Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags

If you have flown in the last 9 years, you have passed through one of those TSA checkpoints trying to get to your gate. That means take off: your shoes, belt, earrings, watches, jewelry, etc…and you have to unpack your laptop and put it in its own separate bin from your bag your carry it in. Walk through the x-ray, hope you don’t set it off and have to take something else off, walk back through and if your unlucky enough to set it off again…spread’em.

Item # ZLCVJ-HAVRS

After the nice officer is done with the pat down, you can go collect your stuff. But, other people have been passing through and your stuff is sitting at the end of the conveyor belt mixed with everyone else’s stuff. All of this hassle just to catch a plane, BUT it’s worth it to be safe.

Well, during this whole process a lot of items are left behind or lost. The TSA is partly responsible for these items, and some are not cheap. Jewelry, flash drives, and LAPTOP’S! Yes, as big as they are laptop’s get left behind. Imagine having to spend the time trying to track down all the owners of this lost property. Did you know that TSA also partners with the Naval Air Systems Command to help manage and process lost and unclaimed property? Well, the TSA has had enough and worked with a bag company to come up with a solution for this problem with laptops.

Item # ZLCVJ-HAVRS

Introducing the Checkpoint Fast Pass Backpack, distributed by Keystone Specialties. This backpack is TSA approved and now you don’t have to remove your laptop from you bag anymore. Simply unzip the bag and lay it flat on the conveyor belt so the laptop is exposed. Now, you don’t have to pack as much when you make it through the security checkpoint. Other available models include the boardroom computer briefcase and laptop slimline laptop brief.

Details about the bag and its pricing are available at www.keystonespecialties.com/promotional-products. Just search this item number (ZLCVJ-HAVRS) and learn how you can order yours. This is a great item for any business to give to their traveling salespeople or as a thank you gift to a valued client.

How to find new products for retail

Finding new products for online or brick & mortar retailing is easy with Keystone's product search engine.  Access to over 500,000 products means customization, quality, & uniqueness all in one location.  Here's how to find a new product on our search engine:

1.  Identify what the product is that you're looking for.  (product category examples: art, balloons, leashes, zipper pulls, etc.) 
2.  Choose keywords to describe details about how you want your product to be made.  (examples: ceramic, latex, leather, metal, etc.)
3.  Identify a quantity & price range you can afford to purchase for an initial order based off the target retail price & profit per item needed.

Once you identify any of these details, using the product search engine is simple.  You may find more options are available by leaving some keywords out of your search, or eliminating a specific price range.

Once you find a product you like, use the Request Quote or Request Info buttons to get answers to your questions before placing an order.  If you like a product from your search results, you may also use the Place Order function to get started.  Image files for customized imprint can be submitted online, as well as payment information and the shipping address where you need your new product to arrive.

Questions?  Contact us via the Request Info button or call 800-240-8639 Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern Standard Time.  Out phone number is listed on the product search engine also.  Here's to happy product searching, and more retail profits for your store!

How to Develop Products to Win New Customers

As is the case for any retailer, the fresh, new inventory is what brings regular customers back, and brings new customers in more often - whether online or in the store. If sales are flattening out instead of growing consistently, it's time to take a serious look at product development. Here are a few critical questions to analyze before creating new products:

Which products are newest in the store? How long has the old product been offered? If you compare the total sales reports to each piece of merchandise, what are your strongest players? What are your weakest? As any retailer needs fresh merchandise regularly, and it is best to eliminate the weakest products from the line-up to make room for new items. Of course new items are a gamble until you have sales numbers to measure your shoppers’ reactions to them, but that’s reason to start with the smallest possible quantity on the first order. If the new item is a hit, then by all means order more… and then more… and finally, more!

Any retailer following this formula will see sales volume rocket towards the stratosphere (There are other conditions that may hinder sales, such as poor personalities among the staff, etc, but we trust the bad eggs are not allowed to remain in the egg carton to spoil the rest).

Look at the sample items enclosed objectively. What of the samples are already represented in the store? Which items have a purely function purpose? Which have an aesthetic purpose? Which ones serve both purposes to your customers? Now consider the niche market that each item serves among your customer base. Is there a customer profile who visits the store (other than young children), but rarely purchases anything to your knowledge? What kind of items need to be added to attract their spending dollars as well?

This may seem like a lot to digest, but it’s a winning formula in retail. Good luck coming over to the winning side of product management, and feel free to contact Keystone Specialties for help.