This is Gift and Home Retailer News’ third annual “Green Issue”, where we highlight companies that are producing eco-friendly products and using environmentally aware processes. In this issue we spotlight “Sustainability”.

A new feature of the New York International Gift Fair’s Winter show was “SustainAbility: design for a better world®”. NYIGF’s “Degrees of SustainAbility” intiative industry-specific criteria for identification of green products and producers. A three-tiered ranking – SustainAbility1 through SustainAbility3 – indicates the extent to which a product/producer complies with these standards. Ilene Shaw of Shaw+Co! curates the exhibit and determines each participants’ ranking. Of the 250 products featured in the SustainAbility display during the show, seven were awarded the highest level of sustainability for product, production processes and business practices

The products selected included a Canvas Tote from Bungalow 360 (California), Shea Butter Body Cream by Elizabeth W (California), “Soft Bin” storage container by Fluf (Toronto), Sueno recycled aluminum tableware by Mariposa (Mexico), the “Modern-Twist Studio” line of coasters and trivets by Modern-Twist (California), hand carved wooden bowls and stools by PATS (Peru) and Eco Collections by the Sugoi Group (California).

“These seven products not only are made with eco-friendly materials, but also are manufactured by hand or with low-impact energy sources,” said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM senior vice president. “Their producers also share a prevailing ethic to support charitable organizations, or to work with ‘fair trade’ artisan groups in developing countries.”

Calypso Studios is a company that has taken inspiration from Mother Nature and created products that encompass a relaxed and vibrant lifestyle. The company is constantly moving forward and challenging itself with new designs and accessories, creating beautiful pieces that everyone can enjoy.

An example is Calypso’s new “It’s a Wrap” Bracelets with beads made from the earth’s natural elements of clay and shell. These wraps come in 6-8 different styles and show a real earthy look. All are hand strung on a waxed linen cord with Calypso’s signature toggle clasp.

For 39 years, Fiddler’s Elbow has been a pioneer and leader in water based textile printing. We formulate all our own colors from organic pigments, have developed a priority color separation system and print full color artwork on a custom built eight color Italian silkscreen textile machine. The factory’s location, nestled between the pristine foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in New York State and the Green Mountains of Vermont, makes us strive to “be green” both in the manufacturing process and in bringing our products to the market place with minimal packaging.

The president and owner, John Gunther, is still dedicated to his original idea conceived in 1973 to create and produce fine silk-screen printed gifts in the U.S.A. Our product line has shifted from storybook characters under the banner of The Toy Works, to gifts and home décor which necessitated the name change to Fiddler’s Elbow but our dedication to manufacturing reasonably priced, well designed quality products featuring licensed artwork still remains our priority. If you’re ever in the area, give us a call…we love to show people just what it is we do. Made with pride in the USA.

All Gina B. Designs Stationery products are printed with soy-based inks on SMART Papers Feltweave® paper and Finch fine paper that is acid-free archival, FSC Certified and endorsed by the Rain Forest Alliance. Recycled content is 15-30% post-consumer. All Gina B Products are printed in Plymouth, Minnesota.

Some may see these as small steps toward a greener future, but as the wise man said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA (January 10, 2012) – Cynthia Brayton has been named Marketing Manager of OmegaNet Inc. as of December, 2011. Brayton most recently served as Director of Professional Development for Savannah School of Art & Design (SCAD), where she worked in Corporate Fundraising and developed training courses for popular design and video software for design professionals. Previously, Ms. Brayton served as Director of Creative Service for Turner Network Television (TNT) and Director of Operations at Turner Broadcasting System Inc. in Atlanta.

In addition, Brayton’s experience includes New Product Development at SpaceNet, a satellite distance learning company providing training to government agencies and Business Development for Convergent Media, an online training company.

“We are pleased to welcome Cynthia to our growing team,” said Toni Ivey, president and founder of OmegaNet Inc. “We believe she brings a wealth of experience and proven ideas that will be of great benefit to us as we continue to serve our clients.” Brayton has launched the development and training of a sales force for OmegaNet services.

OmegaNet Inc. has built hundreds of wholesale (B2B) and retail (B2C) web sites for the Gift, Home, and Apparel industries and provides advertising and promotion services for hundreds of clients since the company was founded in 1997. OmegaNet is the developer of CAMEO EZ© wholesale ecommerce and content management software.

Retail sales on Black Friday, the traditional kick off of the Christmas buying season, grew by 6.6% compared with the day after Thanksgiving last year, and a huge 16.4% for the four day weekend including Thanksgiving (source).
Spending per shopper increased 9.1% , the biggest increase since 2006 (source).

Part of the reason for the increase is that 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the weekend, compared with 212 million last year (source).

Despite some backlash against earlier store openings on Thanksgiving, the trend is sure to accelerate due to the response from shoppers, according to National Retail Federation spokeswoman Ellen Davis. “Consumers vote with their feet and vote with their wallets,” she says. “Midnight is now the magic hour for Black Friday shopping.”

Online spending increased by 26% over last year, according to market-research firm comStore Inc., which observes the buying patterns of 1 million online shoppers and extrapolates their statistics to the overall US population.

Sales figures included both in-store and online sales Thursday through Sunday, but did not include “Cyber Monday”. The line is blurring between “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” as more and more people choose to make purchases online before, during and after Black Friday.

Whether you prefer “Made In America” as sung by Toby Keith, Kanye West or Bon Jovi, the importance of manufacturing within the borders of the USA is a recurring theme in music, movies and news reporting. ABC News’ World News With Diane Sawyer has a regular weekly feature about companies manufacturing in the USA (see the May Issue of Gift and Home Retailer News)

While the conventional wisdom seems to be that all manufacturing is now done elsewhere, Gift and Home Retailer finds among its advertisers and OmegaNet/CAMEO EZ web sites nearly 60 companies manufacturing all or part of their products in the USA.

Dora Mara opened her first retail shop in the Soho area of New York City in 1987. Most of the products in the store were her own designs. Today her company, Headress NY, which makes hair accessories and belts, states on its wholesale web site “Proudly Handmade in the U.S.A.”

Tuscaloosa, Alabama has been home to The Professionals & Kidsville, USA for the past 40 years. One of the company’s specialties is the Jr. Scrub Suits for children dressing up as: Doctors, Nurses, Dentist, Vets, E.M.T.’s, and Firefighters. The Professionals also cuts, sews, prints, and appliques a wide range of children’s bags and various accessories, plus has professional gifts for teachers, nurses, office staff, etc.

Some companies import raw materials and then assemble or finish the products in the USA. One such company is Florida-based Philosopots, which takes ordinary flower pots and paints wise and witty sayings on them, complete with colorful designs. The quotations range from inspirational (“Teachers change the world one child at a time”) to funny (“Egrets? I’ve had a few”).

The Heeney Company, founded by Arlene and Bob Sukloff in 1960, manufactures and assembles all of its custom-designed silk and dried florals as well as its holiday designs at the company’s facility in Atlanta, GA.

Betsy Drake Interiors is an exclusive line of home decor featuring the original art and designs of North Carolina artists Betsy Drake and R. B. Hamilton. The line includes outdoor/indoor pillows, wall art, kitchenwares, tiles, coasters and more — all featuring Betsy and her husband’s realistic renderings of florals, wildlife and scenes from their travels.

In 1998, Bob Harju founded Pumpernickel Press in his basement in Leesburg, VA. With distinctive quality, unique designs, and beautiful artwork featuring detailed sculptured embossing, the company produces greeting cards that are “more than just a card, they’re a gift!” The entire line of Christmas and Everyday greeting cards, recycled paper and packaging are made in the USA.

Er’go Soy Candle (pronounced “air-go”) opened its doors in late 2000 in Dallas, Texas. The main focus was to develop the highest quality candle, with absolutely no compromise! The wax used in the candles is a 100% chemical-free vegetable soy wax. By using a pure wax, the company ensures that its premium essential oil fragrance blends will be showcased in their purest form without chemical interference. Er’go Candle is committed to purchasing its raw materials from American companies only! Its wax is actually farmed right there in the Midwest. Even the cotton paper core wicks come from American soil.

Three years ago Nancy Brown joined forces with Kelly Agostinelli to create Backyard Soaps, a line of soap, candle, and body care products that combine the freshest high-quality ingredients with packaging that is sure to capture the attention of buyers everywhere. Each and every part of the products are manufactured in the USA by workers who are truly determined to give consumers something they will receive absolute delight from.
The soap product line includes calming scents like fresh rain and almond, milk and honey, as well as the more imaginative like happy pumpkin and sugar plum. In all, there are over 40 different scents available, as well as specialty soaps designed for men.

See the “Featured Vendors” below for links to more Made-In-USA vendors, indicated by the red outline and bunting. Many more vendors manufacture and/or assemble their wares in the USA, including Alphabet Pix, Applelicious, Beaucoup Designs, Blair Cedar, Brownlow Gift, Byers’ Choice, Caswell Massey, Channel Craft, Chubbco, Coast Lamp, Counter Art, Crossroads, Crown Mulling Spice, Custom Decor Flags, Custom Wood Gifts, Designs By Beverly, The Dish, ER Sales, Fiddlers Elbow, Galassi, Gently Spoken, Golden Hill Studios, The Grandparent Gift Company, Greenhill Music, The Greeing Place, Heart Gifts by Theresa, Jeane’s Things, Leslie Handpainted, Nantucket Bagg, New Humor Manufacturing, Robicheaux Candy, Sassy’s, Sassy’s Stuff, Scentennials, Servant’s Heart, Shop Toco, Spin Shades, Stephers, Talkin’ Trash, Three Kings Gifts, TooKyoot, Under Stella’s Umbrella, Up Country, Wicks ‘n’ More …and many more!

In its new Retail Compass Survey of CFOs, BDO says the 100 retail CFOs it polled are forecasting a 3% gain in Holiday Season sales for 2011, the most upbeat prediction since 2007. Furthermore, same-store-sales projections for the second half of the year nearly doubled from 1.9% to 3.5% (source).

And the number expecting an uptick in the economy increased, even though 77% still thought the economy would continue to stagnate.

“Compared to all the headlines about gloom and doom, you have to take some solace in this prediction of 3%,” Doug Hart, partner in the retail and consumer product practice at BDO, tells Marketing Daily. “And these are CFOs at large retailers, so they are realists, and not overly optimistic. They’ve got live access to sales data.”

In a time of growth of Big Box and online stores, small retailers may find encouragement from the results of a new survey by American Express. The study finds that a majority of Americans are willing to spend more to do business with companies that give good customer service and four out of five said that they perceive smaller companies place more emphasis on customer service.

American Express polled 1,000 people over age 18 and found that, even in today’s shaky economy, 61% said they would spend about 10% more in order to do business with companies that give good customer service. The majority (60%) believe most companies don’t do enough to provide good customer service.

“Customers want and expect superior service,” said Jim Bush, Executive Vice President, World Service. “Especially in this tight economic environment, consumers are focused on getting good value for their money. Many consumers say companies haven’t done enough to improve their approach to service in this economy, and yet it’s clear they’re willing to spend more with those that deliver excellent service – suggesting substantial growth opportunities for businesses that get customer service right. It’s important to see customer service as an investment, not a cost.”

The study also found that, in spite of the conventional wisdom, customers are more inclined to talk about a positive experience (81%) than a negative one (52%).

More than 80% have decided to never do business with a company again after a negative experience and more than half said they expect something in return, more than just resolving the problem.

Depending on who you ask, increased credit card use by consumers may be either boon or bane to the economic outlook. The fact that credit card use is rising is seen by some as an indication of increased consumer confidence and a willingness to spend that should spur economic growth. However, others regard credit cards as a net negative, hurting even those who don’t use them.

For the rosy assessment, Christine Hauser writes in the New York Times that “Ever since the United States emerged from the recession, economists have been watching for signs that Americans are spending again.” Never mind that many might question the assumption that the nation has completely “emerged” from the recession, Christine sees a first quarter increase in credit card spending as a positive sign that should spur economic growth.

“The dust is slowly coming off credit cards,” said Gregory Daco, a senior economist with IHS Global Insight, quoted in the New York Times’ May 13 article. “It is a general return of consumers to credit card usage, but it is a cautious one. Income is lower and slowly making a comeback right now.”

Several polls have showed use of plastic dropped dramatically in the early days of the recession, but that may be changing. MasterCard reported a 5% increase in sales during the first quarter of 2011, Visa a 9% increase and American Express saw a 13% rise.

The contrarian view was presented in an MSN Money article by Liz Pulliam Weston. “Recent research indicates that credit cards contribute to inflation and may impose unfair costs on people who don’t use plastic. Everybody pays more, in other words, so that some of us can snorkel at Molokini,” Weston says, referring to a vacation she paid for with rewards points.

Credit cards increase the money supply, because consumers can spend more than the cash they have on hand. More money chasing the same amount of goods leads to inflation as merchants raise prices in the face of higher demand. In addition, rising “swipe” fees paid by retailers have forced prices up, meaning prices are higher whether the consumer uses plastic or not.

Those fee structures have also become more complex, with four fee categories in 1991 rising to as many as 243 today for MasterCard alone, making it difficult for retailers to know and understand what they are paying. One large merchant reports that a credit card transaction costs them 14 times as much as accepting cash, but most consider the benefits more important than the disadvantages of taking plastic.