'Funny' varies hugely so humour cards come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and genre - including cute, clever and downright rude. It’s really important to choose the right type of humour for the recipient or they might not laugh at all - or worse, take offence!! Humour is definitely proving popular with a lot of publishers this year and lots of new ranges were launched at Top Drawer and Spring Fair... so I have collected a set of cards together which I love - and hopefully they will make you smile! Please note, my shortlist contains a couple of rude ones!
Do you really understand your shop space?
What are your core lines that you want to continue stocking over the next 6 months and where is the best place to locate them to maximise sales?
Last month at Spring Fair, I spoke to Independent Retailers about how to manage stock effectively and grow sales, profitably. One of the key things you need in order to do this is to understand your shop space. Here's my advice on how to map the space, and then how to optimise it for the year ahead...
Interview: How to make the most of exhibitions
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of being invited to speak to Small Man Media about the season's tradeshows and how to prepare for them with my top tips: '3 Musts' and '1 big Must-Not!'...
I was also asked some really insightful questions about trends in the industry... For the answers to all these questions and many more - check out the full Small Man Media article >
Planning for seasonal events – how much can I spend?
If you're heading to any of the many tradeshows this season, hopefully you're going with a planned shopping list! Keep in mind your sales cycles and plan when you want to have new products available. This will help you ensure that you don’t have everything in at once, which helps your cash flow and means you have new products to refresh your displays arriving every 4-6 weeks to keep your regulars customers interested. Planning for seasonal events is a great way to prioritise your shopping list...
My tips for clearing Old Stock effectively
If you've been to any of the season's Trade Fairs, you'll no doubt be excited by the prospect of the new stock you've sourced. But clearing old stock is just as important an activity - and can present a great opportunity to excite your customers and generate sales. Depending on the products you sell and who your customers are, your SALE strategy will vary.
Why Industry Awards make everyone a winner - entrants, judges, retailers and customers!
As it's the final day of Spring Fair for another year, I've been reflecting on the highlights. Particularly the fantastic Gift of the Year Awards Ceremony on Sunday evening and the attention the winners' display in the Spring Fair concourse has attracted! I've been thinking why doesn't every supplier or manufacturer enter at least one eligible product for an industry award... every year?