4th Quarter '09 Shows Promise
 Anyone who's been tracking the financial situation has heard that statistics showing recovery are starting to trickle in. This is great news for all of us in and related to the retail markets. While there are still grim numbers out there, we're finally getting some good news in our morning business section. We at UniformMarket are glad to have helped so many of our clients weather this storm, and we continue to be here when you need expert help creating and managing your online presence. Don't hesitate to give us a call to see how we can help you get the absolute most out of your web store! Remember that now is the best time to lock in your top clients with a "private web store" that helps them purchase products from you.
I bring this up because, as you'll see in this month's featured article, we're about to really get into the swing of the fourth quarter. This is the make-or-break time for many retail entities – both physical and electronic based. It's September already. Have you implemented the plans you had for the year? Are you on target to top last year's sales figures? We want to help you make that big final push for 2009 and capture what you might be missing. As always, I'm just a phone call or email away! You can reach me at 858-345-1212 or dave@uniformmarket.com.
My best,
David Sykes
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Attention UniformMarket
Store Owners!
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That's right; Premier Emblem will reimburse you the $100.00 catalog load price that you pay UniformMarket.
So, you win because you will sell more products and we win because we get to ship you more of our products. Who doesn't like a win/win situation?
Call UniformMarket at 858-345-1212, have them load our Premier Emblem product line immediately and start selling more to your clients now!
Sincerely,
Vernon Thompson
President, Premier Emblem
FEATURED ARTICLE
Gear Up for Fourth Quarter
 I was browsing through some facts and figures a few days ago, and stumbled across the U.S. Census Bureau's tracking of quarterly e-commerce sales. This is a really fascinating report, especially since we're just a few weeks away from the fourth quarter of 2009. The chart of e-commerce as a percentage of total retail sales is a rising yet bumpy road. It's clear that the overall trend is showing almost constant upward motion.
But what's most interesting to us e-commerce guys is the huge spike every fourth quarter. Regardless of what is happening to the actual overall retail figures – whether they are up or down – there is a noticeable jump in online purchasing when taken as a percentage of total sales. It makes perfect sense, of course, because more and more people are doing their holiday shopping online from the comfort of their own homes and where they can easily get exactly the right gift at the best price possible. Shoppers have hundreds of thousands of stores at their fingertips.
So what does this all mean for you? Simple. It means now is the time of year to really push your website. Pass out pens, magnets, brochures, catalogs, mailers, key chains – all with your website prominently displayed. Whether these items end up in the hands of your customers (who of course will be shopping for their coworkers and work buddies) or in the hands of your customers' friends and family (who may be looking for just the right item for that hard-to-shop-for person), you need to capitalize on this jump in Internet leverage.
You probably already have a million things you put your website on, but now is the time to get creative. Host a family-friendly event in October, and plaster each family member with your materials. There is no idea that's too wild. Temporary tattoos for the kids? Sure. A handy magnetic timer for the fridge? It will certainly get the attention of the chef in the family. A sweepstakes drawing where each email address can be a separate entry? It's the perfect way to gather more ways to reach people.
The point is fourth quarter is your website's time to shine. Lay the groundwork now for a successful fourth quarter by sprucing up your website, clicking around looking for errors or dead links, promoting your URL, and reminding your customer support team to do their best on every sale. Last year, even when overall retail sales dropped by $40 billion compared to third quarter, e-commerce sales jumped by $5 billion. These numbers don't lie! Your website is a powerful tool this coming quarter. Don't let it pass you by. Give us a call for a review of your site and your chance to get ahead of the competition.
Click here to check out the U.S. Census Bureau's latest quarterly e-commerce reports.
FREE Weekly Webinars for
All UniformMarket Store System Users!
 The UniformMarket staff is now offering FREE training during our weekly webinars. Each week a topic is explored to help web store administrators better use the UniformMarket Store System, market their web stores and sell more uniforms!
Webinars are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. CST. We will email notices of future webinars, or you can check here for a current webinar schedule. |
