At Europe’s leading order fair for promotional goods and imported articles, buyers from all retail sectors will find inexpensive goods for the coming season

With the Best Deals in Retail, the 35th IAW trade fair awaits its visitors in Cologne. From September 5 to 7, 2023, around 300 exhibitors from more than 20 countries will bring fresh ideas to exhibition halls 6 and 9, where buyers will find around 30,000 m² of goods for the coming season and the upcoming Christmas business. The broad spectrum ranges from household goods and drugstore items as well as DIY supplies, fashion and home accessories to garden, leisure and electrical goods.

Inflation leads to action-driven consumption
Europe’s leading sourcing and order fair for promotional goods offers exactly what retailers need now and what they can use to inspire their customers. According to a survey by the Cologne Institute for Retail Research (IFH), the persistently high price level is leading to very targeted and promotion-driven purchasing behavior: Around two thirds of respondents are paying more attention to special offers, and more than half are foregoing expensive branded products. Almost 50 percent are prepared to switch suppliers if they find better offers elsewhere.

Hub for bestsellers and impulse items
Its diversity makes the IAW a hub for bestsellers and impulse items: Over 6,000 buyers from all retail sectors from almost 80 countries take the opportunity to place their orders for fall and winter at low prices and get inspired. With its 15 product categories, the IAW covers almost the entire spectrum of the retail trade.

Thinking outside the box
The IAW not only serves the major retail segments, but also provides space for interesting niches. This allows retailers to think outside the box – and gives them the opportunity to expand their range with new and profitable product ideas. Whether it’s popular trend articles, inexpensive sales drivers and fast-moving items or surprising products from almost every sector – almost everything is available for immediate delivery.

Attractive supporting program
An attractive supporting program at congress level also offers many opportunities for effective networking and provides an outlook on the future of retail – whether stationary or online. In the E-Commerce Arena, which is organized in cooperation with Restposten.de, visitors and exhibitors will learn all kinds of interesting facts about online retail on the first two days of the trade fair. Top speakers such as Rouben Jahimi on topics such as the generative power of artificial intelligence and Annemarie Raluca Schuster on performance optimization at Amazon will be presenting. Right next door is the “e-commerce quarter”, where system and service providers for digital commerce will present themselves in compact form. The zentrada Forum on the second day of the trade fair will be held under the motto ‘Successful trading between inflation, margin pressure and recession’. Martina Schimmel and other experts will shed light on the current retail environment from the perspectives of strategy, sales and purchasing.

Signs point to an upswing
The signs were already pointing to an upswing at the spring edition: with a 12 percent increase in exhibitors compared to the last fall fair, the planned exhibition space was fully booked. A good 50 suppliers were at the start for the first time and brought new impetus into play. There was also a high level of internationality among the visitors: around 48 percent came from abroad. With 80 nations represented, the reach of the IAW trade fair was significantly increased. Trade visitors can find up-to-date information on the 35th International Trade Fair for Promotional Products and Imports (IAW) at www.iaw-messe.de, where they can order free tickets.

IAW trade fair brings Best Deals in Retail to Cologne (PDF)