Souvenirs and giftware aren’t like most products. They sell to visitors, which makes the trade seasonal, regional and very dependent on having the right thing on the shelf at the right time. A range that flies out of a reef-side island shop can sit untouched in a country visitor centre.
That’s why a souvenir or gift brand is better off with an agent who knows tourism retail, not just a general sales rep.
What a specialist understands
- Seasons. Tourism retail runs on busy and quiet months, and stores need the right stock ordered ahead of their peak, not during it.
- Place. Visitors buy things that remind them of where they’ve been. A town or region name on a product often makes the sale.
- Small business. Most tourism retailers are small, owner-run shops. Margins, minimum orders, cash flow and shelf space all matter to them.
- Every kind of store. Souvenirs don’t only sell in gift shops. Among my own stockists, pharmacies and newsagencies outnumber gift shops.
Where that knowledge comes from
I’ve worked in this trade since joining my family’s Rose Stereograph business full-time in 1979. I’ve been a sales rep, a photographer, a general manager and a company director, and I’ve travelled to every Australian state calling on retailers. The family business goes back to the Rose Series photographs and postcards of 1880, so destination products are in my blood. You can read the Rose Stereograph history and my own story.
Over the years my customers have included newsagencies, convenience stores and supermarkets, visitor information centres, shops at tourist attractions and specialist independent retailers. Today I supply 227 stockists across 132 towns and suburbs, and you can see them all on the stockist map.
Seeing it from both sides
I’ve seen tourism products from both sides: as part of a wholesaler choosing and producing ranges, including 49 sourcing trips to China, and as the person presenting them to shop owners. That helps me judge where a range will sell and how to present it so a buyer says yes.
If you run a store
Everything above is just as useful if you’re on the buying side. If you run a shop in a tourist town, I can help you choose souvenirs and gifts that suit your customers, your season and your shelf space, without overcommitting.
Book a visit, ask for range advice or see the products I can bring you.
If you’ve got a range
Send me the categories, wholesale and recommended retail pricing, minimum orders and where your stock is held. I’ll tell you honestly whether it suits the stores I work with.
See how representation works, or get in touch about your range.