Online Retailers Benefit From Lower Overheads

Why is it that internet retailers often seem able to offer lower prices to customers than their more traditional rivals. While there are a number of reasons why this can be the case, one important factor is that online stores can often benefit from lower overheads.

If we think about the sales model of a traditional, physical store then we can see why this might be the case. A traditional shop is likely to try and attract customers by being positioned in a popular location.

Depending on the particular store, the exact location may vary but you might expect to find them on a high street, on a retail park or in a shopping centre. These are all places where there are going to be plenty of potential customers.

This seems to make sense but it does actually cause some problems for consumers. The problem with maintaining premises in popular locations is that shops will tend to be more expensive in these places. That would mean paying a lot to purchase them, or spending a lot on rent.

Given these circumstances, the shop owner has two options. The first option would be to reduce the size of store that they require. The problem with such an approach is that it will probably lead to them holding less stock and having fewer products on display.

This will mean that customers have far less choice available. So what’s the second option for the retailer? The obvious answer is to increase prices. Once again, this isn’t good news for customers.

But there are other additional costs too, not least from the fact that the shop is likely to have a number of sales staff. This can seem like a positive, until you realise that their wages are also likely to lead to higher costs for consumers.

As this illustrates, traditional stores have high overheads that are often hard to avoid. Online retailers, on the other hand, don’t need to have premises in expensive areas. They also have fewer sales staff.

That means that they’re able to offer lower prices to customers. This helps to explain why you should always look for better deals online.…

Tips For Effective Promotional Bags

Promotional bags can be a great way to get your message out there, but there are some good ways and bad ways of doing this. This will also relate to your business and your logo in the first place. Actually how your logo goes well on a bag will tell you many things about the way it has been designed and give you food for thought. Here are some ideas to get you thinking.

Make it enjoyable. If someone is going to use your bag more often then not, it is something that they will like. Making your message appealing to the customer, and not just appealing to you trying to get your message out is very important. The better looking that your image is, the more that they will like it. You need to think of the customer’s and user’s experience. Too many marketers get tied up in getting their message out.

Make it last. If you are going to the effort of making a promotional bag, it might be worth the time to make it long lasting and of better quality. The more someone gets used to it, the more they will get used to your brand. Association is a powerful tool, and the quality of your bag can influence the way your potential consumers view the quality of your business. Good green bags make a real statement about your company’s position on the earth and the environment.

Your message. Instead of outright selling of your company, why not make a message or image that is fun and pleasant for the user. Tie-ing this message to your brand can be very important. Sometimes being subtle has very large impacts, and sticking on your logo as big as possible does not necessarily mean you are making the most out of your opportunity. People do read, and they do understand. What is important is their emotion. It is time to get a little creative.

Uniqueness. Have you thought about the possible uses for your bag, making them friendlier for particular uses can be very beneficial in terms of their value to a user. Different sizes and shapes can make a big difference. A ball shaped bag for a company that sells sport equipment would be very effective and very fun to use. Size, colour and shape are very powerful tools for pleasure and emotional attachment. Levi’s once released a promotional bag that was like a big jeans pocket, this is another excellent example of using shape and size.

If you are going to invest in promotional bags, it is a good time to analyse the way that you market and promote your company. Because it is something that you want them to use and is probably something that is not directly related to your business. Looking for the creative ways and the challenge of creating a campaign of promotional bags that is memorable and does the job, and builds great customer goodwill, will put you to the test. Are you up for it?…

Get Romantic With Lanvin’s Collection at Paris Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2011

Gone with the wind, the dreamy, oh-so-lovely creations by Alber Elbaz’s for Lanvin simply took the onlookers breath away. Models dressed in romantic dresses with contemporary look ambled down the ramp. And then it was clear why Alber Elbaz was quoted as saying, “It’s all from dreams, from the soul.”

The Lanvin show had fitted bodices teamed with sinuous flowing skirts in soft colors. But it wasn’t just pallid hues that ruled the ramp, Lanvin dresses later moved to dark colours, like his day-to-night clothes. Shades of jhaki, black, blue, red to pink, name it and he has it. The designer also covered the long and the short of dresses, minimalistic yet exotic.

The response to the collection was overwhelming, International Herald Tribune writes, “Walked a magisterial line between the industrial and the romantic, as though the designer Alber Elbaz were dressing women for the dichotomy that is their modern lives.” The Elbaz’s trademark draping won hearts when the four models in finale parade walked in one-shoulder gowns in warm blue hues and in animal-printed chiffons including robes, halter-necks and trousers made of same fabric taut at the ankle. The fashion drama got complete with butterfly-shaped buckles in belts chokers. In accessories, one couldn’t take off eyes from the brown belts and mini de-glam sling bags.

With swirly, sheer align dresses, tank outfits, loosen long wide-neck shirts teamed with leggings to kaftan inspired gowns, short skirts and sleeveless frocks with metallic embellishments, futuristic bulked-up tops, glamorous monokinis, Lanvin gave a modern woman a reason to dress with his pret-a-porter collection.

That”s why Vogue writes, “One of those dynamic moments where Alber Elbaz has it all lined up: the woman, the dress, the modernity, the gasp-inspiring glamour.”…

How to Find the Best Online Fashion Sites

You don’t need to subscribe to the latest magazines to keep up to date with the latest trends in fashion. Today’s women are turning from expensive magazines to online fashion sites and blogs to update them on everything they need to know. With internet access, it won’t be hard to find a plethora of websites solely dedicated to style and fashion.

But how do you separate the good from the bad? Well, first, get your PC connected and use it to browse through a variety of online fashion websites. Type in a general sentence or a specific word you’re looking for. For example, you might be interested in looking up the latest trends for this year, so type in the word ‘latest trends for 2010’ or something to that ilk. You are sure to get a few million websites concerning that topic alone, but the ones that come out in the first few web pages are the ones you want to pay attention to, as these are the ones that have received the most hits.

If you know a certain designer brand of fashion blog you might want to visit, type in the names or addresses in the search engine. A list of blogs and other online fashion sites that have mentioned the designers name will appear as well, so have fun browsing through them and decide which ones are relevant to what you’re looking for.

Once you’ve found a blog or fashion site you like, look for the links they have to other like minded sites. They are often found in the “Categories” section or simply titled “Other online fashion sites to visit” These include links relevant to what you are interested in, and who knows, you just might stumble upon your next favorite blog!

Another way to sieve the good from the bad is to check out online fashion and style boards. These places are mediums of discussion where people with the same interests come to share their views and basically discuss the latest trends and fashion sites they love. It’s a great way to get tips right from the horse’s mouth. You can also ask your own questions and air your views, as long as you are signed in as a member.

There are also a number of companies that do yearly surveys to suss the top 50 blogs and online fashion sites that receive the most hits. Some of these are voted on by the public, while others are chosen only by the industry’s experts. Whichever way, be sure to check them out for more inspiration.

Last but not least, once you’ve found the ultimate online fashion sites or blogs you want to follow, be sure to bookmark them so you can receive instant email alerts any time there are updates. It’s a great way to keep you on your toes for the latest in trends.

Of course one lady’s favourite online fashion site may be the worst for another. You should not limit your taste or choice of site according to the opinion of others. Choose the sites that you really connect with and want to follow, and the rest will work its way out.…

Gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Dazzles in White on Ramp

She walked like a dream as if world is at her feet. Aishwarya Rai dazzled, stunned and sizzled as a showstopper in an ivory-white bridal creation by Manish Malhotra. As soon as the lady readied herself for the walk she gave a flirty wink to her dearest hubby Abhishek Bachchan and blew a flying kiss to him.

It was long overdue for Manish and Ash kept her promise by walking the ramp for him. Manish chose to show Ash in white, not the colour of a general Indian bride, though his rest of the creations were in vibrant colours with the beautiful embroidery. The dress was for a modern-day bride, who prefers to be traditional yet contemporary. The ivory shade, gown-like silhouette gave it a modern appeal, while corset with criss-cross strings on the back made it totally Indian. The use of lace at the bottom of the dress just romanticized the whole look. Marvelous!

With Manish’ show and Ash, the HDIL Couture week first day came to an end. Can we say what a brilliant start of the couture week. However, audience would have loved to watch Abhi-Ash together, but as Abhi was busy, Ash took the final call to go solo; she didn’t want Manish to wait. The lady tells a daily that she was also asked to walk the ramp for Karan and Shahab Durazi, but the lack of time only permitted her for the Manish’s show.

To cheer the lady, her hubby along with two moms – Jaya Bachchan and Vrinda Rai was present there. As the show got over, Ash and Abhi hugged and mingled with the press and the other guests for some time. Karisma Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Riya Sen, Urmila Matondkar, Sophie Choudry and also director Imtiaz Ali were present at the event.

It was after eons that Ash walked for any designer; last the lady remembered was for Shahab. Can’t wait to see her more often, ramp misses this former model and Miss World, the oh-so-beautiful Aishwarya Rai.…

Reusable Shopping Bags – The Environmental Benefits

Reusable shopping bags, unlike typical plastic bags, are environmental-friendly, they carry up to twice as much products as a regular plastic one and they also save you money – once you purchase one of these bags, it may last you several months or years. Going green is really popular today and customers all over the world enjoy this type of bag – they’re versatile and useful for all kind of things, so give it a try and purchase an environmental-friendly shopping bag!

These reusable bags come in different sizes are can be made of different materials, from polypropylene to jute or calico. Polypropylene bags are reusable, strong and durable. Chemical resistant and pretty cheap compared to other recyclable bags, these ones allow you to carry all your products without cutting into your hands, due to their longer handles. Another type of reusable shopping bag is represented by calico bags, which are made of a cotton fabric that’s unbleached, cheap to produce, strong and very durable. However, these aren’t resistant to water unless they’re chemically treated, so you can’t really use them in rainy days. Jute bags have the great advantage of being biodegradable, extremely strong and really cheap.

Reusable shopping bags are durable but unfortunately the raw materials are, most of the time, imported, so they can be harder to find. As you can see, all these shopping bags have their benefits and little disadvantages, so whatever your choice is, try to go for a more qualitative product. A traditional shopping bag requires lots of oil and the production process is associated with high levels of pollution, so it’s easy to see why recyclable products are more recommended. They’re eco-friendly, non-toxic and non-allergenic, washable and made of strong fabric that lasts for many years. By purchasing one of these bags, you give a hand to those trying to limit the amount of non-recyclable materials disposed improperly, leading to heavy environmental pollution.

Besides the already mentioned advantages, these bags can be personalized and customized to your own preferences and needs. They can be used even as advertising tools for green companies, as they are so practical and absolutely everyone needs them!…

Funky Silver Accessories to Grab Attention

Solange Azagury-Partridge – Hot Lips lacquered sterling silver ring

Wear your lips on your fingers. Yes, literally with beautiful, scarlet sterling silver ring by Solange Azagury-Partridge. This ring’s design is so unusual that you will fall in love with it, and then there will be this burning desire to have it on your finger. Unlike any other ring it may give you an impression of a toy. But see it close and then your heart with beat fast seeing its signature Hot Lips design.

It is designed keeping in mind the contemporary pop-culture when accessories are bold and unique, and also sometimes very weird. But this ring is not which is crafted with signature wit. With this startling piece you can even decide to get engaged, and if not then get chic by sporting it with a trendy top and fitted jeans or a look elegant and mysterious by teaming this with a white or red dress. Paint the twon red with this exclusive red ring. Price of the ring which is available online is said to be A�1,265.62.

Pamela Love Dagger Sterling silver earrings

Agreed, you are not that kind of a girl who would like to look grungy, or weirdest say gothic. But you want to look smart and edgy and confident then here is this earring that will solve your problem. It’s very different in look and not everyone can carry this.

It is for fun-loving fashionistas who like to chilled-out in the evenings in their best togs. Wear something elegant or trendy and do hair as a bun so that the attention goes to your beautiful earring. The Burnished sterling silver dagger drop earrings by Pamela Love have an engraved figure outline at pendant and a hook to fasten to ear.

You just have to dare to wear this well-designed earring for your tougher self. Price that’s online is just A�451.44.

Eddie Borgo Sterling silver cone bracelet

After a ring and an earring, let’s graduate to the bracelet. Eddie Borgo Sterling silver cone bracelet is not made of diamonds but dazzles like one. Do you dare to carry give-a-damn attitude, this bracelet will solve your problem. Not necessary you have to wear black bands or chunky stuffs. Here is this stylish bracelet full of cones which can make you look rocking and tough.

Expert advice, wear this spiked style with printed pants and a boyfriend-fit blazer, you can also replace the printed pants with tight-fitted leather pants and a black corset. Yeah! The idea is to look hot and not-accessible. Wink, wink! Style doesn’t come cheap. Sterling silver cone bracelet has a designer-stamped detail at interior and a clutch to fasten at wrist. Eddie Borgo Sterling silver cone bracelet is priced at A�379.87.

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Kim Kardashian Strips All for the Sensuous W Magazine

Dangerous curved ahead! There is nothing stopping this reality star, Kim Kardashian, as the W magazine introduces her, “Kim Kardashian can’t sing, act, or dance but she’s found the role of a lifetime in the fine art of playing herself behind the scenes with the queen of reality TV.”

The 29-year-old sexy socialite earlier in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar said she was “sorry” she bared all in a raunchy cover shoot with Playboy in 2007, but it seems ever since that time she is over her body and the voluptuous, zaftig figure. Comfortable with herself, she has posed for some sensous pics, of course, in complete glory of her body covered in a silvery hue.

The cover page also sees her in body suit except some rectangle boxes strategically fixed that leaves little on imagination. Kim says it would be worth millions thanks to her television show, boutique business Dash, and product endorsements. The lady also claims that what you see isn’t really what you get.

Kim also says she has gotten over the issues of her voluptuous frame, that’s trivial now, “I used to think, I have to be this or that or skinny, and now, because of the show, everyone is embracing just me, which has given me such a confidence.”

And guys if you think she is a drinker, no, she is not into consuming alcohol. If she dances on a table top it is just for pictures. Yes, her Twitter account bears the proof that she loves taking and posing for stills.

Don’t we “oog” love her curves! Check out Kim Kardashian strips all for the sensuous W magazine

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