Reliable exporters: find them and meet them

When ordinary home products are integrated with innovative designs and smart technology, what chemistry can one expect?

Global Sources Gifts & Home show spring edition kicked off on April 18 at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo. What it brings to us is a feast of innovative home products filled with fun and imagination. The show runs until April 21, with a focus on gifts, premiums and home products from Verified Suppliers coming from the Greater China and across Asia. 

Coolest products picked at Cool Design Gallery

The show features exhibitors showcasing all sorts of innovative home products, delivering wave upon wave of surprises for visitors of the show.

Global Sources Gifts & Home show: gives future lifestyle infinite possibility

Paper chairs and vases, negative ion-emitting glasses, panda-shaped eye protection reading lamps… these home products, infused with new designs and smart elements, are on display at Global Sources Gifts & Home show and reveal infinite imagination about what our future lifestyle may look like. 

Apart from booths with featured designs, the show also set up a Cool Design Gallery which showcases the works of finalists and winners of the Cool Design Awards. Following the successful inaugural edition in October 2017, Cool Design Awards recognizes gifts and home products with innovative designs and functions. The panel of judges includes representatives from leading international brands Artsana Group, Coppel and Universal Direct.

This spring show also picked up innovative and functional gifts and home products while recognizing these products at the award presentation ceremony. A new twist this year was a welcome commentary on hot products, show visitors chose the winning products. 

According to Cameron Walker, President of Global Sources Gifts, Home and Hardware Group, the Awards aim to endorse winning products with unique and innovative designs. The reason to let buyers select the winners is because buyers know their own demands well. What they choose is more representative of consumers’ preferences. The winning products include solar cookers, inflatable travel pillows, a bladed camper knife, bear-shaped reading lamps, neck and shoulder massagers, whale-like toilets, ultrasonic anti-snoring devices, hourglass-shaped Bluetooth speakers, Mason jar compact container and more. 

Multiple highlights at the newly upgraded Lifestyle show

There are a number of new highlights at the show, with pavilions dedicated for specific product categories and market trends to make the show more appealing. 

For example, Design Corner showcases products with innovative designs from exhibitors, independent designers and rising design companies; Hot Product Demo Zone includes live demonstrations hosted by social media influencers of cutting edge products from exhibitors; New Sourcing Markets Pavilion showcases new and unique products from emerging Asian sourcing markets including Vietnam, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Laos and Cambodia.

There are also Color Trends Area and Conferences offering a glimpse into the latest market trends. In cooperation with Pantone, global authority of colors, Color Trends Area features the hot hues in home products for the coming season. Conferences feature industry experts offering advice on topics including Smart Sourcing and Manufacturing, Design Strategy and Online Retail 101. 

Walker shared that Global Sources Gifts & Home show attracted buyers from all over the world. Through carefully designed pavilions and product zones, attendees can expect to find products to satisfy consumers’ needs and technology that will change their lives for the better. Buyers can also stay ahead of market trends and gain inspiration for sourcing next season.

Another highlight Walker mentioned is Global Sources Gifts & Home show will be re-branded as Global Sources Lifestyle show this fall. The show will be held from Oct. 27 to 30, 2018 and will include a wider range of cool products under the new title.

Embrace the era of eCommerce; tailor-made service for online retailers

“eCommerce really changed this industry,” said Walker with a sigh in the interview. 

In the old days with no eCommerce, trade shows assumed a big role in various aspects. Alongside the rapid development observed in eCommerce, many functions of trade shows are being replaced. Facing such a trend, as a B2B integrated platform, how does Global Sources tackle with these changes?

Walker described it as a learning process. At present, Global Sources is actively embracing the coming of eCommerce era. This show has offered comprehensive services for big retailers and wholesalers. A wide range of services will help enhance the buying experience of online and Amazon sellers and source more efficiently. This includes products from verified suppliers and more than 300 exhibitors that accept small orders, a conference program featuring online retail experts, as well as the three-day Global Sources Summit. Voted Best Amazon Conference at Seller Awards 2017, the summit aims to teach intermediate and advanced Amazon and e-commerce sellers how to source from Asia more effectively, and sell online more profitably.