Quench September 2013

Rolling Into the Season: The Fourth Quarter is Upon Us

For me, the start of another school year heralds the start of the end of the year. Now, I don’t mean to rush things, but once the kids get back to school, it seems as if the ball is quickly rolling toward Halloween, and I barely get to pack away the costumes before I’m

rolling uncontrollably into the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Whether you like to get a head start marketing and selling for the holiday season as soon as possible, or take a gentler approach and wait to play the Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, the fourth quarter still remains your most important quarter of the year.

The National Retail Federation suggests this holiday season will be marked by cautious optimism in which consumers will make purchasing decisions with

a more frugal outlook. In a recent blog post on the National Retail Federation website, Pam Goodfellow, director of Prosper Insights & Analytics Consumer Insights, notes, “Given consumers’ continued concerns with their macro and micro environment, I think we’ll see shoppers this fall – and into the holiday season – continue to keep an eye out for promotions and make thoughtful, targeted purchases that keep them in line with their budgets.”

With our eyes on the holiday season, this issue of Quench brings you a collection of articles focused on helping ensure fourth-quarter success. We highlight the holidays and take a look at how to maximize your potential for sales. From unique gifts for coffee, tea, wine and beer lovers to tips from experts on how to best merchandise the season, we’ll give you insight on how to make the most of the season.

And, if you’re not quite ready for the holidays, this issue will also provide you with insight into the dairy and dairy- alternatives category, along with an informative piece about Finum, a brand that includes a product range of stylish and high-quality drinkware in combination with unique filtering components for both tea and coffee.

While we still have a few weeks before the official start of the fourth quarter, here’s wishing you success in the holiday season!

Laura Everage 

Managing Editor Gourmet Business Quench 

leverage@gourmetbusiness.com