As many of you may know, the Channel is a place for not only retailers to connect, but also for Sales Reps and Vendors, Designers and Merchandisers!  Our Community is for everyone in this industry, so that we can all learn and grow our businesses together. 

That being said, we here at the GHC team have reached out to the Sales Reps on the Channel so that more retailers can start connecting with Reps and learn the true value they can bring to your business.  A recent blogger posted on how one of her Sales Rep would even "Bring Goats!" (to view this blog post visit here).

We will be connecting with Sales Reps throughout the year and providing retailers here on the Channel with some insight and snippets to their world and the advice and expertise they can offer you.  Below is an excerpt from one of our member's Summer Newsletter, Andrea McEvoy a Sales Rep for Lineworks.  We hope you enjoy reading her tips and trends.  For all the Sales Reps out there, please send in your comments/feedback/newsletters and more!  For all the retailers, if you'd like more information from Andrea please comment below.

Tips and Trends

I am well aware that business has been less than stellar over the past few months. With all of the obvious reasons why customers aren't spending money, what are you doing to take advantage of every customer who walks through your door? Keep merchandise flowing as much as possible by placing smaller, more frequent orders. You may have to sacrifice that dating or discount promotion, but you won't over extend yourself in your efforts to keep your stock fresh. Rotating displays is also free and can give your store a whole new look. Need some new fixtures? Ikea is a great place to pick up some new displays for very little money - they actually hold up well, too. Also, keep some low-prices items front and center to make it easier for your shoppers to spend their money.

Have a sidewalk sale, community festival or other event coming up? Make sure your reps know about it - they may have access to heavily discounted closeout inventory, promotional materials or even samples they can provide to help out.

The web is proving to be a valuable resource for marketing inspiration, trends and displays. A few websites to check out: www.giftandhomechannel.com is a new(er) website started by industry professionals with message boards, videos and articles all designed to help you sell more.  Yet another, www.giftshopmag.com is a similar site with merchandising and product ideas. Finally, www.decodivadebi.blogspot.com is a nice site for display design inspiration. Debi is a retail design consultant who has some innovative ideas for creative displays.