season

Reports are already coming in about the commencement of the holiday shopping season having signs of a “solid start” across the board, leaving many cautious retail outlets heaving an early sigh of relief. As many others in the industry had anticipated, the consumer reaction to the start of the season’s sales has been positive, with signs of a healthy year-end on the horizon. Here are the highlights, as experts predict the outcome of the event, and early numbers help shape the trends today.

Companies that are expressing any doubts about the behavior of consumers this year would be best served remembering some basic truths about their customers, and buying habits of consumers in general. The times change, as do the economies; but human nature remains the same as it has been for a long time, and sellers who stay the course will be the ones who reap real rewards n the end.

Last year, the experimentation began on a widespread level; virtual gift cards were becoming part of transactions everywhere, and they also made some surprising numbers during the holiday season’s final results for 2009. Now, with the 2010 holiday rush hurtling towards retailers, it’s becoming increasingly important for sellers – whether they are online, or in physical locations – to start gearing up with marketing strategies and advertising campaigns that conform to the growing trend of virtual gift cards and even gaming credits that can be applied towards real-life purchases. The challenge today is to determine which ones of these sales incentives will be of real value, and which ones will fade away fast.

With China being in the spotlight for the past few years – and with that spotlight growing in heat and intensity over the last few months – there’s a lot of confusion surrounding the PRC… and unfortunately, with that confusion often comes a lot of room for misinterpretation. In this piece, we will take a look at the celebration that practically stops China in its tracks for about a week, and what this might mean for the wholesaler or retailer who wants to continue doing business with their partners in the far East. If you’re a newbie to the China biz, you might want to take some notes, and start practicing your skills in Chinese… it’s time for a little China 101, with emphasis upon the modern CNY. You don’t know what CNY is? Click here to find out more!

While everyone’s scrambling around trying to get the best deals in town, you should be offering it to them! Wholesale and retail specialists everywhere can make the most of the confusion, as long as you become the one place for shoppers to take a rest, and cool their heels. Are you streamlining and optimizing your site for the best shopping experience, or will customers drop in… and quickly drop out without clicking the ‘buy’ button? Read the story to see what you can do to increase your online holiday sales…

SEO is a scary word for some… for a good reason… because for the non-technical people out there, it’s a lot like listening to somebody explain how a combustion engine works. Powerful SEO marketing this holiday season doesn’t have to be an unattainable goal for you, and this story should give you a few great ideas to make your site run smoothly as it increases in visibility, and gets more buyers to notice you! Read on to find out more…

From cosmetics to cookware, there are a lot of goods to be sifted through in the never-ending search for products that will make your wholesale and retail business blow up this holiday season! Christmas will be a time for careful planning, and those who go beyond party supplies and general merchandise will be growing their customer base, rather than reducing it… without taking wild swings in the dark, or being uninformed about what trends are making their appearance this year. Read on to find out what I have to say about the hot Off-Price products that will be outsourced during this holiday season…