Author: Publisher

OFFPRICE is all about speed, says Stephen Krogulski, CEO. “The OFFPRICE shows are about writing orders,” Krogulski says. “You come to an OFFPRICE show, buy your goods, and the goods will ship immediately.”

Shellie has a simple suggestion for customers who buy its products at the retail level: “Always be yourself, unless you can be a mermaid.” It makes sense when you consider Shellie’s product line of beautifully crafted jewelry that captures the essence of the ocean.

At Sun Fashion Designs Inc. quality is everything. The company carries a wide variety of gold and silver plated jewelry, including rings, pendants, chains, cubic zirconia earrings, brooches, and charms.

If you wear a size 9-½ in shoes, would you buy size 10 because that is the closest size the store had? Absolutely not. If your ring size is 7 and all the store has is size 6 or 8, then you will most likely walk out empty handed—as you should in this situation. The same goes for purchasing fashion jewelry chains.

Safari Ltd., maker of miniature figures, releases around 70 new figures a year and offers more than a thousand in all. Where in the world do they come up with all those ideas? “We get many suggestions from letters and emails,” says Matthew Mullan, social media specialist. “People comment on Facebook and Instagram. You name it.”

ShopKeep.com is tacking on an extra month onto their “Race to 1 Million” promotion, giving away an additional $500k worth of product to help businesses prepare for the holiday season.

Rhode Island Novelty is a national distributor dedicated to making your zoo, aquarium, or resort gift shop a success. The company is a, “one stop shop,” says Jeff Shaughnessy, with everything a gift or souvenir shop would need to create a product lineup perfectly suited to customers.

With increasing competition from online stores and the opportunity to participate in the projected $1 trillion online ecommerce market, it is vital for owners of traditional brick-and-mortar stores to expand their digital reach. Small businesses that ignore this trend will quickly lose market share to bigger competitors.

In today’s increasingly digital world, it’s important for online retailers to leverage social media and develop a memorable online “window” shopping experience. One common misconception among retailers is that money can’t be made directly through social platforms, but there is indeed potential for a clear stream of revenue driven by branded, strategic and innovative social media activity.

It’s no secret that in our busy 21st century world, there’s a growing trend toward handcrafted, local, and American made goods. In an era where so much is mass-produced overseas and the latest gadgets come out every six months, people increasingly want to experience more authenticity in what they carry, wear, and bring into their homes. As a retailer, there’s nothing like the reward of supporting small-scale makers, enabling them to follow their passions by connecting them with new customers.