march

By Rieva Lesonsky

 

A few weeks ago we looked at trendy apparel trends. One of the most popular segments in that category is fashion accessories. Sales are soaring, especially online. In 2016, retail e-commerce revenues from apparel and accessories sales amounted to $72.13 billion and are projected to increase to $116.3 billion in 2021, according to Statista. In 2017, online fashion sales accounted for 19.8% of total retail e-commerce sales in the U.S.

Trends change quickly, so it’s imperative retailers and e-tailers keep up. Sometimes the most popular accessories are brand new, innovative products, while other times they’re updated versions of classical fashions.

Sunglasses

Take cat-eye glasses, for example. These frames first soared to popularity in the 1950s, courtesy of movie legends like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. PopSugar says cat-eye sunglasses are once again in demand. Especially in bold colors, like these, which are include in the special promotions being offered during March Expo.

PopSugar says tinted lenses are also popular right now. There are several styles of sunglasses with tinted lenses offering March Expo deals. These frames are available with blue, brown, green, red or smoke lenses. Or take a look at these with mirrored lenses that come in tints of blue, green, purple, red and yellow.

Hair accessories

Fabric hair ties that don’t cause creases in the hair have been incredibly popular for several years now and the demand is not slowing down. Check these out—they’re available in a broad array of colors and patterns. And they’re small enough that hair salons, or even individual stylists could sell them to their clients without losing precious floor space.

Also stretchy, wide, fabric hairbands are making a comeback. First popularized in the 90s, hairbands like these are sure to appeal to women of all ages. And check out these in a summer-friendly pineapple print.

Plastic hair claw clips have experienced a love/hate relationship with style magazines for years. Apparently they’re back on the hit list (though most women never gave up on them—I know I still use them). These clips come in several neutral colors. The same supplier, CarrieBlue, also makes these more boldly colored hair clips.

Bags

According to The TrendSpotter newsletter, straw bags will be a big hit this summer (I know I want one), so if you sell accessories, you’d be smart to stock up now during March Expo. These are perfect for the beach, while this round bag and this striped one can be used for all occasions.

In fact, there are a lot of great-looking, versatile straw bags available on Alibaba.com and on the mobile app. And the suppliers are participating (along with more than 58,000 other suppliers) in the March Expo promotions.

Take advantage of March Expo

All the suppliers mentioned in this article are participating in Alibaba.com’s month-long sale featuring many deals, promotions and discounts. To take advantage of the deals, check out the action on Alibaba.com and the Alibaba.com mobile app (sign up here) today through March 31.

One of the special incentives being offered during March Expo is 15% off LCL shipping (less than container load) from China to the U.S. It’s all part of Alibaba.com’s new logistics service, which lets small businesses take advantage of Alibaba.com’s existing infrastructure to save time, save money and simplify shipping.

Look into Alibaba.com’s Secure Payment services. Alibaba.com is also introducing a new T/T transaction service during March Expo. This service allows buyers making Trade Assurance orders to make initial payments into a U.S.-based Citibank account. Previously Trade Assurance orders were processed through a Hong Kong-based Citibank account. This speeds up processing time to 2 to 3 days from 3 to 7 days. It also reduces fees, on average, by $15.

Stay current on all the great opportunities at March Expo by following @AlibabaTalk and the #DiscoverNewMarch hashtag on social media.