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Swahili's September News
New developments and a look ahead to the holidays Sept. 2009
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Hello buyers!
For many of you, the summer months zipped by as you met a surprising increase in foot traffic to your stores. We were thrilled to see each of you who dropped by our booths in Los Angeles and New York, and we and our artisans are excited and heartened by the online orders that have flowed in this summer.
I want to catch you up on new developments here, so sit back, relax and read on.
- Darla
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 New Samples &
Arriving Shipments
In February, our fearless founder Leslie visited Senegal, South Africa and Mozambique to check in with our artisans and work on new designs.
Along with some new Kenyan products developed last November, Summer '09 samples hit the site on July 15 and were featured at the summer gift shows. Since many of you have now placed orders for new items and may be wondering when you can expect your purchases to be in stock, I've got the details for you below:
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Mozambique & South Africa
Expected Arrival: Early October 2009
We did something very exciting this time around and consolidated our orders from Mozambique and South Africa. Not only did this tedious maneuver allow us to ship an ENTIRE CONTAINER filled with southern African creations, but it also provided some greatly appreciated larger-than-usual orders for artisans in need of work.In Mozambique especially, where the baton has been passed from Aid to Artisans to a locally-staffed Mozambican artisan development center, a large order helps further cement positive relations between development personnel, artisans and international buyers like Swahili Imports. For you, a full container of these bestsellers means you can order with greater assurance that items will be in stock through the holiday season.
WEST AFRICA: SenegalExpected Arrival: November 2009 EAST AFRICA: Kenya
Expected arrival: End of September (if all goes well)
 Our Kenyan container may be in as early as the end of September, though we do reserve the right to be held up by Customs and the USDA for weeks on end. This container includes several great new recycled flip flop items and a beautiful line of un-dyed soapstone.A QUICK REMINDER ABOUT BACKORDERS:Now that you know when to expect arriving new items, please let us know if you need your backorders shipped together or as the items arrive. We want to do what works out best for you as you stage your store's inventory for fall and winter. |
 Where's Leslie off to now?
Leslie is currently planning her Fall trip
to Africa. She expects to:
Spend time with all of our dear old friends in Kenya
Drop in on a few producers in Tanzania
Possibly head over to Rwanda to work with a new group
We'll keep you posted once
the new designs start popping!
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What's new on the website?
Here are some new features we added recently to make shopping
at swahiliwholesale.com even faster and easier:
 View All
Do you like looking at a category's entire contents rather than clicking from page to page? Just click the View All link at the top of the listing!  Additional Images Easier to AccessAdditional views of a product used to roam around the bottom of the page mostly out of sight, so we created a sidebar that runs on the right hand side of a product's page. If an item has additional images, you can now access them easily.
 Additional Images in a LightboxInstead of having to click open each additional view of a product and then close the window before the next image will display, the site now has a lightbox feature that better displays these alternate views. The lightbox opens when you click on any of the additional images, and the effect is really nice!
A New Customer Care page + Drop ShippingWe've heard that there are several features of the site that some buyers aren't utilizing, simply because you don't know they are available. I updated the Customer Care page with info about how to utilize the features of our site to improve your shopping experience.
The Customer Care page now also includes a detailed list of the items we will drop ship, as well as the necessary forms to get set up on our Drop Shipping program.
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DID YOU KNOW...
That you can access your online order history by clicking the ACCOUNT link at the top of our site? You can view the status of your orders, print out inventory check-in sheets complete with product images and place reorders with the click of a button. Check out your ACCOUNT today!
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The Buzz About Shifting Consumer Values
We've heard several reports recently about the changing face of consumer values brought on by the economic recession. Consumers are increasingly attuned to supporting the brands that are
perceived as being honest, socially responsible, transparent, and
environmentally conscious, because that's where their values are
increasingly headed. The companies that deliver those values will
survive and thrive-no matter how challenging the economy and the
business environment are.
--Claire Ratushny, WriteStrategy.biz
More than ever, our African products conform to emerging shifts in consumer spending:
- Nearly all Swahili products are created with SUSTAINABILITY in mind. Recycled or renewable natural materials, fairly compensated "human-powered" production and modern, functional designs keep our products relevant and desirable
- Many of our handcrafted African products offer the increased VALUE that consumers are now seeking. Even with the increased cost of shipping and production in Africa, Swahili items offer the dual impact of reasonable prices and high quality craftsmanship.
- The Swahili mission centers on improving the lives of FAMILIES in Africa and increasing GLOBAL AWARENESS here in the States. When used to purchase Swahili products, American dollars contribute to improved diets and health, access to education and increased family stability in homes across Africa.
As you put together your product displays for the holidays, keep our fair trade products in mind. We're always glad to point you toward the items that best suit your customer's tastes.
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SURVIVOR SAVINGS ARE ON THEIR WAY BACK
Our little discount program was such a hit that we're going to bring it back for another round. Keep your eyes peeled for a 12-week run of great discounts starting Friday, September 18th. |
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Take
$10
off your
next order
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Share a few minutes of your time to help us improve
and take $10 off your next order at swahiliwholesale.com!
We strongly believe that your involvement is vital to our product design and our company's development. We created a short questionnaire to help us better understand where we should take the company in 2010 to better address your needs. After you've completed the questionnaire, your confirmation page
will include a coupon code for $10 off your next order.
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Swahili Imports, Inc. A Fair Trade Federation member
388 E 3rd Avenue Eugene, OR 97401 541-684-0688 www.swahiliwholesale.com
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