Springing Forward In Style

It has been a few weeks since the last entry mainly due to the busy spring season.  We have begun rolling out some new products including the UltraClub Men’s 100% Cotton Solid Color Egyptian Pima Golf Shirt and the companion UltraClub Ladies 100% Cotton Solid Color Egyptian Pima Golf Shirt both of which are priced just over $16 which includes a logo and delivery.   We are rapidly becoming big fans of the UltraClub line and will continue to add several products from the line each day over the next few weeks and expect to have the complete line up in the next week.  With free setup, free shipping and with up to 8,000 stitches and polybagging we believe we are offering a superior value.   Following closely on the heals of UltraClub will be Charles River which continues to expand their offering in this market.  After searching today Stellar Apparel appears to offer the best value currently on Charles River goods and services.  

 Back on the “green” side, UltraClub has also rolled out UltraClub Organic Men’s Ring-Spun Organic Cotton Short-Sleeve Tee which is made entirely of certified organic cotton.  One of the questions we keep getting is on the location of the cotton.  This will vary depending on the brand but is often times being sourced domestically.  We are trying to get official statements from each of the major brands and will report back what we find.  as so many new products are being introduced at one time it is making the rollout a little less smooth than normal for most of the major vendors.  This should ease in the coming weeks.   The popularity of these products is still high but with prices continuing to increase it remains to be seen whether consumers will choose the more expensive organic and recycled items over the regular cotton products.  Our guess is many companies will continue to purchase the “green” items as it not only makes sense for the environment but also produces favorable press in most cases.

Beyond the addition of the UltraClub line the Zippo Business Card Holder is one of the many new products from Zippo.  More ornamental than functional the holder provides a bold statement in a neat package.  It is also reasonably priced for a higher quality laser engraved item.  Zippo has introduced a bundle of products this season into the promo marketplace.  We are still uncertain as to the overall appeal but will continue to add them as is reasonable.

Despite the recession business is strong through traditional person to person selling as has always been the case.   Even with the difficult financial news banks and brokers continue to gear up for their spring and summer events at a pace consistent with previous years.  Obviously real estate offices are not purchasing like they did in previous years but that business is easily made up elsewhere with some foot and phone work.  With dedicated staff now selling in every region and with  the addition of our first partnered embroidery facility on the West Coast we continue to maximize our reach while minimizing costs to the consumer.   Indeed a price check of the items above today shows an average 10-15% cost savings at published internet prices.  With the removal of setup charges and reduction and or elimination in shipping charges the price value combination is very difficult to beat.  With the majority of products being offered by all of us in the industry coming from the same factories the only difference between businesses is the level of service and ultimately the price.   In addition a growing number of distributors are importing directly from China and likewise we expect to begin offering a limited number of items directly imported by June.  Unlike many others we expect to be able to offer these items on a reasonably quick turnaround that is comparable to traditional sourcing.  On average we expect the savings to provide an additional 20% discount over traditional prices.  These products are often identical and in many cases produced in the same factories as the “branded” products but at significant discounts.  We will not offer items that are in direct competition with our preferred vendors as we greatly respect these relationships but instead will look for adjunct products not carried by our current preferred vendors nor likely to ever be carried.  These products in addition to almost 2000 additional products will become active on the site over the next few weeks in a staggered fashion with a focus on the most popular products from the reputable vendors.