Home / June 2008 Archive
Spotting Fraud Before It Bites You In The Margin
Fraud hurts. It hurts the victim and it hurts the retailer. Investing in expensive software can help prevent credit card fraud, but simple rules of thumb are free and can make a difference as well.
- Most fraud occurs on orders with values over $300.
- Most fraud occurs for items with high “street value”, such as digital cameras, MP3 players, metal detectors, and GPS devices.
- Different ship to/bill to addresses, specifically with different last names.
- CVV (Card Verification Value) failure.
- AVS (Address Verification System) failure. Typos happen, so watch for scenarios where BOTH the zip code and the shipping address have errors.
- Free email accounts, specifically Hotmail and Yahoo, with different names than are on the bill to address.
- Orders that include multiple identical items.
- Express shipping to popular gateway ports to South America and the Caribbean, including New York; Doral, Hialeah, and NW Miami, FL; and El Paso, Laredo, and Brownsville, TX.
- Phone numbers where the area code does not match the bill to address.
Obviously none of the above points are conclusive. Be careful not to offend customers, but watch your orders and try to avoid credit card fraud before it bites you in the margin.
What’s Hot At ProductBlazer This Week
ProductBlazer tracks detailed search and usage data for thousands of independent retailers every month. We keep this data tightly sealed, away from prying eyes. We do however aggregate this usage information into interesting and actionable information about what independent retailers are thinking about. In this post you’ll find a summary of some of the fastest growing search queries on the ProductBlazer network this week.
| 1. french | 2. as seen on tv | 3. boston |
| 4. los angeles | 5. japanese | 6. recessed |
| 7. eyewear | 8. wedding favors | 9. baby furniture |
| 10. jeans | 11. unique products | 12. cosmetics |
| 13. safety | 14. france | 15. astronomy |
| 16. monogrammed | 17. garden decoration |
18. dress |
| 19. beads | 20. garden decor | 21. cocoa |
| 22. europe | 23. maternity | 24. purses |
| 25. blanket | 26. halloween | 27. office supplies |
| 28. ceramic | 29. Pets | 30. security |
Offer your Customers The Hottest Styles for Maternity Swimwear!
Gone are the days of the lone, plain, tank-style maternity swimsuit- which means great news for both moms-to-be, and also retailers specializing in maternity swimwear! The boring and unflattering maternity swimsuits from years ago have evolved into much more sophisticated, stylish, even sexy garments. With the extensive selection possible, it is an ideal time for clothing retailers to specialize in this particular market.
Maternity swimwear has evolved to be just as accommodating and flattering to body types and personal preference as non-maternity swimwear. Just as with the non-maternity swimwear, women’s maternity suits are now designed to hide problem areas, and enhance your best assets. Be sure to stock up on a variety of the hottest new styles to make the most of your product selection. Some great choices to consider are:
Skirted- skirted swimsuits are ideal for covering troublesome hip/thigh areas. They are a popular choice for those women who are particularly conscious of that “little bit extra” they might be carrying in that region due to their pregnancy.
Flowing- often fit into the “skirted” category, but with even more material and coverage, sometimes extending over the bust. These suits are often “goddess-like” in style, and are very flattering.
Strapless- a bold choice for women who are a little bit more daring. Strapless suits also serve to enhance the bust, which is most often a great asset on a pregnant woman, so it’s a great time to play them up!
Tankini- a two piece suit that provides more coverage than a bikini. This tank style is a bit more updated than the one piece basic tank look.
Bikini- for the daring mom-to-be who is comfortable showing off her belly and a little more skin. There are many variations on the bikini available- bandeau tops, skirted bottoms, etc.
Don’t forget to stock up on a variety of sarongs. Sarongs make great quick cover-ups, are easy to use (even past pregnancy) and are very stylish. They are versatile, and well-appreciated by women of all body type.
When building your maternity swimwear collection, be sure to include not only these basic styles, but also work in various patterns and colors to suit a variety of tastes. You might also want to consider suits that are textured, that have embellishments, or features such as ruching for a sophisticated and flattering look.
With summer being near, so is the rush to find “the” ideal swimsuit. Spring is the perfect time to be building and promoting your line of maternity swimwear. Mother’s Day might even serve as the ideal time to promote your hot swimwear line for all those moms-to-be!
