I’m getting a lot of questions from vendors about what to expect at the Atlanta market this week. In a nutshell:
1. There are going to be a lot more lookers than takers this time. Retailers are taking notes then faxing orders from home. Means less paper written this week, but doesn’t mean the show’s been a flop. (Sound familiar? See my previous post here).
2. There will be a lot less traffic this time. Retailers that can make the trip are staying even fewer days than in July. Retailers that can’t make the trip are relying heavily on your road reps, catalogs, and websites. If any of those are out of sync, get them up to date, fast.
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Here we go. The start of the winter gift show season, which means I’m off to Atlanta for several days.
I’ll be there from Friday afternoon through Monday evening, so anyone not already on the schedule who’d like some one-on-one time, please email asap. It’s getting tight, but I’ll move heaven and earth to fit you in.
If you’re a current client, please feel free to call my cell.
Safe travels, everyone!
Yes, 2007 stunk. At least it did for most retailers.
So what do you do now that the page has turned? How do you get out of the gate ahead of the competition?
You do it by thinking like a start up…like you did when you first opened your store. That other time it was all expenses with no income. That other time you had to wheel and deal or live on macaroni and cheese for six more months. [click here to continue…]
It might seem there’s no safe haven in retail right now, but those of you selling paper know that green is gold these days. If you’ve got great recycled options, you’re ahead of stores who don’t.
Enter Green Paper Company. [click here to continue…]
RetailSpeaks newsletter recipients have heard me hint at how 4Q will be built on tradition, home, and hearth. Well folks, don’t doubt it. This morning, Good Morning America did a piece about the surge in Christian themed product purchases. True, some of the stuff is kitsch-—as dearly as I hold my own faith, odds of a Jesus Christ bobble head doll landing on my shopping list are slimmer than none. Same goes for the Bible themed power bars (seriously…I couldn’t make this stuff up.) But make no mistake-—faith based gifts are on the uptick. Big time.
Don’t mistake this for an anomaly. As world, political, and economic jitters continue to encroach on their lives, consumers continue to pull back to a safer, saner, quieter time…and that’s childhood. To adapt, retailers need to embrace what I call “Mashed Potato Marketing,” built on documented human behavioral patterns rife with comfort food, tradition, and “all things home.”
For the full write up and buying advice, visit the RetailSpeaks newsletter archive (specifically the June/July issue).
Retailers who figure this out and buy accordingly will hold their own-—or better yet, do really well this holiday season. Those who buy like it’s 1999, though…good luck. This isn’t the year to bet on edgy trends or hipster brown and blue. It’s gonna be all about Christmas, Christ, and that guy in the funny red sleigh.
Now…pass the homemade ostkaka and a spoon, please?
Here we go…the start of the Chicago show, with two (jam packed) speaking gigs tomorrow and my mom by my side. It’s Liz’s first time to the Mart here, as well as her first stay on Michigan Avenue. Should be a fun weekend.
The market season‘s officially into high gear. Today, one of my consulting clients asked how best navigate all the show specials popping up as vendors find themselves carrying the weight of excess inventory. Here’s my advice:
1. If an opening order is more than you need/want, it’s not a good deal. Walk away.
2. If a show special requires more product than you need, it’s not a good deal. Walk away.
3. If bumping a bunch of addition product into an order for the sake of getting free freight, do the math. If the additional product costs more than the freight would have, it’s not a good deal. Walk away (or simply lower your order).
4. If you’re required to buy really deep instead of really wide-—when the price tag would be the same-—explain to the vendor, the more shelf frontage they have, the more customers they’ll snag. If they still insist you order deep, walk away.
This year, it’s more critical than ever that you buy smart. There are a lot of offers and programs out there, many of which look great on the surface but may end up robbing you blind in the end. In the next couple of months, you’ll see me address several of the dealer programs in my Gifts and Dec column, “Retail Enabler.”
It’s a complicated market season, folks. There’s old math…new math…and retail math. Time to brush up on the latter.
