It looks like the 2009 shopping rush paid off, at least at first glance anyway. Retailers and wholesalers were hoping for an energetic last-minute sales craze that would boost holiday sales for the year, and consumers came through. ‘Twas the week before Christmas that made many of these sellers sigh with relief. Does this mean we should pop the champagne corks, and raise a glass as we utter a collective cheer for a job well done? Not so fast, there’s still a lot of detailed data coming down the pipeline… and it will undoubtedly be twisted and forced into unnatural and contorted shapes by those who want to capitalize upon last year’s miserable figures, in the hopes of raising the stakes for the next go. Pitching to the investment community has always been a risky proposition, but this time it’s a make-or-break affair for companies who have stretched their budgets to the limit, especially for the majority of the large-scale enterprises that run on the fuel-vapors of borrowed funds.

Well… it’s not always about holiday madness, is it?

This world is changing fast,and the big-box companies are feeling it as never before. If you’re in the big leagues of the biz, chances are good that you’re already working towards making Spring sales a success, and have hastily put the holiday rush and all of its results behind you. If you happen to be a small-size dealer in wholesale goods, you’ve got a clear advantage here, since shipping rates and services are expanding as never before, and the Internet is still capturing the hearts and minds of newly-initiated communities across the globe. Buying is simply getting easier, and we may even have the financial crisis to thank for it.

In China, the rate of lending continues to escalate as house prices rise to unattainable heights, and the public perception of turning to credit – in lieu of hard cash – has triggered the banking industry’s process of developing fast and easy credit-based accessories for companies that wish to make the most of those precious ‘eyeball hours’ from consumers who would have laughed at the notion of spending one thin 分 (Chinese fen, or RMB0.01) on an online transaction a few years ago. Online sales now account for some serious traffic in the PRC, and this has caught the attention of sellers around the world, as they are experiencing dips in their home markets… but see increased spending in the far East.

Back in the USA, the strongest performers seem to have been the ones who offer more value for the buck, with discount retailers like Target and BJ’s Wholesale making a clean sweep, while the teen fashion sector took it pretty hard, and failed to move a lot of that trendy high-priced apparel out the door. If we look to the UK for some figures, it’s a lot of the same old thing… although it would be wise to note that the increase in the country’s VAT (value-added tax) made consumers a little more eager to spend their money earlier this time around, before the price increase. You know what that means: artificially pumped-up figures that might otherwise have looked grim, without the stimulus of creating an incentive to spend while the spending’s good. This thinking also applies to the US market, where November sales were hurtful for many retailers, causing perhaps a false negative since many consumers held out until December to make their biggest moves.

All in all, the numbers game is a confusing and vague one at best. If you’re hoping to catch some of the positive ones, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at the various categories showing everything from general merchandise, apparel, accessories, gifts, electronics, handbags, jewelry, toys, and more within the pages of Toptenwholesale.com and Manufacturer.com some time. Maybe you should do it now, and start the process of securing your place in the winner’ circle as you Find it. Source it. Profit!