Reps and agents are holding their own as the favoured way independent retailers like to source products, with exhibitions, Progressive Greetings and other retailers’ offerings also featuring in the top methods of making their stocking selections.
These are just some of the top line findings from research into the sourcing habits of independent greeting card retailers from the PG/Cardgains annual Retail Barometer.
While indies are looking to diversify their offering this year, some 70% are not planning on expanding the number of suppliers with whom they deal and indeed over a quarter (26%) are anticipating rationalising their supplier base.
Publishers looking to save money by not producing catalogues or marketing material do so at their peril, as 58% of indie respondents see these marketing tools as ‘very important’.
However online ordering is now very much part of an indie’s working life, with 45% placing orders online for a quarter of their products, a number that looks set to grow further in the coming year.
Indies seem to be less keen on being supplied by a brokerage than they were this time last year, with 83% giving it the thumbs down as a option, with only 4% saying they would consider it and another 13% undecided.
The issue of geographical exclusivity of supply divides opinion, with over half (54%) saying they do not see it as an issue.
