Serving the Customer in the New Year January 2018 |
 Scott C. BorowskyA new year presents a great opportunity to rethink tried-and-true business practices to perhaps come up with better ideas that could lead to the best ways to run a store. In each issue of Souvenirs, Gifts & Novelties (SGN), I seek to assist retailers with articles that offer both common sense ideas and new practices from your peers around the county. It is my hope that the stories will spark the imaginations of store owners and managers as they seek to become business leaders and success stories in their communities. This first issue of 2018 is no exception, and I hope you enjoy all of the fresh editorial, special sections and advertisements in these 212 pages. The benefits of aromatherapy are real, and we open the article portion of the issue with a “Candles, Scented and Bath and Body Merchandise” section that looks at a variety of merchandise types, including sea-themed products and room and linen fragrances. We also offer a special Surf Expo section that covers jewelry, gifts, apparel and other merchandise with a sea sensibility and includes a Surf Expo exhibitor list. Additionally, the issue includes a Las Vegas Market section that offers the stories “Attending to Trends – Las Vegas Market Attendees Discuss the Gift and Souvenir Climate” and “Tips to Stock Best-Selling Quality Gifts and Home Décor Items at Resort Gift Stores.” The feature also includes the bonus sidebars “What Is Your Best-Selling Home Décor Item and Why?” and “Attendees Have High Expectations for the Las Vegas Market.” The origin of merchandise is on the minds of some shoppers, and in the International and Local Merchandise section we examine what stores are offering in the way of both local and from-far-away gifts. In addition to learning about specialty goods, retailers can turn to SGN for all of the best coverage of the merchandise categories that matter, the bread-and-butter items that keep stores profitable year after year, including apparel, jewelry, toys and gifts. For example, in this issue’s Jewelry Section, we offer an article on best-sellers at gift stores, a feature on after-the-purchase jewelry packaging ideas and a story on the jewelry sales outlook for pharmacies and country stores. And don’t miss the section’s bonus sidebar “True Colors – Which Color Stones Sell Best.” I hope you enjoy the issue. Please email me at editorsgnmag@kanec.com with your comments, questions and suggestions, and I will respond to your note personally. Scott C. Borowsky |
