Buy Catalog Overstocks to Resell

By Robert Cyr

There are literally tens of thousands of mail order catalog companies shipping millions of dollars of merchandise yearly. If your like the average household you have a few retail catalogs laying around. Huge name brand retailers utilize catalogs to sell merchandise to those who either cannot leave their homes to shop or individuals looking for unique gift items.

The larger catalog retailers mail out new catalogs frequently offering new merchandise in the hopes of tempting a sale. If you have looked through a few catalogs you will notice that the successful mail order retailers spend millions of dollars in product merchandising, picture layouts and fresh new products with the intent to garner huge sales. They key to that last sentence is "Fresh" or "New" merchandise.

If you picked up a catalog and realized that it was filled with items you recognized from last year would you buy? Probably not. Successful mail order retailers know that inventory must be rotated from month-to-month, season-to-season or at the very least yearly.

This poses and incredible dilemma for mail order retailers. Old stock, last years models and stagnant merchandise must be liquidated to recoup cost or most of the time inventory is simply sold at a loss. Enter you the small retailer. Mail order and catalog companies are an excellent source for overstock merchandise! This is an area of product sourcing where you can literally purchase inventory for your business well below wholesale pricing

Start by finding catalogs in your home. Call the customer service number listed on the order page and ask for the corporate number or simply the individual in charge of liquidating catalog overstocks. Be persistent as this can be a tedious task. Once you have exhausted all the leads (catalogs in your home), search the internet for catalog ordering websites like - Catlogs.com. Order all of the catalogs that pertain to the type of merchandise you resell. Once they arrive start investigating until you get in contact with their liquidation department.

There are thousands of mail order catalog companies who have millions upon millions of dollars of excess merchandise to liquidate.

This post brought to you by:
The The Closeout Industry which offers a wealth of information centered around wholesale closeout merchandise. Author and consultant, Robert Cyr has educated thousands of entrepreneurs offering advice relating to sourcing name brand merchandise far below wholesale pricing.

Impulse Items Create Huge Profits

Retail store owners can benefit tremendously from selling impulse items. An impulse item is defined as a product that is purchased without thought or planning. We have all noticed, while waiting in line at the grocery store, the myriad of products displayed from hardware items to lighters, key chains and candy. To pass the time in the checkout line customers or “your captive audience” will purchase impulse items automatically. If you are not selling impulse items, you are missing out on a category that can really add on to your average sale transaction. If you do not already know it, the items placed in the front of your store should be merchandised with your most profitable inventory. Consumers will likely purchase with little or no thought when they visit your register. Usually impulse items like gadgets or novelties will become items that have a higher profit potential especially if the item is a “must have” due to its appeal or uniqueness factor. Impulse items do not have to relate to the balance of your store, for example if you are a clothing outlet you could merchandise complimentary items like jewelry, sunglasses or makeup at the front registers. It would not be out of place to offer gadgets, novelties or small gift items to your customers in line, in fact some shoppers, due to “guilt” from shopping, will actually pickup an item for a spouse or Jr. if readily available at checkout. I encourage all retailers to be bold when thinking about impulse items. The most unique and clever items tend to be the best sellers often selling out very quickly. A “unique” item or novelty usually commands a higher profit as “thought” is not a part of the equation when your customer grabs this type of item. When I offer consulting with my retail clients about merchandising store inventory and impulse items I ask that they themselves become very observant of any stores they might visit when shopping. Take note of the types of impulse items sold at your local grocery, clothing or even convenience stores. If something looks intriguing while in line at the register hold it up to the clerk and say something like, “Wow, this is really cool… do you sell many of these?”. I would be willing to bet the answer will surprise you. Make sure you profit from selling impulse items. Visit different wholesalers listed here at WholesaleEz and establish your wholesale sources for impulse merchandise.

To increase sales offer more than just low pricing...

How long have you been retailing? Are you working to open your first store? The science of retailing is fascinating. The mind of the casual shopper experiences several emotional sensations throughout any shopping experience. There have been in depth studies completed showing how the average person reacts emotionally to retail store layouts, merchandising and pricing.
Walk through a big box retail giant like Walmart or Target and whether you realize it or not your experience has been well thought out through the science of retail merchandising. Aisle layout, product placement, merchandise displays and overall color schemes are carefully planned. There are consulting firms which specialize in watching shoppers shop. They watch you browse, they track how many times you read a label and they record your every move while in the store.
Some of the more interesting consumer attributes tracked are:
-Amount of time spent reading labels
-Ratio of generic products purchased versus name brand
-Average time spent in a particular store Entry to Exit
Are signs being read?
What signs are attracting the most attention?
Upon entering a store, which direction/path are shoppers drawn to?
Ratio of “Window Shoppers” versus sales
Average number of shoppers per day?
Average dollar figure of impulse products sold at checkout
There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of different ways to analyze a customer and the way a store merchandises product. There is an insightful book which outlines retail behavior called, “The Science of shopping” by Paco Underhill. Underhill and his consulting firm, Envirosell, have observed over 900 aspects of interaction between the shopper and store providing detailed information that can be literally translated into increased sales for any retailer.
From the data that is collected important decisions relating to store design/layout, merchandising and product pricing can be carefully controlled to offer better product sell-through, higher average register transactions and an overall increase of customer loyalty. If you desire to know more about your customer base and the clients that stroll through your door each day I recommend this fascinating read.
There are several areas to consider in the successful retailing equation; sourcing excellent wholesale suppliers, merchandising your inventory and understanding the emotional aspects of a retail transaction. Researching all aspects of your business will determine how successful you become and will directly relate to greater cash flow and profit margins.