BlogBuyer Beware When It Comes To Custom Promotional Products
- Created on 27 October 2011
When looking to source custom promotional products, most savvy buyers look to the internet as their yellow pages of suppliers. Not only is it a more efficient use of their time, it also opens up the search to custom manufacturers from all around the world. It offers them a chance to immediately source goods and items from the global marketplace without traveling to the factory or speaking the language. This convenience has offered a tremendous savings in buyers’ valuable time and has increased their productivity exponentially.
There is only one caveat: buyer beware. Most factories overseas don’t have a website or even a sales force. They rely on trading companies or global sourcing websites to promote their manufacturing capabilities. Many of these trading companies are no more than a broker operating out of an offshore office and fielding requests via email. Quality control is difficult to manage and payment needs to be made before the merchandise ships from the factory. The CEO of one of the leading websites recently stepped down as a result of fraudulent accusations against his company:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-02-28/alibaba-fraud-scandal-may-help-google-global-sources.html
For this reason, it is extraordinarily important that you work with seasoned professionals. RP & Associates has been designing and sourcing custom promotional items and goods for over 20 years from our corporate office in Hermosa Beach, CA. We have direct relationships with the actual factories, and have boots on the ground to inspect shipments before they leave the port. In short, you feel secure and can trust that your business is in good hands. Our global sourcing company has a USA office and knowledgeable staff that will stand behind every one of the promotional products we produce. Additionally, we are available to speak with our clients at every step of the process.
Value Added Packaging Equals Vastly Amplified Profits
- Created on 27 October 2011
For decades now companies have experienced the effectiveness of Value Added Packaging also known as VAP’s. The packaging of your product can change the entire landscape of the purchasing decision, but adding value to the purchase creates an entirely new opportunity in the ever-changing consumption patterns of today’s price conscious consumers. Shelf impact for value added packaging in the retail sector showed significant sales increases in cosmetics, spirits, health, and food purchasing for 2010.
The obvious case in targeted promotional packaging is the holiday shopper late in the year, but with overall purchasing increases in 2010 many brands are now experimenting with seasonal VAP designs with success. Marketing initiatives are also utilizing Value Added Packaging to be sure that the consumers are clearly aware that the brand they are purchasing and using supports causes ranging from Breast Cancer to saving the black-breasted red-beaked cackle bird indigenous to somewhere. Simple products with logo branding ranging from a glass, to a cell phone case, to a toilet brush, all of which hold very valuable exposure points I call in-home and in-hand impressions. What truly adds value to your VAP’s are products included in the packing that will be utilized, carried, displayed, or worn. If you are including glassware with your spirit brand try including unique pieces that handle well and will be used in consumption regularly. This also incites a multi-sensory association with your brand which will weight in your favor for next buying decision.
In this blog post I would like to write that you are not limited by your imagination when it comes to your Value Added Packaging concepts, but realistically you are limited by a budget. From concept to completion aligning your brand with the team to develop your VAP is vital to the packing amplifying product sales and maximizing that budget.
In that case you might want to trust a company that has been on the forefront of developing Value Added Packing for some of the most successful brands in the world for over 20 years. RP and Associates is the worldwide leader in designing, developing, and delivering innovative brand building solutions and Value Added Packaging concepts.
Gary D. Merten
Global Brand Specialist
RP & Associates
310-547-7527
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