Scripture graces vintaged designer jeans

Justin Jenkins' Christian apparel business has legs ... his 316 Jeans was established after he realized that while there were many Christian clothing companies offering T-shirts, no one was selling anything for the bottom half of the body.

In our first "Retailer Roundtable," Editor Andy Butcher chats with Janet McKinley, assistant manager and gift buyer at Lakewood Church Bookstore at Lakewood Church in Houston, and Sara Peters, manager of The Living Word bookstore at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky.

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With Ed Nizynski, vice president, Lighthouse Christian Products

What new trends and themes are you seeing in photo frames, and what's driving them? "In today's fast-paced society, color and design trends change quickly. At Lighthouse, we do not solely focus our designs on the latest trend. People have many different tastes, and today more than ever everything is acceptable. Eclectic is the trend. Themes for all occasions are popular. In this state of economy, families are spending more money re-decorating versus buying a new home."

How can stores display photo frames to their best effect? "Create a frame destination in your store. Your customer is familiar to shopping the frame areas in the big-box retailers and department stores where all the frames are displayed together. Even in most Hallmark stores there is a frame section. Show as many facings and titles as possible. Give consumers selection without difficulty. Also cross-merchandise frames with your other occasion- and seasonal-themed displays. Consumers will return for additional purchases when they know occasion-themed products are consistently available."

Little Disciples, a manufacturer of baby clothing and gifts, is seeing success with its baby onesies with their humorous sayings such as "I praise Jesus too! (I just can't talk yet) Matthew 21:15-16" or "To you, it's crying ... but to Jesus it's a joyful noise! Ps. 100:1."

Genesis Marketing Group sales rep Chuck Zimmerman noted how well Little Disciples products were doing at Northwestern stores:
"Talk about having amazing sell-through! These folks loved them. Sell-through was awesome. We were reviewing the dates of sales and found many sold out within days of arriving. They figured they could have sold twice as many if they had noticed and re-ordered the designs rather than waiting for me to come around."

'Saver shopper' strategies

For the saver shopper, the rules of the shopping game are simple: You win when you get the most stuff for the lowest price. Helping someone who is looking for a bargain doesn't need much more than good signage and plenty of deals. Be sure to inform the saver of any sales incentives you may have.

"This is the customer to whom you want to point out the benefits of your loyalty program. If you are giving a free product with a minimum purchase, make sure this customer knows. Don't forget, this is probably your best opportunity to advertise your store. Savers love telling other people just how much they 'scored' on their last shopping trip."

Sherri Litza, former store owner and CBA consultant
Connecting With Customers: Understanding the gift shopper
Inspirational Gift Trends, Sept. 8, 2008

March 28-31
Boston Gift Show
Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Boston
678-285-3976
www.urban-expo.com

Welcome to the first issue of Inspirational Gift Trends Bulletin.

We've launched this new weekly e-service to further help you keep abreast of all that is happening in the world of inspirational gifts. It's a category that continues to grow, and we want to keep you up to date with the trends, the new products and the latest marketing and merchandising initiatives.

Each Wednesday the team from Christian Retailing and Inspirational Gift Trends magazines will deliver an easy-to-digest package of information, ideas, insights and inspiration-and we invite you to contribute by responding to our Question of the Week, and passing on your expertise to others.
-Andy Butcher
Editor, Christian Retailing

Vendors contacted by Christian Retailing have said they are paying "close attention" to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), passed by Congress in August 2008 after Mattel recalled more than 21 million toys imported from China in 2007. Many were found to have dangerous levels of lead.