According to the Toy Association,  84% of kids still play non-computer games. Does that surprise you? It shouldn’t. Educational toys, board games, puzzles and collectibles are products that appeal to the creative, inquisitive and tactile nature of children.

Panoramic Puzzles - Safari LTD

Using Toys To Make Your Store Stand Out

This is where your shop can excel.  By stocking your shop with collectible toys, fun board games, puzzles and educational toys, you can knock the boredom out of standard gift giving. Offering products that add fun and excitement to the weekly family entertainment gives you a unique selling proposition and a reason for consumers to shop with you.

Dice Game - Jax LTD

Below is a breakdown of the different toy categories that fall under the idea of unique gifts.  Once you understand how and why people buy these toys, you will be able to create an effective toys product mix for your store. Your toy wholesalers can also help you to choose which items work well in your area.

Educational Toys - Parents want to give children a gift that doesn’t scream “educational” on it, but silently says “play with me and you will learn.” Children today are interested in computer games or interactive toys. Instead of flash cards with math problems, give them a computer program that has cool math games or a dice game that encourages addition.  Adults love to show off their knowledge or expertise. Memory or question games with unique twists give adults the opportunity to show off and have fun with their kids at the same time.

Board Game - Fundex Games

Consumers have many interests.  Board games can revolve around these very interests.  Games such as math games (Suduko) or “green” earth games (where the goal is making the earth eco-friendly) engage players by involving their interests.

Puzzles – This category has many extraordinary items to choose from; tiny puzzles that are only 4” x 6”, collectible puzzles that have specific themes by artist, travel puzzles, as well as 3D puzzles. All these are unique, fun items that you could incorporate into your sales mix. Consumers love a challenge. Puzzles give them a fun way to challenge themselves.

Collectible Dolls - Girls Explore

Try incorporating one or more of the above unique gift ideas into your product mix.  After all, everyone needs a little entertainment in their lives.

Need help finding the right toys? The FGmarket wholesale toy vendors will be able to offer you a great selection of board games, educational toys, puzzles and collectibles.  To jump start your toy search, check out the FGmarket wholesale toy vendors highlighted below.

Organic Flavored Syrups

Determining Your Market:

It is all about matching the gourmet food with the right customer niche. Categorize your customers. Are they young professionals or college students (Generation Y)? Are they established professionals, empty-nesters or retirees (Generation X or Baby Boomers)? Are they active singles, busy families or environmental activists?

Defining the lifestyles and interests of your customers will help determine which gourmet niche should be your focus. Categorization of your customers is the foundation for your gourmet food strategy.

Strategies For Gourmet Food Niches

Gourmet Food Basket

By using the following guide, you should be able to determine what niche gourmet items will satisfy their buying needs.  Then you can formulate a strategy from the ideas and suggestions.

Young Professionals (Generation Y): This group tends to be into trendy, healthy and organic items. They buy these items for themselves as well as friends family and business acquaintances. Formulate a plan that incorporateshealthy snacking items (popcorn, jams, jellies, and organic-labeled gourmet foods).

Empty-Nesters/Retirees (Baby Bommers): This group often enjoys family and friend-centric activities like barbequing and cooking. They buy gourmet items with a more traditional nature for family, friends and as gifts for service providers (hairdressers, lawnboys, etc.).  Spices, cheese, meats, barbeque sauces and pre-made gourmet gift baskets are the delights of this demographic.

Flavored Coffees

They are the ultimate customers who will try trendy products and rely on traditional ones. Although eclectic in their purchases, gourmet chocolates and coffees are their gifts of choice when in a pinch.

These are just a few customer types and a few basic ideas to use when formulating your gourmet food strategy.  Focusing on a specific niche market is the key to successful gourmet foods sales. An active approach to selling gourmet foods, coupled with a knowledge of your customer base is the best formula for successful gourmet food sales.

Blending  Gourmet Foods Niches

Just as with cooking, gourmet food requires a little blending.  Start with a basic gourmet food niche that appeals to the majority of your customers, and then blend in a few products outside of that category.  Think complimentary, not contrasting.

Sauces - Preserves - Chutneys

Ordering And Working with Vendors

Once you’ve gotten a firm grasp on your market, your next strategy is to find the product and develop a working relationship with vendors. Look for vendors who can provide you with timely shipments, good pricing and great selections.  Don’t be afraid to ask them for help in how to display or market their product.  Vendors understand that you’re a partner and will work with you to get the right products into your store, so you both can make money.

Now that you have the strategies, ideas and the nitty gritty of gourmet foods, success is just a taste away.

By utilizing the great wholesale gourmet food vendors at FGmarket, you will be able to find the right products to help you create the ultimate gourmet food mix. To jump start your search, check out the FGmarket  wholesale gourmet food vendors highlighted below.

Assorted Chocolates from Quality Candy

Americans of all backgrounds and ages will and do enjoy some type of candy throughout the year. If you are not already selling candy, ask yourself  “why am I passing up such a large customer base?”

Why Sell Candy?

Gift baskets are a very popular item for florists.  The largest product requested in these gift baskets is some type of sweet treat. In fact, most people enjoy giving candy as much as receiving  it.

Gourmet Chocolates From Amber Lyn

Many items purchased by consumers are gifts.  Offering specialty gourmet candy gives your store a unique selling proposition and a way to hone in on a niche.

With candy, you can leverage the gift giving niche as well as the entertaining niche. Candy items such as anniversary chocolate coins (or embossed chocolate) make for great party favors.  Gourmet chocolate and candy give frugal customers a gift with great perceived value.

Who Needs Candy?

Who needs candy? Everyone! They just don’t know it! As a retailer, knowing your customers and their tastes is the key to your product mix. Teaching customers they need candy is the key to successful sales.

Lollipops From LollipopCreations.com

Providing customers with products, service and advice is what  keeps customers coming back.  Whether you are a flower shop or a gift retailer, you have to be choc-full of ideas. Your customers will look to you for advice and candy can be your go-to answer.

How To Select Candy

Selecting candy is like building a house. Start with a foundation based on popular trends and traditional standards. Chocolate is the standard foundation.  It is tried and true.  But every foundation needs to incorporate rising trends. Novelty candy is a good trend indicator.  This year lollipops with unique flavors or shapes is a large portion of the novelty market.

Every house needs personalization.  So add personalization by offering a selection of custom candy. There are many options when it comes to custom or semi-custom candies.  Custom candy could be a lollipop that can be imprinted with one’s name, slogan or a specific date.  A semi-custom candy would be a candy bar wrapped in specific colored tin foil or mints in special tins.

Unique and special candies make your candy house a home. Trendy candy ideas that appeal to specialty groups or interests will give your store the unique and special candies it needs.  Healthy candy sounds like an oxymoron but it is actually a rising trend. Sugar free and low carb will be a trend for the next couple years, as well as organically made chocolates with higher percentages of cocoa content (greater amount of antioxidants). Look for flavor infused candy in both chocolates as well as hard candy.  Candy infused with fruits, herbs and other spices will be a hot trend.  Incorporating these special types of candies will create a unique product mix that sets you above your competitors.

By utilizing the great wholesale chocolate and candy vendors on FGmarket you will be able to find the right products to help sweeten your sales. To jump start your candy search check out the FGmarket wholesale candy vendors highlighted below.

Baby Products

Even in these tough economic times, retailers know finding the right wholesale baby gift items are a way to capitalize on consumers in a stable market.

So how do retailers decide what baby products are right for their target market? Think like a parent, grandparent or gift giver.

Choose Baby Comfort

Babies need and desire comfort, at least that’s what people buying baby items believe. Baby comfort items include: bedding, bath towels, hoodies, clothing and organic skin care products such as lotion and soaps.

Wool Car Seat Covers

Choosing essential comfort products such as crib items or baby clothing will ensure your baby items sales stay on target.  Don’t forget to include the basic comfort items that make parents feel safe. Protecting their child is their number one goal.

Products that range from organic baby blankets to crib safety bumpers or even chair covers for shopping carts to stroller covers that keep baby warm are basic must have items.

Why? Because comfort and safety are not only for baby but for parents as well.  Think of the parents’ perception of safety and comfort and you’ll find sales ring up quickly.

Baby Is Trendy

Trendy items are not just cute little gimmicky items that provide “oohs” and “ahhhs”, they can also provide comfort and safety.

Trendy Baby Totes

Just because an item is labeled eco-friendly doesn’t make it trendy.  However because of the movement towards being “green” and environmentally conscious, several eco-friendly baby items are becoming trendy. One of the rising eco-friendly baby trends involves organic clothing and lotions.

The trendy baby is concerned with giving baby a good footing in life – literally. Specialty shoes that help your baby learn to walk correctly or educational toys are making trend setting strides in the baby products market.

Impulsive Baby

In your product mix, you’ll want to include a few items that called “disposable” or “impulse buys”.

Baby Hats

Hair bows, baby shoes that look like little loafers or cowboy boots, hats, tee-shirts with cute saying are not “need items” but “want items”.

Seriously, customers can not just walk by or pass up items that scream “This is so cute!! Buy me!”

Carrying these types of impulse baby items gives you the opportunity to up-sell and appeal to the hidden wants of your customers.

The baby product market is huge. As a retailer, you need to tailor your products to fit your specific customer base. Watch the trends. Look for items that please parents on a comfort and safety level.  Introduce items with a “ohhh that is so cute and adorable” or “that is such a cool idea, I just have to buy that item”. Follow these suggestions and these products will deliver the sales.

As always, FGmarket has the wholesale baby product vendors that can supply you with the best items for babies.  To jump start your baby product search check out the FGmarket wholesale baby vendors highlighted below.

Christmas Garland Decorations

It’s never too late to start your holiday calendar and prepare yourself for the upcoming holidays. You’ll want to mark your July/August calendar with “Now is the time to buy for the winter holidays”.

Delightful Santa Figurines

Perhaps you sold out quickly on snow globes. If so, you’ll want to increase your snow globes offerings. Now is a good time to explore the snow globes that your holiday product vendors offer. Did customers asked for wreaths last year? Now is the time to search out wholesalers who have wreaths.

Do not neglect the other holidays.  Try to stay three to six month a head on your buying schedules. June/July should be the months you’re going over your winter holiday items, October/November for Valentines Day, and so forth for the other holidays.

How To Make Buying Holiday Products Easy

Just a few tips to help you breeze through holiday and Christmas retail buying in July:

• Set your dates for any open house or promotions you plan to host. Put these on your calendar and set your advertising dates.

Holiday Cookies From Custom Cookies
• If you plan any give-a-ways or special items, now is the time to get some supplier ideas. Some shops do a cookie and coffee promotion and use specialty cookie vendors. If you decide to do this, you’ll need to decide on your cookie vendor and order the quantities one month before your promotion.
• Look at buying trends from the past seasons and look at the new buying trends for this year. Do not be afraid to ask your suppliers and vendors to give you some tips on upcoming trends and any marketing ideas or displays they may be able to provide.
• Go over your stock levels and note the merchandise you already have on hand from past seasons and make notes. Have these handy as you look for new products to add to your tried and true product mix. When you add new items to your product mix, even if they are similar but from new vendors, you give your customers other options.
• Use FGmarket to it’s full advantage. Catch up on past newsletters or the FGmarket Buzz blog to read about trendy products and great vendors.

As always, FGmarket has the wholesale holiday product vendors that can supply you with the best products for each season. To jump start your holiday product search check out the FGmarket holiday vendors highlighted below.

Pet Products Equal Sales

Pet Greeting Cards

Pet products encompass all types of products for creatures such as ferrets, snakes, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, birds and pot belly pigs, just to name a few. All of these pets have devoted niche markets that cater to them. This allows the retailer a myriad of customers to draw from and target. Cat and dog products are the most commonly sold pet products. However, there is a fantastic opportunity to sell to the exotic pet owners, as well.

Pet Products Not Just For Pets

Pet products are not just for the enjoyment or health of pets, but are beneficial for people as well. Oral health care products for pets make owners happy. Why? Pets who have healthy teeth and gums have fresher breath and less health problem, which equates to smaller vet bills for the owners. After all, pets are not just possessions, but members of their families.

Pet Safety Data Tag

Catering to pet people involves more than products for pets. Have you noticed that pet owners will gravitate to greeting cards, t-shirts, coffee mugs or just about anything that have pets on them? Greeting cards are a fantastic way to capture a piece of the pet industry market. The key to capturing part of the pet market is to remember the pet product market is vast.  It incorporates all things pet-related, from treats, toys, clothes (for the owner and the pet) to items such as greeting cards, pet carriers and even pool ramps.

Don’t Forget Pets With Feathers, Scales and Exotic Fur

Pampered Dog Gift Set

Items that pamper cats and dogs are always a hit. Cat toys, dog clothing or gourmet pet treats can easily be blended with your other products. However, don’t neglect the other less common pets, such as birds, reptiles or exotic pets. Their owners want to purchase toys, collars, and healthy items as well.

Interested in carrying a few pet products or wish to expand your current sales mix of pet products? FGmarket has made it easy for you. We’ve highlighted a few wholesale pet products below to get you started. You can find more accessories for dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, as well as pet toys and other pet products at FGmarket.

To jump start your pet product search check out the FGmarket market pet product vendors highlighted below.

Jack Miller Gourmet Sauce Gift Basket

Appealing to a wide array of customers, gift baskets are a staple of most flower and gift shops. So naturally, as a shop owner your interest lies in finding the right gift basket products. By carrying gourmet gift basket items, you can create customized and tasteful gifts for customers. In this FGmarket newsletter, we will address the many different types of gourmet items and how to use them to set your shop apart from your competitors.

So What Makes An Item Gourmet?

Generally speaking, it is a fine food item. This can include, but is not limited to snacks, fruits, chocolates, cheeses, spices, oils, and other food items. Even some meats can be considered gourmet. People tend to think of gourmet foods as items one can not buy at a local grocery store.  Therefore, consumers perceive these products as specialty food items.

The biggest asset of gourmet items is that they are not readily available everywhere.  However, the perception attached to gourmet items encourages consumers to seek them out.  By choosing your gourmet items carefully, you can drive this consumer to your front door. For instance, I have traveled out of my way to visit a store that sells a particular spice blend that I love. How did I come across this spice blend? It was given to me in a gourmet gift basket.

Gourmet Cooking Goodies – A tisket a tasket I love my spice and oil basket!

California Olive Ranch Gourmet Oils

Making Your Own Gourmet Items Without All The Work

Giovanni Private Label Gourmet Foods

Gourmet Baskets Healthy, Organic, Natural And Oh So Yummy

Melissa's Gourmet Food Organic Spice Grinders

Special Dietary Needs Items for Gift Baskets

Specialty gourmet food baskets that are dietary based offer a gift to those who may not be able to enjoy a common gift basket. Those with special dietary needs are often left out; this is a market you can easily cater to successfully. Examples of specialty diet concerns are gluten free items, sugar-free items, Kosher items, low sodium, gluten-free and vegetarian items. Offering these items reaches a segment of consumers often forgotten about with common gift baskets.

Men and Gourmet Baskets

Men are especially fond of receiving gourmet food baskets. For a manly gourmet basket, you need hardy items with robust flavor. So when a guy friend broke his leg, I wanted to send a manly gourmet basket. The first place I turned was my oil and herb shop. I asked the shop if they could do a basket with beef jerky, summer sausages, chutney’s and even some barbecue sauces. They did indeed! He raved about that basket for days and said that it was one of the best gifts he’d received.

Gourmet Food — Do It Your Way

You can sell gourmet items individually, in groups or in gift baskets.  Be sure to display them in all these ways so they appeal to your customers needs. Gourmet foods and baskets are a relatively low cost way to add flavor and luxury to your gift basket selection.  What a tasty way to increase your business.

You can find many wonderful gourmet food vendors at FG market.  Below is a sneak peek of the many unique and tasty gourmet food items you should consider.

Brithday Card From Bottman Design

Relatively inexpensive and easy to display, greeting cards are a compliment to any existing product line you carry. In fact, gift givers are more likely to purchase a greeting card at the same place in which they purchased the gift. In essence, you have a captive buying audience. You sell a gift and the greeting card purchase is inevitable. It’s as simple as that.

What You Need To Know About Greeting Cards

Over 7 billion dollars worth of greeting cards are purchased each year. To effectively capture a piece of this market, it is important to know the ins and outs of the greeting card world. Seasonal and every day are the two categories which divide the greeting card market.

Mothers Day Card From Gina B Designs

All other cards are lumped into a category called everyday. These cards revolve around events that can occur on any given day. Birthday cards, sympathy cards, congratulation (wedding/engagement) cards, anniversary cards along with friendship cards make up the everyday card group. Parallel to the Christmas cards in sales, birthday cards are the top seller in this category.

We’ve shown you the numbers on why greeting cards are good sellers, what greeting cards are and the identifiable groups they belong to. But, you want the answer to the most important greeting card question “how do you sell them?”

Greeting card marketing is kind of like that movie “Field Of Dreams”. You know the one where Kevin Costner builds a baseball field on the premise “build it they will come”. Greeting cards are that field. Select good wholesale greeting card suppliers with themes in line with your products and they will sell.

Tips For Selecting And Selling Greeting Cards

A tip to keep in mind when selecting card from your wholesale greeting card vendor is balancing trendy with traditional. You will want a combination of trendy as well as classic greeting cards. Trendy cards are those types that play music, have led lights along with movable artistry, or even humorous political cards. Classic cards are the cards that are timeless. They follow a pattern that has been seen for ages. For example, classic greeting cards are often the Mother’s Day cards embellished with calligraphy and floral pictures or wedding cards with a very formal and proper tone. However, that doesn’t mean this is the only style for these types of cards. With greeting cards, you have the many options running the gamut from humorous to classic and from artistic to cartoonish.

Greeting Card From Blending Moments

“Heavy on the holidays” is a strategy that suits flower shops. Weight your seasonal selection with more Mother’s day and Valentine’s Day cards as convenient add-on sales. However, a few every day cards will still be needed. Don’t forget the blank greeting cards which are fantastic ways for customers to personalize their floral gifts.

Greeting your customers with seasonal and everyday cards puts you in the game with the potential to win a piece of a 7 billion dollar market. Your “Field Of Dreams” resides in greeting cards sales. Offer a card for every occasion and they will sell.

The wholesale greeting card vendors at FGmarket can provide all your cards needs from humorous to sentimental, from classic to trendy and from quirky to cards made from recycled paper. To jump start your search for the perfect greeting cards for your store, we have profiled a few of the many wonderful greeting card companies available through the FGmarket wholesale directory.

Assortment Of Dinnerware

Bring On A Hearty Appetite For Tableware

The key to selling tableware of any type is presentation.  Just like with a meal, the visual aspect is what brings them to the table.  Once you have drawn them in visually, they will explore the variety of tastes (or in this case prices) that are available. Brides tend to be visually driven without regard to price. Other customers tend to be “need” driven and conscious of price. Brides purchase dinnerware to establish their homes. However, other customers buy tableware items to enhance or update their existing dinnerware.

Perfect Anniversary Glassware

Brides aren’t the only ones sitting down to your table. Apply the same basic principles as you set the tables for these customers. Create a display table with eclectic flair. Put some modern pieces in with some traditional pieces. The main idea is to show the different type of products you are selling. By mixing mid priced with high-end pieces the focus shifts from price to beauty. Keep in mind that candle sticks, tea sets or even bakeware are bought as gifts for birthdays and anniversaries. Take time to set the table for these gift-giving events.

Setting The Table For Special Occasions

Birthday Gift Idea Napkin Rings

Dinner parties use placecards to direct guests. As you set the tables for your customers don’t forget the placecards (great anniversary gift, perfect for her birthday, etc.). If you set the table right they will buy. Setting the perfect table is easy provided you keep a few things in mind: variety in price points, convenient and easy wedding registries, effective signage. Of course to set the perfect table for your customers you need the right wholesale dinnerware.

The tableware vendors at FGmarket can provide you with all the wholesale glassware, dinnerware, flatware, napkins and other wholesale table top items needed to create the perfect mix for your table.

What classifies as a home decor item?

Rooster Home Decor

Finding The Right Home Decor Niche

There are many style and methods in which a home can be accessorized.  Wholesale home decor options are vast and varied allowing retailers to pick and choose the home accents right for their customer base.  However, it boils down to two choices really.  Do you want to focus on a niche like rustic home decor or go broad carrying many different genres.

Many retailers make a mistake by carrying only the decor styles they personally like without regards to their customers.  When selecting home decor based on a specific niche, keep your customers in mind. For example, kitchen decor can be a great niche but with many decorating styles. Which would your customers prefer – roosters (pastoral) or cafe style (cosmopolitan)? Remember trendy categories like country living can range from primitive home accents to rustic home décor. Coordinate your customers’ styles (not yours) with the home accent pieces you choose.

Trend-Good, BAD, or Just Trendy

With the variety of home decor available, it is important not to fall prey to a short lived trendy niche.  Although a few of these trendy pieces are fine, focus on a niche that has some staying power. The Arts and Crafts style with its uncomplicated lines has been a strong niche for years. By carrying Frank Lloyd Wright inspired home accents, a retailer can offer magazine racks, lamps and wall art with great diversity which appeals to many.

Western Clock

Lasting niches are ones with differing trends within the niche itself. For example, one season in rustic home decor may be deer antlers lamps and hides for rugs; the  next embossed leather with metal art work. As a retailer, it is important to know the past trends and be able to look forward to the new trends. Although trends motivate people to update their home décor, a successful retailer is equipped with a plan on how to mix the old with the new.

These accessories are the means by which owners personalize their houses. By decorating their living spaces, they are able to create an environment pleasing to them and a showpieces for others. Because Americans view their homes as an extension of themselves the opportunity to sell home decor items will always exist. This is what makes home decor a potential profit maker.

When you work with the right wholesale home décor suppliers, you’ll understand the rare opportunity home accents can add to your bottom line. Hopefully this FGmarket newsletter and the featured wholesale home décor products below will help you find the right home décor niche.