Google Merchant Center is an offshoot, an improved version of Google Base:

“Google Merchant Center is a new service that makes it easy to upload and manage the Product listings you want to appear in Google Product Search, AdWords, and other Google properties. Previously, you may have used Google Base to upload and manage Product listings. Google Base is still available for other types of structured content, but the Google Merchant Center provides a better, optimized experience specifically for merchants. The Merchant Center is where we’ll continue adding features and improving the tools for uploading and managing product listings”

Actionjetz has taken advantage of this channel by uploading all its seven (7) mini jets – all diecast toy airplanes made for kids and miniature toy collectors. All items are packaged with a secret code card which kids can use to log onto the World of Actionjetz. This is the virtual, gaming world of the company. Only fun, educational, kid and parent-friendly airplanes games are being pubslished. This is one of the reason why Actionjetz is the preferred brand of toy retailers in the US.

Google Search Listings display the following items from Actionjetz:

• HH-60D Nighthawk
• F-117 Nighthawk
• F-14 Tomcat
• F-18 Blue Angel
• F-16 Thunderbird
• A-10 Thunderbolt
• SR-71 Blackbird

All items are in best condition – all are brand new. Sizes are about 3-6 inches small. The model toy airplanes can be ordered per piece, or in bulk for toy retailers and suppliers.For more information about becoming a reseller, just email the team at dealer@actionjetz.com

For per piece shopping, visit: Actionjetz’ online shop

If you run a toy shop or a similar business that carries flying toys, you know that your company’s profits depend on a selection of great toys, supplies and accessories. To maintain an inventory of fun and functional toy airplanes and rockets, it’s essential to have the right types of accessories and supplies on hand. A great selection of model airplane supplies will ensure that you meet every customer’s expectations.

When searching for supplies for toy airplanes, it’s important to know just what you’re looking for. Toy planes should be coupled with the right flight accessories, paints and tools. When choosing model airplanes supplies, remember two (2) things:

1. Model airplane kits need flight accessories and supplies to be complete.

2. It’s important to keep paints and tools on hand for model airplanes.

Action Steps
Get the best contacts and resources to help you get it done.
Diecastairplanetoys.com combines physical model airplane toys with a virtual world where kids can play safe, fun, educational online airplane games at Actionjetz.com

Gather toy aircraft supplies to complete your flying toy product selection

Whether you choose to sell single toy airplanes or model airplane kits, supplies and accessories will make useful additions to your business inventory. These aircraft supplies include items needed for successful flight and allow your customers to get the most out of their model plane.

As a business owner, you may have customers who wish to build their own model airplanes and rockets. It’s important to have an inventory of paint and other supplies for toy airplanes and rockets on hand that cater to this specific type of clientele.

Source: http://www.business.com

The economy is but one of the stories that has affected the diecast airplane model industry in 2009. It’s been a busy year, with some good, some bad, and some ugly. So without further ado, here are this year’s Top 10 newsmakers for the diecast retailer, not necessarily ranked in order of relevance:

1. The economy: Not that this needs a lot of reporting, because we’re all living through it. The economic slowdown late 2008 became a full-fledged recession in 2009, with small retail bearing the brunt of consumers’ diminished spending habits.

The retail hobby business fared fairly well through the first quarter of 2009, with dealers tightening their inventories and consumers still buying. Many dealers reported a slowdown in the late spring which continued through the summer. Also reported was a shift away from high-ticket items to accessories and items at lower price points. Several retailers have reported the holiday season to be off to a slow start, but are hopeful sales will rally closer to Christmas.

2. China slowdown: Problems with China’s toy industry have been brewing since 2007 when it was hit by a massive recall. Add in changes in labor laws, increased environmental scrutiny, and compound it all with the global economic downturn. The result has been closed factories and delays in deliveries of new products. Production backups at firms like model railroad manufacturer Sanda Kan has been especially vexing for U.S. manufacturers. Also playing a role in the unpredictability of when a new product will be available is the overseas shipping industry, another business hard-hit by the economy.

3. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA): Signed into law in August 2008, the law went into effect in February, 2009, catching many companies flat-footed and making them scramble to meet its mandates. Intended to prevent the problems that caused the massive toy recalls of 2007, it set new lead and other chemical testing and documentation requirements on toys and products consumers – primarily children 12 and younger – might come into contact with.

Many companies in the hobby industry were forced to relabel products to skirt the age requirements of the new law. In the broader toy industry, many items, including apparel, bedding and books could not be sold and had to be destroyed. Numerous small companies have gone out of business. One poll put the cost of the CPSIA at $2 billion to the toy industry.

Ironically, the large toy companies whose recalled products brought about the law suffered least. Almost a year later, there are still reports of toys sneaking onto store shelves that don’t meet the law’s requirements.

4. Märklin insolvency: Talk about bad timing: on the eve of the Nuremberg Spielwarenmesse Toy Fair that was largely going to be a 150th birthday party for Märklin, the German train manufacturer-which also owns LGB – declared bankruptcy. The unfortunate event cast a pall over the show, but receiver Michael Pluta did make an appearance to answer questions.

In the bigger picture, new product development for the company has slowed, as have exports of Märklin and LGB products to North America market. Perhaps the most visible impact has been on the U.S. large-scale segment.

After putting together a reorganization plan, potential buyers have been identified and and the sale of the company could happen this spring.

5. More German insolvencies: Märklin wasn’t the only German model railroad manufacturer to reorganize in 2009. Fleischmann also entered bankruptcy and is in the process of restructuring. Another casualty of the economy and slumping European train sales has been building and scenery manufacturer Faller, which, like the other companies, has seen a significant portion of its workforce slashed to stay alive.

6. Hobby trade shows: It was a mixed bag in 2009, with the economy playing the biggest role in the drop in attendance. Retailer numbers were reported up 10% at the National Retail Hobby Store Association’s Table Top Expo in Las Vegas, however, exhibitors were down. After selling out of booth space early for the 2008 iHobby Expo, 2009 saw about 25 fewer exhibitors, with dealer attendance comparable to the previous year. The bright spot? iHobby Expo drew more than 20,000 consumers, eclipsing 2008’s numbers by more than 5,000.

7. Train shows doing well: The January World’s Greatest Hobby show in Philadelphia in drew possibly the largest crowd ever to attend a model train show in the U.S.: just over 40,000 in two days. Almost 25,000 attended the first day, causing a 5-mile backup on the route to the show.

The WGH shows continue to average about 25,000 people per event. Additionally, individual shows like Trainfest in Milwaukee continue strong. This year’s event in the Brew City drew more than 21,000. Model railroading is dying? Hardly.

8. Amazon.com: This is a story that’s going to be making news for some time to come. The late summer brought rumblings the massive e-tailer was looking to expand its hobby offerings; the fall brought confirmation from the company itself: Among the hobbies represented are coin collecting, die-cast, hobby tools, models, radio control, rockets, science, sports trading cards, stamp collecting, games and model railroading.

9. R/C explores new marketing channels: There is no denying that R/C, overall, has been down for the last year. As hobbyists held on to dollars, R/C companies looked to utilize their marketing dollars outside the traditional hobby channels to reach a wider audience.

One of the biggest players in this movement was Traxxas, which not only penned a deal with Pep Boys to sell products in its stores, but also landed top billing for the Off-Road Championship series. A coalition of respected names in R/C, which includes Tamiya, Kyosho and HPI Racing, formed the R/C Motorsport Experience and exhibited at the Toyota Grand Prix in Long Beach, Calif., this past year. That show alone exposed the R/C hobby to 180,000 visitors over three days. Only time will tell whether this new marketing approach will build a broader R/C audience.

10. Fantasy leads plastic model resurgence: According to manufacturers, distributors and retailers, plastic models have been selling well even with a recession on. What has been a surprise is the banner year that fantasy and sci-fi plastic models have had.

Moebius Models, building on its Aurora repops, has made licensing agreements with Marvel Comics, DC, and Universal Studios, and is producing kits as fast as it can. Meanwhile, Round 2 is rereleasing many old Polar Lights kits and making new molds for its Star Trek license. Even Revell has thrown its hat into the ring, repopping its own classic Aurora monsters and Babylon 5 kits, along with continuing its partnership with the Star Wars franchise.

The other important factor in the success of these types of kits has been price. There have always been sci-fi and fantasy model makers, but the kits are often expensive and not widely available except to those in the know. Recent releases have been accessible, priced right, and some are targeted at novices or youngsters, which doesn’t hurt.

All of this in the face of increased production and shipping costs is a testament to the resiliency of plastic models. The buying public has proven to be open to products that are new, different and eye-catching.

Source: modelretailer.com

Model cars, airplanes, military vehicles and trains have probably been in every boys (and girls) toybox at some point.

These toys have flown under the radar for years but they are still out there.  Everything from model A cars to Boeing 757’s are ready for glue, paint and a lot of patience.  Not all models are difficult to build.  They offer every line of models in differing skill levels. Revell is and has been the industry leader in plastic model vehicles.  I pictured this diecast version as it is my favorite car of all time.  Diecast are hard metal and usually require nothing as its already put together and ready to be played with.  There are a myriad of sites on the net to buy diecast.  However I want to stress the fun factor involved in constructing the car from scratch.  A plastic version was purchased at the Hickory Hobby Lobby.   They have a wide selection of model of not only cars but all aforementioned vehicles.

This is a fabulous and relatively inexpensive hobby to begin your little one with.  Not only does it teach hand eye coordination, but due to the intense attention that needs to be paid it teaches patience too.  Not every plastic car will be the same.  Some may want to use the decals that come with the car, some may want to paint it purple with pink polka dots.  It doesn’t matter as your child’s only limits are his/her imagination.

This hobby also can aid in parental interaction other than tossing the remote.  The two of you could construct your model together which affords immeasurable bonding time.  If you have never pondered this activity, give your local Hobby Lobby or Micheal’s a visit and pick one up.  Who knows you may actually enjoy it too. If you turn out to like it and want a real challenge they offer hard skill levels for you to complete as well.  Think of this like putting together a puzzle, but when you are done you can actually play with it.

Parenting has been a major factor for Actionjetz – a brand by RBI Toys Motormax, to develop kid-friendly and parent-friendly diecast airplane toy models. The online virtual world for children encourages parent participation so they can interact with their kids online. The diecast airplane toys come with game cards that allow a child to access the online gaming world of Actionjetz.

The diecast model industry is now moving from the collector’s type, into the interactive sort to benefit people of all ages.

For more information on dealership, sales, or any inquiry: email us at dealer@actionjetz.com

Diecast Airplane Toys.com is giving away ten airplane toys for this year’s holiday celebration. As an airplane toy supplier for Actionjetz, the online airplane game company is launching the Top Pilots Contest. On December 1, 2009, Actionjetz is resetting all airplane game scores to zero. Now by Dece,ber 21, they will be announcing the winning Top ten Pilot Scorers. That means that there will be ten diecast airplane toys to be given away as prizes to the winning kid game players.

The mechanics of the Top Pilot Contest is as follows:

1. You must be a registered ActionJetz user. If not, register here.

2. You can only use one account for your contest entry.

3. You can play all the games. Scores from each game you played will be added up.

4. We will announce the winners by December 21, 2009 in the official Actionjetz Blog

5. Winners will also be informed via email.

This is a grand opportunity for both parents and kids to experience fun, educational games, with lots of bonding time between parent and kid. This is also a chance for retailers to take advantage of promoting the Actionjetz toys in their shop. Once a customer purchased a toy that comes with a secret code card, he is able to log in free to access all the exclusive online games in the World of Actionjetz. Exclusive to member games have higher points, thus giving you a chance to be the Top Pilot!

To know more about our line of diecast airplane toys, log on to www.diecastairplanetoys.com . The airplane toy supplier provides free shipping to interested first-time retailers. All toys are manufactured by the popular MotorMax toy brand.

For more information, contact us at dealer@actionjetz.com or call Modelworks Philippines (02) 403.18.58.

To avail of the free shipping promo, use Promo Code: JETSTAR in your email.

The study found that 61 percent of consumers polled would use online research as the primary means of researching their purchases and that “overall value for the price” and “special sale price” would be the top two influencers as to where they shopped.

According to the study, 45 percent of respondents to NPD’s Annual Holiday Survey 2009 said they were comparison shop before they buy, which is a five year high for the survey,  37 percent said they planned to buy “all” of their holiday gifts on sale; and 35 percent said they would use ads or circulars to guide their shopping.

Only 5 percent of shoppers said they would begin their holiday shopping “last minute.”

NPD’s previous survey of holiday shoppers found that 30 percent said they “plan to spend less” this holiday season than in years past.

“All of our indications suggest that consumers will shop, but be more cautious in their approach,” said Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief industry analyst. “The study’s results show consumers will be doing their homework a bit more carefully this year.”

For your shopping needs, choose convenience and value for money. Shop online through our easy step-by-step and secured ordering system. You can select the best die-cast airplane toys for kids that are both fun and educational. Each toy comes with a code card that allows kids to play safe and fun games online at Actionjetz.com

Best toys: Another useful tool for the sales tool box

Do best toys list help sell toys? Nancy Stanek, the owner of the Toys Etcetera stores in Chicago and Evanston, III pointed out that, “Best toy lists can be very useful sales tool for speciality retailers”. So if you are running a diecast airplane toys store, this list will guide shoppers in picking the best items. Nancy says that, “A good percentage of our shoppers walk through our door because they know they can get reliable , knowledgeable help in choosing toys – something they won’t find at big box stores. So they are willing to hear suggestions, and if the toy has the so-called endorsement effect of appearing on a list, it’s much easier to close the sale.”

In a year when all toy retailers need to deploy all the traffic-generating, revenue-enhancing strategies they have available, be sure to add the appropriate “best toys” lists to your store’s “best tools” list for the upcoming holiday season. The season is about selling, and whatever best toys list you use, watch it liven up your sales pitch, build your staff’s confidence, and rev up sales.

Tips in using Best Toys List to support the Holiday sales:

• Focus on a list or two that best fits your store’s positioning in your local marketplace. The Toy of the Year awards, a program of the Toy Industry Association, and Family Fun’s Top Ten Toys, for example, feature primarily mass market toys made by large manufacturers. This type of “best list” is largely irrelevant for a small independent store, points out Stanek. More appropriate is a list that features specialty toys exclusively, like the Actionjetz’ Best Airplane Toys for Kids list. “Independent retailers tend to eschew all the electronic gizmo razzmatazz that you find in many mass market toys,” says Stanek. “We’re more interested in what the child can do than in what the toy can do, and we need a list that reflects that.”

• Showcase the toys on the list in a special display. Draw attention to the “best toys” by creating a special display that shoppers can identify quickly. If shoppers have heard about the list through your advertising, on your website, in newspaper articles, or through Mommy blogs, make it easy and obvious for them to find what they came for. Designing an attractive banner of airplane toy models is truly enticing to the young boys, plus a big help for parents in choosing gift toys.

• Use your “best toys” display as an active sales tool. Organize your “best toys” area so it gives shoppers a framework for thinking about what they want in a toy. Consider signage that introduces the concept of different types of play and a “balanced toy box”—one that promotes learning through play in all major developmental areas (cognitive and language, imaginative, social and emotional, physical, and fine motor). Label the types of toys in a way that mirrors the organization of the store as a whole, so shoppers easily can find other toys in the same category. Organize according to war planes, to freight-used diecast airplanes, etc.  Use the display to start conversations with undecided shoppers.

• Urge seasonal staff to master the toys on your “best list” first—and thoroughly. The “best toys” are a great base for building the confidence of your less experienced, temporary staff. It gives them an easy way to approach customers or to answer questions authoritatively. All staff can always feel good about recommending a “best toys” product.

• Tell customers why you prefer this “best toys” list over others—whether they ask or not. Specialty retailers are experts. It’s a big part of your competitive positioning. Your customers have been reading about “best toys” lists in parenting magazines, online, and anywhere else they get parenting information. Assume they know about all the other lists. You are the person in your community who knows probably more about toys than anyone else, so share your expertise and state succinctly why you prefer the list or lists you feature in your store.  Watch kids play in your store six or seven days a week before you choose the toys. Talk with mothers and fathers and grandparents and teachers six or seven days a week. Show you care about kids and about toys with high play values. Use this list because it’s the most in touch with real kids and real families, and it’s the most national.”

• Make “best toys” available for kids to play with. Nothing sells a toy like seeing a child fall in love with it. “If you’re using best toys list, these toys have proved to be engaging for kids in stores around the country or they wouldn’t be on the list,” Stanek says. “Chances are they will attract kids in your store, too. So put them out and let them sell themselves.”

• Do some local publicity about the list to help draw attention and traffic to your store. Reporters are always looking for good stories, and the holidays are no different. Stories about toys have a special appeal during the holiday season, and the “top tips” and “best lists” genre is always in style. As a toy expert—and perhaps the person in the community with the most expertise about toys—reach out to local journalists who cover family, entertainment, lifestyle, or educational issues. Offer to help the reporter walk through your “best toys” and why each is considered a great toy. You’ll get a mention of your store, positioning of yourself as a local toy expert, and traffic to the store to see the toys. Actionjetz provides a template press release about its Best Toys for Kids list to its member retailers every year and other organizations may have something similar available about their lists.

• Don’t forget to put the list on your website and in your newsletter! Whatever you are doing to reach out to your customer base this holiday season, suggests Stanek, include your “best airplane toys” list. Busy as you are during the season, it’s a quick and easy way to get concrete suggestions out there to your customers and prospects—and hopefully entice them into the store.

Actionjetz Diecast Airplane Toys are miniature diecast airplanes fir for kids. Each toy jet comes with a secret code card that serves as the kids’ access to the fun and educational online virtual world of Actionjetz.

Article source: Playthings.com

Actionjetz has launched its first ever dealer shop site – diecastairplanetoys.com, to serve more toy retailers and dealers around the globe. This is in connection with their active partnership with RBI Toys.

The website is highly optimized for users. It features three ways on how to connect with its sales group when making an order, or simply giving an inquiry. It allows retailers to get in touch with them via phone, email, and chat. It has a dedicated group of customer service representatives ready to take any call, or chat messages anytime 24/7.

Diecastairplanetoys.com shows its line of airplane toy products up front once a user lands on the site. Each product link takes you to the individual product page where one can find out about its toy features, dimensions, and availability. Fast, and easy ways to inquire about each airplane toy model are provided in every page.

Today, the company is launching the dealer site with the latest freebies and promos. It guarantees the first 20 inquirers to receive a money-saving discount voucher for the orders placed online. The website wants to boost this industry by helping out small-to-medium enterprises to sell profitably its quality line of diecast airplane toys. Those who are serious about the dealership gets to receive a free sample toy, free of shipping fees as well.

The popular airplane toy model company is a supplier of diecast airplane toys for kids. They are packaging their products with a game card that provides a secret code. This code enables kids to have access to the online virtual world of Actionjetz. The online virtual gaming site features fun, educational airplane games fit for school-age kids. It is also parent-friendly as it provides a section for parents to join their kids in playing the airplane games.

Just recently, the company was invited to participate in the October 2009 Fall Toy Preview in Dallas, USA. The brand was able to showcase its line of diecast airplane toys to various diecast toy retailers, even the collector’s section of the industry.