One last store that caught my attention in Ohio was called Moochie & Company. They sell adorable products to pamper your pet (dog outfits, gourmet dog treats, cat toys, etc.) and two things struck me when I was there:

1. The store was super crowded—so crowded in fact that you'd never know there was some kind of economic slowdown when you were in there. Pet products will always be a strong seller despite the economy.

2. Store signage goes a long way to bring customers into the store. It's located on the second floor where there aren't a lot of other stores, out of the way of the main traffic flow. (I would have called it a bad location if they would have asked me my opinion prior to opening.) But they got my attention from the first floor with their use of red awnings with paw prints, bold store signage and a great front window display with strong graphics.

This store illustrates the value of using strong merchandising to attract customers to a bad location.

Another store that caught my eye while I was at the Easton Town Center in Ohio, was C.O. Bigelow, who has created what I would consider award-winning merchandise displays. A step up from Bath & Body Works (their sister company), they sell mid- to high-end bath and body care products, including cosmetics. Their store is a creative mix between modern design and old world and it's the fresh combination of old and new that really makes the design work (including the antiques they've brought in to use as display pieces).

Left: Here they used a old rolling cart, a bundle of wood and an antique box to create a display that encourages customers to take samples home. Right: An old scale was used on a display table to add visual interest.

Left: Apothecary jars and images above communicate the theme of store. Right: More apothecary jars and a rack are cleverly re-purposed to create a point of sale display near the cash wrap—perfect for impulse sales!

A tres chic vintage couch with new, Parisian-inspired fabric was coupled with an antique radio and table to create a striking display.

Last weekend I was in Columbus, Ohio, giving a talk to retailers at the Columbus Marketplace, so I took the opportunity to stop by a really fabulous lifestyle center called Easton Town Center.

I noticed and loved a store display that Baby Gap had put together to promote a line of fruit onesies.

It reminded me how simple displays with flower pots can really make your merchandise "pop."

Think about buying some really big pots at your local hardware store, painting them a vibrant color and adding your newest store merchandise to the mix.

I feel very passionate about the need for retailers to have strong visual merchandising in their stores. Why? Because I've seen sales increase as much as 40% after a store merchandising redesign—and who doesn't want a sales increase?

In all my years in retail, I can't tell you how many uncreative and tacky handwritten store signs I've seen. So a few weeks ago when I was at the Atlanta Gift Show and I saw a very creative sign in the Eastern Breeze showroom, I was very excited.

The sign read, "The Our Pain Is Your Pain Recession Market Special, 25% Off All in Stock Merchandise Sale." From a marketing perspective the sale was cute, but most manufacturers were offering some sort of deal, so what I loved more than the marketing was the creativity behind the execution—the use of something as simple and easy as Band-aids.

It immediately caught my attention in the showroom, which is exactly what it was supposed to do.

Retailers know that customers love personalized attention in the store, so you might want to think about making your direct mail marketing pieces more personal. A recent study found that a handwritten note included with a mailing may double its effectiveness. In Robert Cialdini's book "Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive," he cites a study that found when researchers sent a survey to busy doctors with three different cover letters, three dramatically different results were produced.

• A printed letter generated a response rate of 36 percent.
• A printed letter with a handwritten message boosted this by one third to 48 percent.
• A printed letter with a handwritten message on a Post-it note pushed the response rate to 75 percent.

A recent post on a neuromarketing blog attributes the boost in response to the reciprocity effect: "The recipient recognizes that the sender apparently put some personal effort into the mailing, and is more likely to reciprocate with some effort of his own."

He also points out that responses to the survey with the personalized Post-it were also more thorough and prompt.

What does this mean for you? The next time you send a promotional mailing to your customers, invest the extra time in creating handwritten notes (be sure to include their first name—this will also improve the response). See if you can't double your response rate.

I've read in several trend reports that in 2009 consumers are going to cook more meals at home, dining out far less to save money. What does this mean for gift shop owners? You might want to consider stocking more cookware and low-priced gourmet products. Here are five great gourmet products I found in Atlanta:

Oh, Sugar!
The adorable packaging on these cookies and candies caught my eye as I walked by their booth. They have every holiday and special occasion covered, and the cookies are incredibly good!

Pelican Bay, Ltd.
Pelican Bay's fantastic packaging also caught my eye. Their lemonade comes in six flavors, and I thought the Easter bunny pizza would be a great item for an Easter display. (You have to make one as a sample for your store if you decide to stock it.) I'm sure your customers with kids won't be able to resist picking one up. However, their entire line is worth checking out—be sure to take a look at the cupcakes.

Specialty Foods Holding
SFH has an adorable line of eye catching lollipops, available in five flavors. It would be a great display for the spring, or a cute Easter basket gift.

Small Dog, LLC
I met the owner (who was inspired to start this company in a business class) of this new line of Japanese sauce at the show. The sauce is based on an old Japanese recipe and it's very tasty. There is a wide range of applications for it's use, including marinading meats or using as a dipping sauce.

Sugar Marsh Cottage
The packaging is fabulous on this line of chocolate, and the product is award-winning. (The white chocolate mint is the perfect combination of white chocolate with a soft hint of mint.) It's a great chocolate company and a wonderful line for coastal gift shops, since some of the shapes of the chocolate are shells.

Since returning home from the Atlanta Gift Show, I've had the chance to connect with several exhibitors and get the scoop on how the show went for them, and I was excited to hear some refreshing stories of success.

Suzy of Suzy Toronto said, "While attendance and traffic was way down, our sales actually doubled. I attribute that to our line of inexpensive gifts that are feel-good products."

And BB from BB Becker told me, "I think a lot of retailers went to the show with the strategy of buying a little less and staying for a shorter time frame, but a lot of my customers came out to order."

My goal was to focus on new products that are under $50 wholesale, so here are four more I found:

Peachtree Baby Cakes
They launched a new line of fun designer diapers at the show that were very cute. Each diaper has a saying, such as "Little Princess" and "Pee all you can Pee" (on camouflage), on the rear. In addition to their new Designer Diapers, they produce a line of adorable Baby Cakes, "diaper cakes" adorned with toys and products such as Burt's Bees and Johnson & Johnson. These are both perfect baby shower or baby homecoming gifts for your customers. If you don't have the room (or budget) to stock them all, think about ordering a sample cake of each style and then special ordering on an as-needed basis. I think both lines are a really fantastic addition to any baby section.

Beeby
Beeby produces a glitzy line of baby clothing, including 24 styles of onesies, and pant and shirt sets. (They also sell very cute diaper changing pads.) Perfect if you're in an area where glitz and glamour are important—even at a young age!

Banyan Paper
These totally awesome handbags are produced in the Philippines by women living near a garbage dump. (Banyan Paper formed a co-op of women to weave newspaper pieces into bags.) They offer six styles and the general color of the bag can be specified, plus they are a fair trade organization—every product they produce is with respect for the people and resources in the community. In addition to the bags, they have a second line of wonderful journals called Himalayan Foothills. The journals are made using 100% recycled cotton (cotton waste from local textile factories). Lastly, they have a line of handmade cards made in Rwanda by orphans who have lost both parents to HIV (and other diseases). These children pulp the paper and hand-cut each card. If you're looking for unique green products with stories for your store, these are well-made ones worth considering.

My Chit Chats
My Chit Chats produces a creative keepsake book called, "Did you Ever Go Parking." It's a 70-page journal for mothers to complete and give to their children or grandchildren. Each page features unique questions to help the mother tell some of the highlights of her life story in a fun and simple format. Sample questions include, "What was the biggest prank you ever pulled?," "Who was your best friend?" and "Who was your first kiss?"

I saw some really fantastic new products at the Atlanta Gift Show, and I'll be covering several at a time for the next few days.

Silver Spoon Jewelry
Jewelry inspired by vintage and antique silverware patterns from the 1800s. The line includes necklaces, rings, watches and bracelets in the $15-$79 price range. The cute heart necklaces would be a great Valentine's Day gift for your customers.

The Green Glass Co.
A creative line of glasses and vases created from reclaimed wine and beer bottles—wholesale prices range from $7-$35. I loved how the labels were kept intact on many of their pieces, and the beautiful designs etched in the glass on others. There are six glass colors in total, including blue, green and clear.

Peterman Baskets & Bowls
Wonderful line of bowls, trays and wine stoppers crafted from cherry, black walnut and spalted maple wood. The line has approximately 20 SKUs and the wood is reclaimed from tree services or from fallen wood in the forest. Two of the newest products in the line include a cutting board made from sunflower shell husks, and products made from sorghum.

The Write Plate
The plate can be used as a simple and creative alternative to a dry erase board or baked in the oven to create a permanent message. Adorable for entertaining, a bridal or shower gift or as a decorative accessory for a holiday. The white plate, available in four shapes and two sizes, is packaged with a black and white ribbon, pen and idea sheet. They also sell packages of five ribbons, special holiday adornments, iron plate stands, place card holders and a 50-page idea book packed with creative uses for the product.

Giant Microbes
Sixty-nine whimsical and humorous plush microbes that range from the common cold to diseases. Great item for hospital gift shops, museums, college book stores or gift shops looking for a few items that will be sure to make your customers laugh out loud. The hang tags add an educational component to the plush bacteria, virus or plant.

flattenme
Award-winning personalized story books and book/gift packages. Your customer will email a photo and the company will place it into one of six books, whose story plots are all very cute. The company is amazing at re-sizing and re-touching the photo so the child literally transforms into one of the characters in the book. Any skin color can be matched and the book is available in seven languages. The packaging is fantastic and I think it's the perfect addition to every gift shop.

Traffic was noticeably down at the first major gift show of 2009—the AmericasMart Atlanta Gift Show. However, positive reports were coming in the first day that orders were being written, and some exhibitors had sales that were higher than opening day sales the year before.

One exhibitor said, "We all didn't know how things would play out here. I feared retailers would put off almost all buying until Q2. So to come and take orders for immediate shipment is a really positive thing for the whole industry."

And while the retailers I chatted with at our booth are feeling nervous about what this year will bring, they are taking proactive steps right now to ensure their long-term success—negotiating better shipping rates, cutting back on staff hours and finding fresh products with great pricing for their customers.

Once again, my bag is filled to the brim with some really fabulous new products for 2009 from the show. For the next week, please look for fresh products that are value priced for your store.

Today's guest post is from Allisyn Deyo, Webmaster and Editor for Pinnacle Publishing Group.

There's one aspect of the holiday season I'm not very fond of—out of office auto-reply email messages. I know it's considered helpful, but I just find it annoying. Especially if I send someone several emails and get auto-replies for each one.

So as I paged through all the auto-replies I've received these past couple of weeks, I thought of a great idea. Why don't people monetize these for marketing purposes? It wouldn't take much time or cost anything—adding just a few sentences on a special deal or a coupon code.

For example:

Hi, John Doe is currently out on vacation, enjoying the season and all his Christmas presents. In fact, two of his favorites this year were [product name] and [product name]. And as a special treat from us at [company name], we're doing a "John Doe's Favorite Christmas Presents" 15% off sale! Use the coupon code below to score this deal.

Oh, and John will be back next Monday, when he'll reply to every email. Happy Holidays!

It's a FREE and easy way to extend your marketing efforts. Granted, not everyone can individualize their auto-replies (something you should seriously discuss at your company), but those who can, should.

If you set up an auto-reply, I encourage you to think outside the box. Offer coupons, present suggestions or latest deals—make it personal and follow up when you get back.