The nation’s largest gathering of wholesale souvenir, gift and resort suppliers just keeps getting better. Hosted every November at the foot of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the International Gift Exposition in the Smokies and the Souvenir Super Show, IGES/SSS, will be celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The show has expanded from its original pavilion into two modern convention centers offering a buying opportunity for souvenir outlets of all sizes, according to show co-owner, Susan Mills.
Browsing: September 2014 issue
Whether trying to prep little ones for school or simply to ward off boredom on a rainy afternoon, parents who want to get their kids experimenting, creating and exploring the world around them will gravitate toward toys and games that teach important STEAM concepts (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).
Expect to be warm this winter. The bigger the shape and the bigger the knit, the more on trend and more comfortable fashion is looking for fall 2014. Polar vortex or not, the season’s trends are full of easy-to-wear pieces that produce a warm and cozy look into the coming months.
According to retailers across the spectrum of industries and outlets, consumers are increasingly responsive to the “Made in USA” message. There are many possible explanations for this trend, including fallout from the recession, generational shifts and the changing global economy, which provide opportunities for retailers everywhere.
Wilcor wants to make the outdoors fun. The company has been operated by the Wilcor family since 1887, and is dedicated to designing, manufacturing, and distributing outdoor recreational products to independent retailers. These include campgrounds, resorts, small chains, independent shops, amusement parks, and wherever people go to have fun, according to VP of Marketing, Dennis Corrigan.
Larger department stores and pharmacies now have remote monitoring of their camera systems. Due to of the number of stores, these larger chains can have one location watching the cameras for various locations to spot shoplifting. They can then alert the local security personnel of suspicious activities, while saving thousands of dollars compared to each store having to do this individually.
“Drive them to retail” is a marketing mantra as old as the marketplace, and it’s back. It appeared for a while that online purchases would continue to erode brick-and-mortar traffic. Showrooming represented a detour from the traditional purchase path, as consumers began to browse for items at stores, and fulfill the purchase online for fractional discounts; an idea driven by cold logic in the pursuit of price. But that has changed.
There are green thumbs, and then there are people who just want to be able to grow something, anything! Magic Plant’s growing kits are for these folks. Just open and water the seeds, which are already pre-planted in a special mineral soil, and watch them grow.
Trade shows are the ideal venue to meet new and existing suppliers, conduct business meetings, network and investigate new products. However, in order to make your trade show experience an investment for your business, consider these five budget tips for success.
Not all yardsticks are created equal. American Promotional Products should know, as the creator of one of the most high quality yardsticks in the industry. “It’s a unique product, and we call it our ‘old time yardstick,'” says Mike Murray, marketing manager. “It’s something you would have gotten back in the ’40s when you went into a store. It’s thicker, wider (¼ inch), and it’s going to last forever.” The quality of yardsticks has changed over the years, Murray notes. “Many manufacturers have cheapened them; they’ve gotten thinner, and you can even bend them back. Not ours.”