Let’s face it, in the middle of this non-recession(?), it pays to have a set of alternatives up your sleeve. I’ve mentioned the rise of opportunities during these economic hard times before, and I’ll say it again: this kind of market presents a lot of chances to service customers who are looking for the best deals, and the most personalized service. While the big box retailers do fine at their job of moving massive amounts of goods, they fail at identifying each customer’s needs on a case-by-case basis. This is where you step in, and make everything right for the frustrated consumer who needs immediate attention! DollarDays offers a whole bunch of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs as well as a quick-install, affordable option to start your own online store.

Here’s some additional highlights:

• This is a company that sells over 25,000 different wholesale goods on its website, and they are very interested in helping you to begin and grow your own business.

• Visitors have a choice between getting set up through their affiliate program, or by allowing the option to stock and sell their own goods.

• While there are hundreds – if not thousands – of sites that sell DollarDays goods, there are also plenty of brick and mortar stores that stock their products as well.

• If you don’t have the space to stock products, DollarDays offers a convenient drop-ship program that allows venders to drop-ship certain products by the piece.

• If you plan on buying a lot of goods from DollarDays, you can enroll in their Platinum Program, which could mean huge savings for you.

Look out for the twitter and facebook links on their site as well, and while you’re at it… make sure you get connected to our pages as well, where you can sign up to receive tweets, feeds, and updates from us about all the ways you’ll continue to Find it. Source it. Profit!

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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!

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In other words, the past few years of anything-goes seems to be coming to a head this year, and I reckon things will take a more decisive direction again, as soon as the news reflects more stability and predictability in everyone’s lives. This also means that you are going to have a lot of great options for selecting wholesale fashions and accessories for your cache of collectibles this year, because the emphasis will be on how you market the goods, not necessarily upon what you carry!

Plaid patterns will be part of the look this year!

Awesome, huh? Well, it might seem like shooting fish in a barrel at first… but if you don’t form a solid sales strategy based upon a foundation of fashion 101, you will be left with a dead inventory of overstock that looks more like the contents of every closet you’ve ever filled since you were five years old. Not so good. Let’s take a minute to look at what the fashionistas out there are talking about, and try to find the right line to follow this season as you Check out my quick list of TopTen Wholesale Winter Fashion Favorites!

• First, take a look at some classics… designers like PRADA and D&G will always be respected for taking daring steps into uncharted waters, but the power of classic appeal is undeniable. Make sure you look closely at what Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Halston have on offer, because they are generally the ones to turn to for rock-solid classic style that doesn’t fade fast.

• Now that you’ve made note of the classics, take a look at what else has made the list. This year, designs from J. Crew and Michael Kors have been noted as style picks by some, especially for those seeking a refined look.

• The short dress was hot all Summer long, and it will continue to be a force in fashion through early Winter. Worn on its own as a breezy and light piece, or paired with leggings, jeans, and even layered with longer skirts and sweaters… well, let’s just say it’s not hard to promote an item like this one… especially since it usually holds at a price point that makes it attractive to wholesalers and online sellers.

• Jeans will never die, and this year is no exception to the great run jeans have enjoyed for the past 50 years. While this season is leaning more towards glammy fashion on-the-go, jeans offer the easy way out for those who don’t have the time or energy to get dolled up. They also keep your shoppers coming back for more, since this is the one all-time favorite apparel item that is notoriously well-paired with accessories!

• Dressed up, or dressed down… street chic is one of the driving forces behind fashion these days. With high-quality manicures and hair styles, it’s become the look of the decade to sport lower-end apparel with more glamorous shoes, bags, scarves, and other components that make the outfit shine. This is the ideal look to promote on your seller site, because it appeals to almost every demographic from the youth market, to the moms on-the-go!

• BOHO-style is still around, even after hitting its peak around 2005. It’s an easy one to accessorize, and with all of the free-flowing fabrics and colors to choose from, it is easy to carry on your inventory as well.

• Accessories rule! Hats, scarves, gloves, wraps, leggings, and other hot accessory items will be taking a large part of the order lists this year, as buyers try to keep their budgets under control. Once the core wardrobe has been built, many shoppers will be on the constant lookout for anything that adds variety to their existing gear. If you offer it, they will come to you!

That’s all for now, I hope you’ve enjoyed this little foray into the world of apparel and accessories, as we check out Topten wholesale winter fashion favorites! Don’t forget to browse the search results on our site, as you Find it. Source it. Profit!

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