Here is a selection of features from Attire Accessories magazine.
Setting up a new business is no easy feat, it takes planning, time and dedication. Once you have made a bit of a name for yourself, have started to build up some brand awareness and a customer base, as well as a comfortable number of sales every month, it's only a matter of time before you start thinking about the next step. In this article, Sara Davies discusses business strategies that will help grow your confidence and grow your business.
Any buyer will know that the process of purchasing holds more than meets the eye. Equally, any salesperson will know that your pitch should be perfectly tailored to your audience. But what about when that audience is from overseas? The cultural differences in US and UK retail buying are more numerous than you might think. So, what can we learn from purchasing across the pond? Retail expert, Tim Bush, shared his expert insights into the mind of a US buyer at Spring Fair @Home. Discover his top tips for taking your brand across the pond.
Show organiser Hale Events has announced that the 2021 edition of Giving & Living, which usually takes place in Exeter, will be an online event running from 10th-12th May, 2021. This is when the physical event was due to take place until ongoing lockdown restrictions meant it was no longer viable. The digital event will offer a superb product sourcing opportunity to both local retailers and those from further afield who might not have had the chance to sample the delights of this wonderful regional show in previous years. The British economy is like a coiled spring on tenterhooks waiting to unwind and there is an excellent chance that the South West region – the traditional home base of Giving & Living – is set for a bumper tourist season. The exhibition will feature a large and varied selection of retail-ready suppliers presenting a wide variety of lovely new products, many of which are locally produced in the South West or made by hand in other parts of the UK.
Sara Davies discusses how to create a positive working environment with proactive employees.Every business owner wants to make sure that their employees are motivated. After all, highly engaged staff are more productive and contribute to a positive working environment. When people feel more motivated in their careers, they are more likely to work hard, show commitment, produce better work and take a vested interest in their career development at the company. Learning new skills and progressing into different roles encourages people to stay with the business and ultimately, secures the company's future workforce. As a business leader, we want our employees to enjoy work so that they feel content and want to remain part of the team for years to come. I have found that there are some really simple, easy things that can be implemented to motivate everyone, regardless of their role or position.
Thomas Bradley, a content writer at Schaetzl, looks at how the nostalgia trend is driving sales of personalised products. The personalisation of gifts has boomed over the last few years. Everything from drinking glasses to sweet jars and suitcases with people's faces on are available to buy as personal products. It's estimated that the global market for personalisation will reach $31.6 billion by 2021. The growing gift culture is certainly helping to spearhead these predicted figures. The use of mass customisation means businesses can produce on a large scale while satisfying a customer's needs for individuality. One trend that is helping to drive the sales of personalised products is nostalgia. Retro sweets, jigsaw puzzles, personalised comic books and other forms of memorabilia are pulling at the heartstrings – and purse strings – of consumers across the UK.
FSB National Chairman Mike Cherry looks at the ramifications of fake reviews for small businesses, and calls on the Government to do more. In the 1990s, we could only dream of a world where we could buy anything at the click of a button from the comfort of our homes. But today, it's a multimillion-pound industry taking the world by storm, with small firms everywhere embracing the digital trade revolution to sell their services across the globe.
Admittedly, if you want to be an IP lawyer you need to know a great deal about this complex set of laws but for a designer, in whatever discipline or sector, learning the basics about the intellectual property rights that you create and putting some common sense and practical protocols in place can stand you in good stead towards design protection to achieve growth. With a seismic shift towards online trading, it is now more important than ever to create a simple, proactive approach to the intellectual property you are creating to ensure that your designs are safe, from idea to marketplace.
Even with the focus shifting to online trade during this tumultuous year, the window display remains king, says Wild Things Gifts. Retailers who overlook this powerful part of the customer journey do so at their peril, because even if the door is closed, potential customers still routinely engage with what may be the greatest opportunity to drive sales. The right stock coupled with a strong directive on where to buy it – be that online or when the store is next open – can make all the difference.
Lockdown has seen the spread of mental wellbeing and self-care into the hobby world. From crocheting to watercolours, creative pursuits have become more important than ever to consumers looking for something different to pass the time. Early indications suggest this trend has no signs of slowing. As more people are interested in productive and creative hobbies, how can you capitalise on this gift market? Autumn Fair posed the question to our expert panel, to find out their views.
by Molly&Izzie began in 2015 as a side hustle when founder Sarah Patterson decided to use her graphic design training to launch a range of wedding stationery. This business gradually expanded to include art prints based around celebrating important moments. The business grew slowly and by early 2016 I was also designing and producing business stationery for small businesses. Here, Sarah Patterson talks us through the brands evolution from wedding stationery to the newest eco-jewellery range