Innovation will bring us back to the future
As I write this column for the September issue, I can only guess what we might see at this year's ABC Show
By Mark Lazar -- Kids Today, 9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
As I write this column for the September issue, I can only guess what we might see at this year's ABC Show — but I guess I'll do it anyway.
The Naturally Kids Pavilion will be bigger, with more manufacturers betting that quality goods will ring the register with buyers and thus consumers. Prying the "green(backs)" from consumers' pockets this year has never been more challenging. In fact, it has got us all scratching our heads with the "I've never seen it like this before" look on our collective faces.
So, in times like these, the upcoming show should be full of innovation and creativity ... but not only on the product side. At this year's show there will be new thoughts on these issues:
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the legality of the minimum pricing policies;
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collecting sales tax on interstate sales;
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realistic enforcement of the Consumer Production Safety Improvement Act;
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manufacturers marketing and selling directly to the consumer, while partnering with stores for fulfillment;
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the new proposed labeling of product ingredients like there is for food.
So I suggest you come to this year's show "open," not just to buy, but to listen and contribute to the debate and conversation. If we want to do our part to get the economy going again, and in turn, our profitability, we will have to create a climate of real value that the consumer recognizes as beneficial to them — and it cannot all hinge on price.
Again, value is always the commodity that consumers are willing to pay for, and green in the largest sense is the only way to go. We cannot sustain our consumer society if the products and services are not sustainable from the ground up. The current economic mess is due to practices and products which are not sustainable in the long run. Let's not be short-sighted again and think that returning to business as usual is the way to go.
This column is written weeks before the ABC Show actually begins, and before the September issue is distributed. Watch for my November column after the show, so I can say how right I was with my predictions ... or maybe not!
Here's hoping you are greening up!
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