Gift industry hopes flexibility will boost sales
New York — Wholesale and retail gift sellers hope a mix of personal attention and understanding will entice recession-battered buyers to spend this holiday season, vendors at a top trade show said Monday.
Flexibility and innovation will be critical in end-of-the-year holiday gift sales, said exhibitors at this week’s New York International Gift Fair that features handmade items, home furnishings, lifestyle products and the like.
Some 40,000 visitors and 2,900 exhibitors are expected at the six-day trade show, which ends Thursday.
For Kathy Bartone of Pelican Bay confections, innovation means devising lower-priced products, experimenting with eye-catching packaging and allowing retailers to place minimum wholesale orders of as little as $100.
“We appeal to a lot of little gourmet shops. Those are really the ones being affected most by the recession, the little people,” said Bartone, based in Dunedin, Florida.
