Wholesale Hats: What’s Selling This Season

Among the wide array of fashion accessories for both men and women, none have been as varied – except maybe shoes – as the humble hat. It can give you a feeling of power… or make you shrink away into the shadows when you don’t want to be noticed. The right hat can give you an authoritative look… or make you seem mysterious and even shadowy. Let’s face it, hats are not going away… and as a savvy wholesale or retail specialist, you should pay attention to the fact that Winter is going to bring a whole new wave of customers who want to put a lid on their domes this season! Take a look at our own Toptenwholesale.com search results page to see some examples of companies that offer great hats at unbeatable prices! To see more ideas, check out manufacturer.com, wholesaleu.com, and offpricenetwork.com as well as a huge selection of general merchandise, apparel, accessories, gifts, electronics, handbags, jewelry, toys, and more!

Today I’m going to give you a little bit of help in selecting the right hat for your wholesale business, especially for those of you who are doing online sales and e-tailing.

• Choosing the hats to carry can be a lot like selling shoes, or watches, or even jewelry… but the price point is much lower, and that can make it easier for you to offer a wide variety of styles and materials, instead of cautiously keeping a limited supply on hand.

• The style choices and trends in the hat business follow distinctly cyclical cycles, which means that your inventory of hats that aren’t selling today could be flying off the shelves tomorrow!

• It’s also got a lot to do with the seasonality of wardrobe choices, since Winter tends to bring the richer and plusher fabrics to the fore… and these are always complimented nicely by a proper hat. Keep your eye on what materials are hot right now for jackets and scarves, and you will already have a good idea of what kind of hat material will pair up nicely.

• Hollywood has never made it easier to follow the fashion, as movies have brought hats back in a big way. Kate Hudson with a wide brim, the normally glammy Beyonce in a simple knitted wool hat, Brad Pitt and his signature newsboy cap, Mickey Rourke and the rugged cowboy hat. I’ve even noticed Justin Timberlake… who – in my opinion – has always been a bit of a fashion victim, but making news nonetheless in a variety of hats that customers are eager to find for themselves. You should be helping those customers find them, on your site.

As you can see, picking the hat isn’t the biggest issue… since there’s something for everyone out there, and a lot of existing marketing to support your selections. On the other hand, you’ve got to make sure that you stand out in the crowd when it comes to offering your customers the right blend of fashion and service. Here’s a few things you’ll want to keep your mind on, as you set up your site with a smoking-hot deal on hats:

• Make sure people know about your quality hat selection… whether you’re selling MLB caps, Stetson, Kangol, Cubavera, or even some of the designer-inspired gear… slap those logos up on your page! It will give your buyers something to reinforce their feeling of satisfaction, knowing that they’ve found a site that isn’t afraid to show who they carry.

• Selection is important… since there’s a hat for ever head, you need to carry a good range of choices. Be varied, and don’t be afraid to put two seemingly contrasting styles next to each other. After all, the one who gets noticed is going to get the sale.

• Make it easy to order… offer service online 24/7, design product category pages that are easy to navigate, create informative individual product pages are full of detailed color samples and other helpful information, etc… be creative!

• SSL provides encryption between web browsers and web servers… so make sure you’re using it. Putting a big header on your order page that says “100% Secure Ordering 128-bit encryption key over Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to provide the highest level of security” will only help you secure the sale, when the customer hesitates to click the buy button. Just make sure you’ve actually set it up correctly, or you’ll be dealing with some major headaches later on.

• Brag a little… about your customer satisfaction, that is. Offer a little insight into your store’s history, and give some testimonials from happy customers. Be honest. This will only lead to more sales with other happy customers, and everyone will win in the end.

Well, there it is… my little primer for those who want to throw their hat into the ring… and get going in the hat game. You want my personal point of view on the hottest hat trend for the season? I have always been keen on basic knitted watch caps myself, but I’m going to go out on a limb here… and say that for the ladies, cloche hats will make a big comeback. This one sure looks good on Hillary Swank, and it will look good on a lot of other girls out there too!

DVD and Video Game Sales: Bulk Up for Turkey Day Blast!

Your customers are probably tired of the same old thing for Thanksgiving Day’s usual chain of events… you know, the wind-up of eating till you feel faint… then crashing out on the couch in frustration… and ultimately sleeping the whole thing off in guilt-ridden silence. Sound familiar to you? It seems that most consumers this year don’t want to repeat that scenario for the umpteenth time, and maybe they would prefer to have a fun-filled and entertaining holiday… but don’t like the idea of dealing with lead paint-contaminated toys, needlessly expensive diversions that don’t really add to the party atmosphere (but add to the guilt factor), or boring stuff that leaves everyone hungry for more?

Fear not, the good news is that most consumers seem to be leaning towards video gaming and movie-watching this year! While many people wouldn’t waste their time blasting aliens, monsters, other players, or any other type of target during their busy and hectic lives… this Turkey Day, it looks like it might be the best bet for families and friends who want to spend some quality time together, without breaking the bank or causing physical harm. Well, I won’t rule out the possibility of sprained thumbs and Carpal-Tunnel Syndrome, but that’s another story.

First, about family gaming: carrying the right selection of games and hardware for your customers can be a little daunting, since every major electronics producer seems to have some kind of answer to the gaming question. However, there are some things that stand out, and make your sales soar… when you consider the option of promoting and selling the games themselves, and maybe the gaming accessories too. Also, there is a great selection of  hardware that is not necessarily the name-brand stuff, but meets OEM specs for third-party production. I see these things all the time in the PC markets here in China, and it would be a good idea to offer this to your customers as well. With a growth figure of about 20 percent last year, you can bet that games will take a big chunk of the Thanksgiving Day revenue this time around, too. Video games outstripped sales of DVDs and movies as well, and I reckon people will only move further away from the movie experience… and closer to being the experience, in an interactive format that requires their input.

As for the movies: perhaps some of your customers are a bit like me, and don’t really get much pleasure from playing video games. That’s fine, because there’s a huge selection of movies and DVD options to stock your shelves and online pages with. I’ll admit, I have a totally unfair advantage over the rest of you living in the USA… since I can find movies for about $0.25 each, sometimes seeing the really good stuff at a premium price of about  $0.75! I know, you hate me… and maybe you’re seething over the fact that pirate DVD sales are crushing the biz back home (unless you happen to read the venomous news about Hulu.com, but that’s another story) but the reality is that DVD sales are almost entirely comprised of pirated stuff in the PRC, so there’s no existing market in China for services like Netflix, the DVD section of the electronics stores, or even pay-to-download sites. In fact, most Chinese simply watch streaming movie content that temporarily downloads onto their PCs at home and the office, without ever owning a copy for themselves. Well… why bother, when you’ve got the whole thing right at your fingertips anyway, right? Unless the USA starts following the same widespread East Asain model soon, there will be no freebies for everyone in the States… and that means the attraction to wholesalers and retailers who offer discounted DVDs will be more popular than the usual outlets that put them on display for $20 a pop! Ouch!

Visit the search pages of Toptenwholesale.com to find some killer deals on loads of closeout DVDs and to locate sources for dropshipping options on video games that will make your holiday sales a success!

TopTen Trends for Computers and Electronic Accessories

Last year was a downright gruesome scene for some wholesale and retail specialists, as consumer spending hit rather scary low figures, and the usual myriad of reliable trends and predictability schemes were tossed out the window… making the big question this year revolve around what the future brings for the holiday season in 2009. While there will undoubtedly be a lot of shopping going on (since the USA is largely comprised of a consumer-based economy), it’s no secret that the average consumer will exercise a great deal of caution this time around, and only the sellers who prepare for this renewed environment of customer pre-shopping mentality can hope to catch a substantial part of the revenue that will be flowing into the usual sales channels. The good news, however, is that for those dealing in computers and electronics… this could be a victorious year-end!

It’s been some time since we’ve seen a buyer’s market like this, and it looks like things will not be stabilizing for some time. Computers and electronics are now being manufactured by pretty much everyone from the USA… to the deepest and most underdeveloped regions of China… and this means that there will be a lot of choices for consumers to direct their dollars towards. You should be paying attention to what the people are reading and hearing, in order to prepare yourself for the choices you’ll have to make regarding what kind of gear to stock, what kind of deals to put on the table, and what sort of after-sales service will be received with the most appreciation by the current crop of savvy buyers.

First of all, the notion that consumers simply follow advertising and marketing hype is an old strategy that has met its end. Today’s consumer is smart, picky, and willing to wait. Too many people have been burned since 2008 to allow the same thing to happen again… and this means that your service, attitude, and follow-through will determine what kind of success you enjoy for the following years to come.

Secondly, there’s a lot of information being passed around, but it seems to follow a very predictable pattern: electronics are the hottest pick this year, as manufacturers and distributors are rallying to get buyers excited about their merchandise… and the merchandise has never shown such signs of being categorized as low-hanging fruit before. Yes, that’s right… love it or hate it, this is a buyer’s market in the realm of electronics, and you should be very watchful of the trends.

Okay, without being overly-dramatic… here is my list of items to keep your eyes on for this year’s electronics gold rush. In fact, I’ll just put it in another convenient TopTen list format, and let you decide what to do from there:

• Netbooks are going to be the champs in 2009, but there’s two sides to this story. They offer a counterpoint to the question of getting more bang for your buck. How much bang? Well, not blisteringly-fast processor speeds or incredible graphics performance… but for under about $200 bucks, that’s not a big problem for the consumer who seeks a laptop PC on the cheap. These will be coming out of the woodwork  at every turn, and people shopping for the low-cost answer to their portable computing questions will be happy to see them.
• Low-end notebook PC prices are also going to take a dive, as the netbooks create a huge competition factor that keeps the manufacturers from charging the prices they’d like to put forth this year. Even Apple is putting a new plastic-bodied low-cost alternative to the iBook on the shelves this year, in response to the tightened consumer purse strings that have all of the PC makers stressed out.
• Thanks for the memories… GB and MB of memory, that is. I’ve never seen memory so low. I remember when I was in college, a 250MB SyQuest drive (remember those?) cost me about $200 per disk. Nowadays, I just paid about RMB300 for a 1TB drive… and in the USA the prices are hovering around 5 cents per GB, so I expect to find 1TB USB 2.0 external hard drives for $49 bucks or so.
• Software is a necessary evil, but that might change pretty soon. I’ve mentioned cloud-based apps in past posts… and I do believe they will eventually put an end to the deluge of software that is sold for prices that sometimes make people think twice about even getting a PC. The pirate market has put a dent in the biz, too… and it only makes my suspicion that cloud computing will make all that software even cheaper. You should be looking for the price drops, and passing the savings along to your customers.
• LCD monitors can make all the difference between a good Internet-browsing session, and an amazing experience with your PC, time after time. be prepared to offer your customers the styles and sizes they want, at the prices they can afford.
• Game systems are not to be ignored, as people look for something relatively benign in a toxic world of job layoffs, company closures, and housing crises. Personally, I believe that the gaming industry is going to change the way we look at the computer screen… but it might be a little while before things fall into place. For now, it would be a good idea to offer your customers the selection of games and hardware that makes the difference.
• TV sets can bring the experience to you in a better light, and the bigger they are, the better. Prices are also dropping, and even with the maker of those coveted HDTV sets crowing about how amazing their picture quality is, many consumers will be looking for size, not razor-sharpness.
• Blu-ray disc players might be like the beloved beta cassette recorders of yesteryear (no, I don’t think Blu-ray will change the landscape of optical media as we know it) but this time – unlike the days of beta vs VHS – you won’t be stuck with useless discs that don’t play on any other piece of hardware. Where the beta cassettes went wrong was being unusable on any other system… this time around, the Blu-ray disc is compatible with just about any PC that has a decent set of codecs installed, and will be useful as long as the price is low. Consumers will be appreciative of any seller who can explain the mysteries of recording onto disc, and provide the answers to questions regarding their Blu-ray purchases.
• Digital picture frames might not be the sexiest of these items, but they are truly an idea that has become a reality. While many people might have been hesitant to make the switch from those yellowing, faded glossy prints from a one-hour lab that were printed in 1982… it’s going to be hard for people to fight the urge to put their favorite pictures on display – in a slideshow, even – for prices around $30 or less.
• GPS is the new best friend of tech-savvy delivery drivers, salespeople, and long-distance drivers everywhere… why let them have all the fun, as more people get used to the idea that a GPS system for their car is not really a luxury, but a necessity in these crazy days of finding the places you are supposed to be in, amidst all the traffic and chaos? If it helps any, I can tell you that Chinese car owners are one of the fastest-growing consumer segments in the GPS arena.

There it is… the good, the bad, and the not-so-ugly… especially if you’re looking to position yourself for some extreme holiday sales this year! Don’t forget to check in with us from time to time, and maybe even bookmark the Toptenwholesale.com site as one of your favorites, so you don’t miss the news as it comes down the pipeline! Good luck with your holiday wholesaling! Be sure to utilize our helpful search feature to effectively Find it. Source it. Profit!

Black Friday: Electronics and Cameras Expected to Sell Out!

Black Friday is coming fast, and with it come the possibilities of selling out your inventory of electronics and cameras, too! Are you ready for the electronics rush? In order to forecast what will be hot this time around, taking a walk down memory lane and getting a quick look at last year’s figures for what sold over Black Friday would be a good idea… but I’m going to go just a little further back on the timeline, by showing some figures from the 2007 season’s hot picks first:

• Women’s Boots
• Watches
• Blu-ray/HD-DVD Players
• Women’s Sleep & Lounge Wear
• Games & Puzzles
• Women’s Jackets
• Music
• Headphones
• Women’s Dresses
• Women’s Casual Shoes

Interesting how the electronics category didn’t seem to make such a big impression on this set of 2007 data, eh? Now let’s take a look at last year’s Black Friday sales winners:

• Nintendo Wii Console
• UGG Australia Boot
• Sony Blu-Ray Disc Player
• Samsung LCD TV
• Nintendo Wii Fit
• Panasonic Plasma TV
• Sennheiser HD Headphones
• Canon EOS Rebel SLR Digital Camera Kit
• Acer Aspire Notebook
• Canon PowerShot Digital Camera

This time, electronics positively smashed the other categories, and it looks like the only other noteworthy item that even made it onto the list was those puffy-looking Aussie boots. I don’t really know what that means (about the inexplicable popularity of UGG boots, that is) but two things I would take away from this history lesson would be that:

Things change pretty fast.

Electronics will most likely occupy a large part of next year’s list.

Be aware of what the big electronics retailers are doing, because they have wisely been changing up their strategies to compensate for this year’s dismal projections on holiday sales… and they’re also turning increasingly towards the rapidly-growing online shopping forum – your territory(!) – for some added consumer spending to flow their way. Remember those cute little mail-in rebates that Best Buy, Walmart, OfficeMax, and other big-box centers were tossing around at the checkout aisle? I don’t expect them to repeat that move, since a tidal wave of consumer complaints left people feeling bitter… and feeling a lot better about getting instant satisfaction online with e-coupons and discount codes. You could be the one to offer this, along with better service and more personalized attention.

Stay tuned, because I’ll have a list of predictions for you to feast your eyes on… when I post my blog about TopTen Trends for Computers and Electronic Accessories!

TopTen Personalized Gifts for this Season

Looking high and low, to find the wholesale and retail options for getting unique, one-of-a-kind gifts and other items that your more discriminating customers are looking for can be quite a challenge, especially since ‘personalized’ usually implies a prohibitive custom-built price, too. While there are a number of tried-and-true alternatives to the less imaginative choices out there, you might want to take a minute to look into what’s really within reach, as you find new and exciting products to amaze your customers with!

Let’s face it, there are gifts that simply fulfill an obligation… and there are gifts that tell people you put a great deal more time and thought into them. Personalized gifts are a great way to promote your business, by adding the appeal of a custom shop… without the custom prices. On top of that, your online seller site can offer these alternatives to everyone, and neatly avoid the added obstacle of being the only one in town – maybe all the way on the other side of town – who offers unique goods. Since you can supply anyone with an Internet connection, there’s no reason not to add these special gifts to your product catalog!

Toptenwholesale.com could be the gateway to personalized gifts that your customers will love… and easy to find, since we’ve got a bunch of them listed right on our search results page. A little pointing and clicking will reveal smoking-hot customized items like baby clothes, custom-screened chocolate bar wrappers, and even custom messages screened right onto the faces of your Halloween pumpkins!

Hmmm, right in time for the coming holidays!

I might also point out that a lot of people will be looking for some combo-gifting ideas… which means that money is tight this year, and there are some holidays that can be combined with other dates of significance, in order to take care of two things at once. You know somebody who’s birthday is around the end of December, don’t you? I do. There’s no shame in giving your customers a dignified way to keep from getting financially stressed-out this year.

To help you get started on the search, here’s a quick run-down of TopTen custom and personalized gift ideas to consider:

• Gifts for teachers and bosses are a great way to score some extra points, and a cost-effective way to help your customers find a gift solution that will not only send the message home, but serve a function, too!

• Retirement gifts don’t have to be tasteless or boring… an example of something cool is a tackle kit for fishermen that includes a full range of fishing gear, as well as a hanging plaque that looks a lot like the ones you’d see outside of a bait shop! Motorcycle enthusiasts will also find a good number of options for getting personalized tools, parts, and accessories for the retiree’s garage.

• Jewelry is never going away, and with good reason. As other gifts are used up or tossed out, jewelry – especially simple and elegant designs – can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

• Sporting and recreational gear covers just about all aspects of custom messages, images, and styles… it’s just a matter of finding the sport that your customers have in mind.

• Leisure wear isn’t just for the Las Vegas lounge acts, and I’ve seen some really sweet cocktail/martini sets with names and initials etched or engraved into them for a good price. Suggest these to your customers, and tell them you’ll throw in the toothpicks and olives for free!

• The Western theme is alive and kickin’, and there are lots of cool gifts to get you favorite cowboy or cowgirl this year. I saw some personalized branding irons somewhere…

• For those who like to keep their cold drinks cold, but prefer to do it in style… there’s custom-printed can coolers and bottle liners that will add color and functional sense to anybody’s picnic basket or BBQ set. No, it’s not too early to be thinking about Summertime gifts.

• Customized furniture for kids is all the rage, and I’m seeing some great ideas, especially in the form of wooden cut-outs featuring your kid’s name. Color schemes and designs can be chosen as well, to brighten any child’s room.

• Decals and stickers can be printed to supply your customers with fun graphics that can be applied to cars, boats, and even notebook computers for a custom look that won’t involve any muss or fuss.

• Picture frames and other memory-inspiring gifts are great for those who want something that can suit almost anyone’s tastes. From the CEO’s desk, to the college kid’s study corner in a dorm room, these are perfect for driving sales by adding a shopping-cart item that could be combined with other gifts and services on your site, or in your shop.

So many choices… so little time to get them in stock, and on hand. Don’t be the one to leave this off of your to-do list for the year, as many other wholesalers and retailers will be looking for the specialty gifts that set them apart this year. Be amongst those who heed the call of opportunity knocking on your door!

TopTen News: Source Creative New Gifts and Promotional Products this Season

Wholesale novelties are a mainstay in the industry, and there are always a variety of manufacturers and distributors that can get the goods you want, at a price you feel good about. Of course, the burning question remains about which novelties and gifts are the ones to look out for… and more importantly, who will you connect with to find them?

In an ever-widening scope of manufacturers and sellers who are looking for someone to help them make their numbers for the year, unprecedented opportunities are coming out of the woodwork… and you should be looking for them. I’m going to show you a couple of ideas that have recently come to the fore, and I would be interested to know what you think of them, so please send us your comments!

Take a minute to visit the ASI Show website, for a look at how one particular company is collecting and offering the information you need to get the job done. There’s a lot of news being generated here, and it looks like the buzz is not only about the shows in the past, but the shows in the near – and distant – future! I see some good things on the horizon, because it’s becoming quite clear that the people in the wholesale and retail industries have a huge chance to become the kings of the hill, as this age of financial hardship dawns upon us. Grim news for the luxury brands market spells a windfall for the ones who bring discounted and off-price goods to the consumer, at the prices and choices that they want.

Another interesting one to visit is the Seoul Gift Show 2009 site, with its awesome collection of:

• Gifts, Premiums & Souvenirs

• Handicrafts & Decorative Products

• Kitchen & Tableware

• Fashion Jewellery & Accessories

• Toy & Stationery

• Beauty Supplies

• General Merchandise

Korea has been in the game for some time, and with a company like this one stretching back since 1983, there’s a lot of collective knowledge that can come in handy for the buyer who wants to take a bit of risk out of finding the items that will move this season.

According to the news feeds, even UMB Bank of Oklahoma has seen the power of giveaways and gifts, as blue penlights were passed around a recent conference… it should come as little surprise that heart-shaped pill boxes – color-coordinated with the blue colors used for UMB’s goodies – were handed out by a local health-care provider as well. Pretty crafty, eh? It should go without saying that this made a big impression on the attendees! Reports from the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) support such a strategy, as recent findings (along with comparative data from Nielsen Media) have turned up stats showing the average cost of an advertising specialty item to be $0.004, making it the cheapest form of promotional media, per impression, today.

Stop in and check out Toptenwholesale.com for leads as well. You’ll probably want to spend some time researching the sites now, and you might even want to make some travel plans that include South Korea… just don’t forget to stop over here in China while you’re at it!

TopTenWholesale / JPC INC FaceBook Fan Page

Join our Facebook Fan club today!

Today, we announce the official launch of of our Facebook Fan page for TopTenWholesale.com and JPC INC . We want to see your face there and we want to discuss what’s on our mind with you! Please join us….

Why did we start a fan page? For a few reasons…There is no FUN place where the industry can get together and get to know each other. Buyers need introductions to sellers and sellers need to be acquainted with each other. We are not just some corporate machine only selling advertising….We are powered by people and we believe that having a relationship with our customers, partners, and vendors is important.

Come see what’ going on today at the TopTenWholesale Fan Club.

Happy Wholesaling!

Introducing Client Relations and Customer Support

I am so excited to have the opportunity to post the first ever Client Services and Customer Service Relations blog for JPC INC , dba: TopTenWholesale.com , WholesaleU.com , OffPriceNetwork.com and Manufacturer.com . Over the last three months, I’ve had the pleasure to speak with hundreds of JPC customers and get a valuable insight into their wholesale and manufacturing businesses.  It’s amazing to see the rapid adaptation of vertical search for a notorious industry populated with market laggards. On any given day, I am guiding a new B2B marketer through elementary search engine marketing tactics or assisting a savvy SEM web based business like Bidz.com or DollarDays.com optimize their campaigns , ad groups and listings.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be offering Top10 tips and tricks for:
1)  Optimizing PPC campaigns
2)  Vertical Search Engine strategies
3)  Directory Optimization Tips
4)  Tracking and analytics
5)  Smart customer service tactics
6)  Retaining customers
7)  Realizing opportunities through your database
8)  Setting SEM budgets
9)  Expanding your SEM campaigns
10)  Enjoying Life

Let the fun begin, and again, I am Dominique — and I can’t wait to hear from YOU!

New Season Brings Increased Sales of Trendy Accessories and Fashion Jewelry

Accessories and Jewelry Buyers Take Note:

Retail Trend Trackers see a bump in sales of specialty accessories and souvenirs extending well into next year, as customers stretch their wardrobes and budgets with less expensive upgrades. Buyers and Sellers should look to new retail outlets, new wholesale suppliers, and to targeting ALL age groups to ride this wave. Below is a guest blog on this trend from Cool Jewels, a fashion trend wholesaler of jewelry and apparel.

– Top Ten Wholesale Blog

New Season Brings Increased Sales of Trendy Accessories and Fashion Jewelry
by Julie Hall for Cool Jewels

As Summer arrives, everyone embraces the change of season with hopes that our economic and weather chills are passing. Read more

Sellers Turnover Returned Inventory: Tips to Resell, Re-Label – Right Way, Wrong Way

The Returns, Salvage and Liquidation marketplace can be a win-win, profitable way for merchandise wholesalers and resellers to turnover excess inventory. Overstocks of brand name apparel, department and chain stores carrying excess holiday inventory, off-price buyer deals and discount-seeking retail customers all come out ahead. For buyers and sellers new to the Returns marketplace: Note re-labeling, de-labeling and selling restrictions on returned merchandise. (Tips below.) First, here is a cautionary case study of how wrongly re-labeling return inventory can ruin a carefully marketed reputation and company image.

How Not to Resell Return Merchandise

While it’s not clear who is the true “perp” in this resale story from only weeks ago, the situation hit regional television news and consumer protection groups. Everyone up and down the product supply chain took a hit to brand and reputation. The end retailer, discount clothing chain Burlington Coat Factory, is trying to make it right. Read more