Author: Publisher

Sign waving mannequins from SignDolls.com are today’s surprising alternative to live sign spinners. These lifelike and life size dolls can be placed in or around a business, holding a full color sign with a targeted advertisement, rain or shine. Sign waving dolls reduce advertising costs as well as employee management hassles, and inspire customers to do a double take and stop into a merchant’s store.

Free shipping is an enticing promotion that more and more retailers are offering year round, according to a new survey from Shop.org, the online retail arm of the National Retail Federation. Nearly 35 percent of respondents say they already offer free shipping all year long, compared with 23.1 percent who did so a year earlier. In the survey involving 91 retailers, 16.3 percent had planned to begin offering free shipping as a holiday promotion the last week in October.

The Beadery® has been manufacturing plastic beads for crafts, jewelry, toys and industrial applications in its Rhode Island factory since 1932. As a leader in plastic beads, acrylic rhinestones, cabochons, acrylic mirrors, decorative flower and leaf beads, pony beads and more, the firm wholesales items in bulk and packaged for retail sales.

Bill McNulty, publisher of Independent Retailer magazine since October 2011, has been named in the 2013 Folio: 100 list of media industry innovators and influential professionals. The list represents all facets of publishing from every corner of the industry, including big and small publishers in the consumer, B2B, regional and association markets. Media professionals were named in four categories: C-Level Visionaries, Director-Level Doers, Industry Influencers and Under the Radar. In addition, 15 entrepreneurs were honored in the 15 Under 30 category. Folio: 100 honorees were invited to attend an award ceremony at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on October 30th.

The November 2013 issue of Independent Retailer Magazine includes a feature on Souvenir Success in 2014. Check out more timely Product Trends, News, and Marketing tips…

Save-A-Cell dries and recovers smartphones and other small electronic devices if they are submerged in water or splashed with a liquid. “We all know that electronics and water do not mix,” states Bardi Toto, owner of Xceptional Marketing Solutions, the firm that distributes the product. “I have seen very expensive electronic devices, including iPhones, get ruined from even small amounts of liquid.

Under a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), first-class postage stamps could rise to 49 cents, or by 6.5 percent, and pricing for other mail, including postcards and packages, would also rise on Jan. 26, 2014. The increase would raise about $2 billion in additional revenue a year, and will require approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC).

Fashion accessories attract customers of all ages, men and women alike. They are the perfect products to display for impulse buys, and to increase profits in your retail store. The challenge is keeping up with trends that will sell, and to provide customers with a selection of interesting items that appeal to different age groups and fashion tastes.

Instagram is now the go-to place for people to share photos with friends and family. Moreover, it is a great place for people to post pictures of things they want to sell, and indie retailers are finding it is an invaluable way to reach customers. Hordes of users have turned Instagram into a profitable business opportunity, building new services on top of the existing platform.

Fashion jewelry continues to generate steady retail sales, and rings are especially popular in today’s market. “Fashion rings have always been and will continue to be our biggest sellers,” says Frances Perian, wholesale and special projects manager with Shavonne Corporation, a jewelry wholesaler since 1956. “Our newest items are 316-stainless steel fashion rings. Stainless steel is becoming more popular than sterling silver because it is more economical.”