and Picasa, based on captions, comments and album titles.

Google+ Profiles in Search: Google states in its blog: “Every day, there are hundreds of millions of searches for people. Sometimes, it’s hard to find the person you’re looking for. Once you do find him or her, there’s no quick way for you to actually interact. Starting today, you’ll have meaningful ways to connect with people instantly, right from the search results.”

When you type the first few letters of a person’s name, Google autocompletes it and displays their own search results page, which includes their Google+ profile page and “other relevant web results.” Once you’ve found the person you’re looking for, you can see every single web result for them, excluding others with the same name.

People & Pages: If you search for a topic like [music] or [soccer], you might see prominent people who frequently discuss this topic on Google+ appearing on the right-hand side of the results page. You can connect with them on Google+, strike up meaningful conversations and discover entire communities in ways that simply weren’t possible before.

Control: You can control your results on Google Plus Your World with a prominent new toggle in the upper right of the SERPs where you can see what your search results look like with or without personal content. By clicking the toggle, users can view search plus your world results or non-personalized results.

Security: Last, but not least, Google says it sets a high bar for Search Plus Your World when it comes to security and privacy by providing SSL encryption. Therefore, when you’re signed in to Google, your search results, including your private content, are protected by the same high standards of encryption as your Gmail messages.

Although this blog might appear sublime to the seasoned entrepreneur, I believe it to be sufficiently important to address, since the life blood of a startup is the infusion of capital, and obtaining capital begins with presenting a potential investor  something that will hopefully make them “want a piece of what the entrepreneur is offering.”

Remember that an executive summary is usually just a two page document, designed to whet the appetite, so that the potential investor wants to hear and learn more. A summary is, by definition, incomplete, and can’t cover everything, and although there are no hard and fast rules as to its structure, there are certain topics that virtually every investor expects to see covered. Remember, that you often only have one opportunity to make an indelible impression, and the following are the key elements that should be clearly and concisely addressed in the executive summary:

Attention Grabber:  Include, at the beginning of your executive summary, one or two sentences that communicate your compelling, unique value proposition to a really big problem. If you lose the potential investor here, they probably wont make it any further into the summary. Think of your elevator pitch, and distil it into a sentence or two that makes the reader want to read more.

What is the pain in the market that you are addressing and why will customers pay for your solution?  Generally, little pains don’t result in large companies, and investors generally don’t want to invest in companies that don’t have significant upside potential. So, you have to clearly articulate the current or currently emerging problem or need that your product is going to address, and ultimately solve. By addressing your solution, which will solve the significant problem or pain to come, by making things quicker, faster, cheaper, more efficient etc., you are building the case for a compelling value proposition.

What is your solution to the pain?  What is your product that you are developing to address the pain, and how will it in fact solve the problem that you have identified? Is the product disruptive and unique? If it doesn’t require significant behavioral change on the part of the target customer, be sure to convey this, as this will underscore that there may be early and widespread adoption of your product or service. Where are you in the life cycle of development? If you are post prototype and ready for commercial launch, let the investor know, because the risk profile of the investment may be significantly diminished and make yours a more attractive investment.

Addressable Market.   If the market you are going after is small, you will probably not generate any interest from investors. Even if you can demonstrate that you can capture 50% of a really small market, the upside potential for investors will make this an unattractive investment opportunity. Demonstrate a deep understanding of the size and growth of the overall market, and articulate the size of the market segment or vertical (the low hanging fruit) that you initially intend to address.

How does/will your company make money?   If you have customers, and are generating revenue–tell the investor. The investment proposition is different if you have started to gain some traction in the market, and are just looking for scale money, as opposed to having to the alternative. The risk profile is obviously diminished if the dogs have already shown that they will eat the dog food! If you are pre-revenue, you have to clearly articulate the way in which you are going to generate revenue from your product, and in so doing, articulate that yours is or will become, a scalable, predictable business model.

What is your unfair advantage?   In other words, what is your competitive advantage, and is it a sustainable competitive advantage. Is your competitive advantage based solely on the fact that you have the first mover advantage? Or do you have an IP portfolio/patent strategy that has or has the potential to result in an impregnable wall around your solution? If you are playing in a space, where it is simply a case of first to market wins, your targeted investors will be different to those where you have a sustainable competitive advantage. There are many investors that wont invest in that race, or a race to get eyeballs, notwithstanding the recent frothiness of the market in the Valley.

What is the competitive landscape?  It is imperative that you should have a deep understanding of the competitive landscape, as this really goes to the heart of your ability to achieve success. Avoiding current or potential competitors, or demonstrating a fundamental lack of awareness of your actual or potential competition will, in all probability lead to an instant loss of your credibility. If there are actual or potential competitors, clearly convey why yours is or is going to be the alternative of choice. Even of there are no competitors, and you are creating a paradigm shift, the competition is the status quo, and how and why will you overcome it?

Who makes up the team?   In virtually every communication to investors that I reach out to on behalf of clients, I lead off by opening with the stellar team that has been assembled by the founder? Why?  Because every investor tells the same story–they back the jockey and not the horse. A weak to mediocre team with a stellar product may get funded, but I have seen, many times, serial entrepreneurs with half baked plans get funded almost immediately after an exit and the startup of a new venture. To that end, provide a brief synopsis of the team (or virtual team that will become the real team upon funding), to clearly articulate and demonstrate deep industry expertise, core competencies, and past experiences that are relevant. An investor should feel that your team has the depth and breadth of knowledge in the space you are in, and feel that, given the past experiences of the team, it is surely one that can execute to plan.

Exit Strategy. You may or may not want to include an exit strategy. For the most part–its always the same. M&A or IPO, and investors know the drill. However, if you have identified potential acquirors, where your solution might be a natural/accretive event, then I would advise that you include it. Also, if you have clearly identified companies in a particular industry/vertical that would benefit immensely from an acquisition of your technology, definitely include it. You should not convey a desire to build and flip, but demonstrate a thoughtfulness as to who the acquirors might be and why. If any competitors of these acquirors have made acquisitions of your competitors with an inferior solution for hundreds of millions of dollars, this too is sure to whet the appetite of any investor.

Funding to date and the amount you are currently seeking.  Describe how much money you have raised to date. This can, indirectly, be a great indication as to your innate abilities and ability to execute on future plans. If you have bootstrapped or achieved significant milestones on a meager or reasonable amount, this should provide an investor confidence in your ability to stretch the dollar and therefore maximize his or her return on the currently contemplated investment. How much are you looking for, and where will the company be once you have burned through the investor’s investment? Will it take you to product launch, or will it take you break even? If projected to take you to break even, be sure to include this. Again, anything that you can describe that has the effect of diminishing the risk profile may make yours a more attractive investment. No investor is looking to help you build a bridge to nowhere, so be sure that the amount of funding that you are looking to raise will take you to some endpoint, whether its customers, break even or some meaningful value inflection point where you will do a follow on.

The Year of the Dragon, the Last Year of the Mayan Calendar, the Year of Aquarius, the Year of Order, the Year of the Personal Brand… 2012 has been given more tags as a year than any other. In my mind, this is the year of the “E.” Many of the business challenges and opportunities that face retailers this year seem to start with the letter “E.”

The “E” Words
If you want to have a successful year, think about the”E” factors below that can help you and your team make a difference in 2012.

1. Enthusiasm. More and more consumers are shopping online. The Christmas of 2011 was the year when online shopping became a normal shopping habit for many consumers. One of the reasons for this shift was that in the eyes of the consumer, many retail shopping journeys had become boring. They would walk into a store and be confronted by sales staff who seemed disinterested in helping them or the products they were selling. The retailers who did have a successful Christmas are the same ones that will have a successful 2012 − they understand that enthusiasm is contagious. If retailers are enthusiastic about dealing with the consumer and the products they sell, this will become infectious and the consumer will start talking about that store to their friends.

2. Experience. This leads onto the next “E” word. The consumer is time poor, and when they do go shopping they are going for the experience. Many of the products we sell can now be purchased a lot easier online. If they are going to come to your store to purchase the product, they are looking for an experience .A memorable journey that they will want to repeat.

3. E-Retailing. Time limitations have become a major problem for our multitasking consumers. They have their favourite brads and stores, and they do not want substitutes. They want to come to your store when they have time for the experience, but when time is limited, they want to go online and order the product from the same store. E-Retailing is now part of the retail mix. The retailers who do not have an E store will start to lose market share.

4. Entertainment. Successful retailing has moved on from just selling “stuff.” The consumer now wants to be entertained. If they have a young family, they also want you to entertain their children. The stores that provide the best all round entertainment will be the ones preferred by the savvy customer. Entertainment needs to be varied; this means working closely with a range of local entertainers to provide a variety of styles of entertainment that are in keeping with what you do and what the consumer will enjoy.

5. Events. This means that to keep the customer coming back, you will need to create events to keep your store “top of mind” in the consumers mind. Event planning based on the seasons and local activities will become crucial. The American retail scene now relies on up to 13 events a year to keep the customer coming back to the shopping mall.

6. Education. Consumers want to learn new skills. The new consumer is a “Do It Yourself” person prepared to experiment. They want to look on you as their local expert who can teach them new skills. Your education program can become a new profit centre for the business. Education can be developed on site and off site using social media to enable the consumer to learn from you at a time that suits them.

7. Expert. Over the last few years the retail scene has become overcrowded; there are too many retailers selling the same thing. The retailers that will take the high ground are those that become the experts in the consumer’s mind. There is only room for one expert in your niche in your community, and this is a position you must focus on obtaining.

8. Evangelist. You need to become the advocate for what you do .Consumers are looking for leaders that are passionate; you need a team of enthusiasts, but as the team leader you need to be the Evangelist and sell the message to your team and to the community. You need to be recognized by the media as the expert, an expert s who is passionate and providing new ideas and solutions and understands the consumer’s challenges.

9. Experiment. In the year of the “E,” you will need to experiment; try new things. The old way will not work; we will all need to find new ways of doing what we used to do. The winners will be open to experiment and to finding ways of creating new journeys for the consumer.

10. Emotion. In January, William Taylor of Harvard Business School gave a talk at the ANLA Clinic in Louisville, Kentucky; he introduced the word Emotion a number of times into his presentation. He talked about the fact that emotion and social contact with your customers are more important than price. To be memorable, you need Passion+ Emotion+ Identity. He mentioned that there was a shortage of businesses that are delighting the consumer, and that retailers need to get a lot more emotional with their consumers if they are to survive the Age of Disruption.

Think about how the above factors can help you develop the year of the “E” and how you can make a difference in the consumer’s mind.

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.

Buyers and suppliers can’t wait to attend the Off Price Show in Las Vegas on February 10-13 because this huge retail industry event  provides great order-writing opportunities at prices up to 70 percent below wholesale. By connecting retail buyers with the leading offprice suppliers of wholesale clothing, accessories and footwear, the OffPrice Show held during Las Vegas Fashion Week is an event not to be missed.

The OffPrice Show takes place every February and August in Las Vegas during Fashion Week. It is the largest Off-Price show in the country offering nearly 500 vendors, over 1,000 booths, and attracts more than 12,000 buyers.

Whether it’s a discount store seeking leading brands and popular lower-price point goods, or a boutique owner or department store in search of top designer and quality non-branded items that can’t be found anywhere else, the OffPrice Show puts attendees in front and center as vendors and buyers maximize opportunities in retail trade.

As the gap between fashion forward and offprice narrows, the OffPrice Show becomes a must for every retailer and merchandiser. The OffPrice events in February and August are considered by many veteran industry experts and small businesses entrepreneurs to be the most important shows of the year. The upcoming OffPrice Show dates are as follows:

February 10-13, 2012
OffPrice Show
Sands Expo & Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV

Following are the show hours for this event:

Friday, February 10
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday, February 11
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sunday, February 12
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Monday, February 13
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

OffPrice is a part of the semi-annual trade shows at Las Vegas Fashion Week uniting the top offprice specialists in “New York, LA, and around the continent.” Fashion Week brings a full range of industry professionals together in one dynamic marketplace for an experience that gives them everything they need for a profitable and successful year.

By the way, we’d like to mention that this February marks the sixth year since the OffPriceShow and TopTenWholesale formed a media alliance for the benefit of the show’s exhibitors and attendees. Both companies continue to maintain enthusiasm for the industry and have created over one hundred articles and dozens of videos about the OffPriceShow. This media partnership has contributed toward the addition of new attendees, buyers and exhibitors over the years.

Those interested in getting the latest information as it becomes available can find it in the OffPrice Magazine or the Off Price Show News and Blog, which is a good way to keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. The Off Price Show will continue to amaze and thrill its attendees and exhibitors with the newest and most advanced collection of goods at prices that are hard to find anywhere else.

The OffPrice Show is a professional trade event produced for the fashion industry and is not open to the public. Admission to the Show is FREE to the trade, and $125 per person for suppliers to the trade. You can register for the Show at its Online Registration Center. To register a group of buyers from your store or team, call OffPrice Registration Headquarters at 1-702-798-8318.

Retailers may have heard about the increasing popularity of catalog apps for tablets, especially the iPad. For instance, Google Catalogs is a shopping app for tablet computers. It is currently available for the iPad and Android tablets, delivering virtual catalogs to shoppers from merchants such as Nordstrom, L.L. Bean, Macy’s, Pottery Barn and more. Catalog shopping apps allow consumers to browse, shop and share their favorite brands while tracking items and sharing with friends on social networking sites.

Forrester Research released a recent survey showing that various retailers are using catalog technology. While only 9 percent of web shoppers own tablets at present, 20 percent of all mobile commerce sales originate on tablets. Forrester also reports that 60 percent of tablet owners have used their devices to browse and 40 percent prefer to use tablets even when a personal computer is handy.
Experts say there are three reasons contributing to the preference for tablets.

1. The tablet has a much larger screen, enabling shoppers to analyze products more closely so they can easily visualize a potential purchase before they buy. This functionality is not possible on the tiny smartphone screen.
2. The tablet’s thin design allows shoppers to travel and take their tablets no matter where they go, allowing them to shop anytime anywhere.
3. Tablet catalogs are more interactive then paper catalogs, and they provide retailers with a new way to advertise their products.

Since the iPad came out in April 2010, a number of catalog aggregator apps have launched, including Catalog Spree, Catalogue by TheFind, Coffee Table and Google Catalogs. Last month, Prestimedia introduced the CustomPad, an all new virtual catalog app. CustomPad enables users to shop either online or offline and offers the ability to purchase products directly from the app rather than switch back and forth from app to website.

TheFind’s catalog for the iPad includes popular stores like Crate & Barrel and Sephora. This app provides potential customers with individualized catalogs designed specifically for them based on their interests and previous purchase habits. In addition to the catalog aggregator apps, some retailers have created tablet catalogs of their own.

Will tablet catalogs become the next big thing? The DMA reports that marketers mailed 12.74 billion catalogs in 2010. That’s down from 19.44 million in 2006. According to a recent online survey by the Wharton business school and research firm Verde Group, catalogs account for a mere 1.4 percent of retail sales compared to 22 percent for web sales.

Experts say tablet catalogs are not going to replace paper catalogs any time soon. However, the cost of a tablet catalog for catalogers is minimal as they have all the creative elements currently in place for their print catalogs. Since the connection between an app and an ecommerce site is straightforward, aggregators are selling the idea to many retailers.

Who knows if consumers will adapt tablet-based catalogs or continue to prefer the good old-fashioned print versions? It remains to be seen. However, it can’t hurt to offer your customers and prospects a virtual catalog as part of your marketing effort. It extends your brand reach as well as customer relationships while providing the potential to increase sales.

Over the past month or so, SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act known as H.R. 3261, has been a hot potato in the news. The proposed legislation requires the removal of infringed content by ISPs, search engines and webmasters. Due to the vociferous online protests on social media sites, SOPA has been put on the back burner. The outburst of anti-SOPA sentiments online has been tremendous, and perhaps have influenced the White House’s decision not to support this legislation in its current form.

What Is SOPA? The Stop Online Piracy Act (House Bill 3261) was introduced in the House last October by Rep. Lamar Smith. If it were to become law, the bill would allow the Department of Justice and copyright holders to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling copyright infringement (the unauthorized use of copyrighted material, intellectual property and counterfeit goods).

That means court action could prohibit online ad networks and payment sites like PayPal to do business with sites accused of infringement and would prevent search engines from linking to such sites. It would require ISPs to block access to the accused sites. The bill would also make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for ten such infringements within a six months period.

Pros and Cons of SOPA: While the original SOPA legislation has been put on hold, an amended version may surface in the future as proponents of the bill believe it is necessary to enforce copyright laws, especially against foreign websites. They say it protects intellectual property, certain industries, jobs and revenue.

Anti-SOPA opponents say it violates the First Amendment, amounts to Internet censorship, will harm the Internet and threaten whistle-blowing and other free speech. The opponents have been protesting SOPA fiercely on the Internet with petition drives, boycotts of companies that support the bill, and have proposed a service blackout by major Internet companies scheduled to coincide with the next Congressional hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, January 18.

#BlackoutSOPA Movement: Many sites plan to boost anti-SOPA support by “going black” in order to show their visitors what could happen if SOPA were passed. The blackouts will take place for a 12 hour period (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST January 18). A “this website has gone dark” template is available for those who wish to become part of the #BlackoutSOPA movement. In addition to taking an entire site down, a blacked-out splash page is available to allow users to continue through to the site. Wikipedia’s English-language site will join the blackout, and Reddit, which helped lead the anti SOPA movement, as well as many others.

If you want to join the service blackout tomorrow, see Matt McGee’s article on Search Engine Land, “How to Blackout Your Site (For SOPA/PIPA) Without Hurting SEO”

China’s acceleration of foreign investment is an important step in its fundamental principle of opening up to the outside world. It is also an important component of Deng Xiaoping Theory, which consists of a series of political and economic ideologies seeking to build up the socialist economy with Chinese characteristics. China’s existing foreign investment legal system mainly includes three types of enterprises: wholly foreign-owned enterprises (WFOE), Joint Venture and Joint Cooperation Venture.

If you want to invest in China, you may take the following issues into consideration:

1. Chinese Foreign Investment Laws. Determine if the industry and type of enterprise you wish to invest in are encouraged, restricted or prohibited. It’s easy for you to research this, as the Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (Amended in 2011) lists the relevant information. Regarding the types of enterprises, in most cases, you can make a decision at your own discretion. However, in some special industries, especially in the restricted industrials, the laws and regulations will require that foreign investors establish a Joint Venture or Joint Cooperation Venture, and in some cases, your share proportion shall not be more than 49 percent.

2. Region Selection for Investment. Although the national laws and regulations are promulgated and valid in the whole country, different regions have different privileges. For example, the west of China is much more privileged than the east; however, the transportation and personnel availability important to your business operation are more abundant in the east.

3. Enterprise Establishment. The establishment of enterprises with foreign investment is subject to project-by-project examination, approval and registration by the government and the state adopts a classification administrative system for foreign investment. Many provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have established foreign investment service centers, which offer foreign investors a one-stop service, ranging from legal consultation to procurement of project approval.

4. Employee Recruitment. When you start to recruit the employees and negotiate on the salaries, you must take social insurance into consideration. The social insurance that the employer needs to pay to the social insurance fund pool usually demands 25 to 35 percent of the employee’s salary, and since the end of 2011, foreigners must join the social insurance system as well, which raises the burden of employers.

5. Intellectual Property Registration. Intellectual property issues are a great concern for businesses operating in China. It is thus crucial that you safeguard your intellectual property, especially trademarks and patents. The first step is to ensure ownership by registering your intellectual assets with the relevant government authorities.

In closing, since China is the second largest economy in the world and is also the world’s largest exporter and second largest importer, China offers a tremendous opportunity for foreign investors. The above article provides an introduction to foreign investment in China with an explanation of the most important legal considerations.

Jessica Wang can be reached at chinashanghaiattorney@gmail.com | cell +86-15901811001 |  Skype: gushanyancui

Topper Global Liquidators offers below-wholesale merchandise to the public and small to large businesses. Anyone can buy one or two items from this site and find the lowest prices available to the public; there is no minimum order requirement. On the other hand, wholesalers and individuals buying in bulk qualify for quantity discounts.

At Topper Industries, you’ll find unique goods, genuine merchandise and unmatched value. As a liquidator to the public, Topper offers its customers the opportunity to purchase discounted liquidated merchandise in both small and bulk lots with shipping options for every type of order.

To get a shipping quote, just add the items to your shopping cart and click Calculate Shipping to see the various shipping methods and their cost. For assistance on shipping charges for bulk orders or palletized lots, you can contact their office.

Topper International ships general merchandise, liquidations and wholesale lots Monday through Friday on a global basis. All liquidation and wholesale lot orders placed before 12:00 p.m. EST are processed and shipped same day. Whenever possible, orders placed after 12:00 p.m. EST are processed and shipped within 1 to 2 business days. Topper International uses various reliable carriers such as UPS, FedEx, USPS, and Echo Global. Topper also offers in-store pick up Monday through Friday at their Pembroke Park, FL warehouse.

Topper’s return policy requires proper confirmation and initiation of documents within 3 days of shipment arrival with a 20% restocking fee on undamaged returns. Any goods received damaged are eligible for a replacement or a full refund. For questions about returns, either email (support@toppergroup.com) or phone (954-454-1300).

We asked Topper president Stephen Stewart what differentiates the company from its competitors. “We offer many options to buyers and the public,” said Stewart. “Selling wholesale to the public and providing lots that are appropriate for a wide range of customers is what differentiates us from most liquidators,” he added.

Topper Industries specializes in apparel, wedding gowns and mixed merchandise lots. You can also find designer sunglasses, jewelry, fashion toys, electronics and vintage items. Below is a list of product categories.

• Designer Handbags
• Licensed Sports
• Weekly Deal
• Clearance
• Jewelry/Watches
• Apparel
• Art & Collectibles
• Formal Wear
• Air Stockings
• Bags & Mugs
• H B A’s
• Motorcycles/Scooters
• Cell Phones.
• Cosmetics
• Hats & Caps
• Home Decor
• Sunglasses
• Toys & Gadgets
• Eye Frames
• Electronics
• Footwear
• Wedding / Bridal

“Customer service, pricing and selection are what turn our customers into lifetime customers,” continued Stewart. “Our customers tell us ease of use, customer service, better pricing and easily accessible website listings are the main reasons for coming back time after time,” he added.

We asked Stewart if he could identify any industry trends affecting the liquidation industry. “As a liquidator, we find ourselves doing more business in tough economic times,” said Stewart. “Not only are more companies liquidating assets, but companies are also more inclined to find better, lower cost options for purchasing goods,” he concluded.

Topper Liquidators has experienced year after year growth, simply by having the goods buyers want at the lowest possible price. By maintaining inventory of quality goods, and putting them in front of quality buyers, we will continue our growth and continue providing wonderful items for our customers.

Topper Global Liquidators International
2601 John P. Lyons Lane
Pembroke Park, Florida 33009
Phone: 954-454-1300 – Fax: 954-454-6730 – Toll Free: 1-800-TOPPER-1
sales@toppergroup.com

Earlier this week, Amazon and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels announced an agreement to the effect that Amazon will voluntarily start collecting Indiana sales tax on web purchases January 1, 2014. However, there is a backlash from Indiana retailers who want Amazon to start collecting now. They oppose the deal because they believe Amazon has the capability to start collecting taxes now, and the delay continues to give unfair advantage to online retailers.

It is estimated uncollected online sales taxes in Indiana total $75 million a year. Of that estimated total, Amazon sales tax revenue would range from $20 to $25 million per year.

Currently, online retailers without a physical presence in the state do not have to collect sales tax on Internet purchases. As ecommerce has increased in recent years, the exemption from Internet sales taxes has come under fire by brick and mortar retailers in several states. In September, Amazon made an agreement to collect web sales taxes in California beginning September 2012.

Many elected officials and legislators believe the only answer to Internet sales tax problem is a federal solution that treats all retailers and all states alike. Amazon has made agreements or tax collection with several states so far. Some states have enacted legislation that requires large online retailers collect sales taxes. Amazon’s immediate solution was to stop dealing with those states. However, it now sees the handwriting on the wall and has been making agreements to collect taxes with various states individually.

Early last year, Illinois adopted a law requiring online retailers with a physical presence in Illinois to begin collecting sales taxes. Amazon avoided the issue by dropping its Illinois affiliates, which typically earn commissions for directing shoppers to an online store.

Amazon’s agreement with Indiana is similar to others it signed last year with California and Tennessee, where the retailer has agreed to proceed with plans to invest in new distribution facilities that would result in thousands of new jobs. Amazon has also been lobbying for federal legislation, but the effort could take until 2013 to get final legislation through.

Amazon currently collects sales tax in the state of Washington, where its headquarters is based; in Kansas and Kentucky, where it maintains distribution centers; in North Dakota; and in New York, where it is collecting sales tax while awaiting the result of a court case on a New York law requiring online retailers to collect sales tax if they get sales leads from in-state affiliate web sites such as blogs.

Another giant web-only retailer, Overstock.com recently proposed that states provide merchants with tax-collection software and to cover the cost of using it. The “Equity in Sales Tax Collection Act Bill” proposed by Overstock contends it would be more fair to retailers than the pending sales tax bills under consideration in Congress.

Overstock proposes that states provide the software that would automatically compute and report to the states the proper sales tax amounts of each retail transaction. Overstock suggests that states could provide such software to work with bricks-and-mortar store cash registers, point-of-sale systems and online billing programs. That would level the playing field among retailers by taking the sales tax collection responsibility away from store retailers rather than adding collection duties to web-only retailers.

Overstock’s proposal wants retailers relieved of liability for errors made in calculating sales tax, and it would allow retailers to retain at least 2 percent of the sales tax collected. The proposal also wants the states to reimburse the software  providers with a minimum of 3 percent of the amount of sales tax collected in each retail transaction.

With all this activity in legal agreements and proposed legislation, and with the big retailers that originally were adamant about not collecting Internet sales taxes making  proposals for sales tax collection, it won’t be long before sales taxes come to ecommerce.