by Christina Lee on July 15th, 2009
As various companies and one recent study shows, China may soon rise to become one of the top markets for cosmetics and toiletries in the world.
RNCOS, an India-based market research firm, estimated that China’s cosmetics and toiletry market rose to an estimated $16.9 billion in 2008, as the country’s GDP soared. With such growth in consideration, the firm expects the market’s value to surpass $28 billion by 2012.
Color cosmetics and men’s fragrances have all taken off in China over the past year. Increased spending, driven by more disposable income and awareness of such products, have in turn called... Read more »
by Christina Lee on July 15th, 2009
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that wholesale prices rose higher in June than predicted by economists, to the highest level seen in nearly two years.
After incremental increases in April and May, wholesale prices – as measured by the producer price index – rose by 1.8 percent, or twice as high as expected. Just as seen in November 2007, when wholesale prices rose by 3.2 percent, rising energy costs made up most of this increase. Gasoline prices alone rose by 18.5 percent last month.
But, without the consideration of food and energy costs, wholesale prices would have increased by... Read more »
by Christina Lee on April 1st, 2009
Color authority Pantone released today a set of eight color palettes to define next year’s winter season. The theme: “Mosaic.”
“In this current retail climate, thoughtful and creative uses of color are that much more important,” said Laura Pressman, vice president of fashion, home and interiors, in a statement.
These colors palettes are meant for women’s wear, menswear, active wear, cosmetics, lifestyle, industrial design and graphics.
Furthermore the colors featured in its View Colour Planner should look really familiar. Inspiration stems from surrounding environments, be it the ground below or the sky above, if not ourselves:
To create an Urban... Read more »
by Christina Lee on March 15th, 2009
Examine some of the most popular purchases in today’s retailing environment, and you may discover a common thread between them all.
They are what the industry is calling small indulgences, or even little luxuries that consumers are also refusing to give up. They offer high quality without a heavy price, while also a small dose of relief for today’s more stressed-out consumer.
Chocolate
Premium chocolate manufacturer Ghirardelli actually expects 2009 sales to exceed that of 2009, as reported by USA Today. Meanwhile, Cadbury and Nestle saw revenue increase by 7 percent or higher last month.
“Chocolate does fine in a... Read more »
by Christina Lee on January 9th, 2009
Despite the enthusiasm of their manufacturers, consumers are still not buying into organic health and beauty care products, a study says.
TABS Group surveyed 1,000 consumers to find what they call a “significant gap between hype and reality of consumer purchase behavior” regarding organic products, including food as well as health and beauty care products.
Less than 40 percent of them purchased from major organic categories over the last six months, according to Kurt Jetta, TABS Group’s president and founder.
Consumers were most likely to purchase organic fresh fruit and vegetables. On the other hand, they were only 5 percent... Read more »