B. Line with Beth Mauro - Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I'm back in the office after my stint at the Great American Scrapbook Convention. I was pleased to see such great attendance and it goes to prove that people stick with their hobbies even when money gets tight.

Being at a show with a cross section of our consumer base allows for some market research. This market research can confirm what you think is true, and correct you when you're not.

For example, clear acrylic stamps are ubiquitous in our marketplace- or so it seems. Yet the majority of folks who I met at the make & takes weren't sure how to use the stamps at all. This suggests the need for continuing education on stamps!

Start with the very basics- how to mount an acrylic stamp. So many people told me they never used acrylic stamps because they didn't know how they work.

If you can't do on demand demos in your store, consider doing a storyboard with step by step photos showing how to peel the stamp off the paper, how to mount it on the block, how to stamp and how to clean and remove stamp for storage. You could also do an 8X11 handout that can be stuffed into shopping bag.

One thing is for sure- customers are not wildly spending. They are going back and forth, shopping for the right deals. If you can show a customer a variety of ways a product can be sold- your chances for making that sale increase.

Kudos go out to A-Design-Intervention for strategic planning. She contributed kits to the free make & take areas (150!). The project was an embellished chipboard piece that incorporated glueing, stamping, rub-ons and dimensional embellishments.

Then she built a page kit around the free element. For $5 she could sell a kit based on the make & takes- that's a great idea for a retail store to try- do a small element then sell a card kit or page kit that incorporates that element.

So there you go- two great ideas for the price of a $10 admission and I wasn't even looking that hard! Get thee to a consumer show (I'll be at the one at the Dulles Expo in Chantilly a week from Friday) and you can turn that learning into earning!--Beth

6/10/2008 8:38:22 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Headin' for TX- Great American Scrapbook Convention
Posted by Beth

I'll be offline for a few days as tomorrow I leave for the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington (Dallas/Ft. Worth area), Texas.

For me, consumer shows are the perfect place to go when you need a great idea or just a good dose of "this is a fun business." I never get tired of hearing stories of our customers' scrapbooking activities. Their stories, as well as comments from industry professionals often lead to future blog posts and articles.

Plus, I am always duly impressed with the buffets that are rolled in (not by us, by ticketholders!) for the evening crops on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. I'm not sure how many pages actually get knocked out but it sure is a party! The only part I don't relish is having to turn someone down who REEEEEEEEEEAAAAALLLLYYYYY wants to get into a sold-out crop party. I feel bad but the person who determines maximum room occcupancy trumps me!

Consumer shows are a great place to do research. Even if you just walk the aisles and eavesdrop on various conversations on which classes were great and who is selling what hot new product you can learn alot. Hang out in the hallways between classes or in the cafeteria between noon and two and you can conduct your own little focus group.

You can also find some new suppliers who do not have the resources to advertise yet or those who are selling close-outs- you can stock up for a class or promotional giveaway.

The GASC Shows are presented by our sister magazine Memory Makers so you'll always find an editor or two on hand. I will be attending Arlington and Chantilly,VA two weeks later- if you're there- come find me to say hey! I'll be working the customer service booth.

Until Monday....--Beth

6/3/2008 3:45:17 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Monday, June 02, 2008

Orphan Works Bill-Whose Intellectual Property is it
Posted by Beth

CHA has issued a call to action regarding the Orphan Works Bill. Even if you aren't political you should read it and consider it.

As someone whose career has been built on selling her intectual property (through writing articles as a freelancer) this type of thing scares and angers me. And, if you design scrapbook products or projects you should be concerned too.

Info from the CHA Memo:
The Orphan Works Act of 2008 does the following:

It changes the 1976 U.S. Copyright Act, and makes it virtually impossible for artists to protect their work. It allows anyone to use a design without the copyright holder's permission.
It requires artists to attempt to protect their work by registering it with a digital database system (presumably for a fee, in addition to the copyright filing fee) when no such system currently exists.
It eliminates statutory damages wherever an infringer can successfully claim an Orphan Works defense, thus eliminating the only tool the law provides to prevent deliberate infringement.
It allows for an infringer to create and copyright a derivative work from the original design.
It leaves infringing works (and products incorporating them) subject to seizure in other countries.

Ok, so if I interpret this right, it says that if the artwork cannot be attributed to a designer, someone else can pick it up and use it. So if you designed a really fabulous paper or even a card and it didn't have a copyright notice on it or somehow the copyright got trimmed off it- it's an orphan. Someone could take that paper or card and manufacturer. How hard does someone have to try to identify the owner? It seems scarily easy to call something an orphan.

Oh, you could sue. But then the burden is on you plus who can afford...it?

Folks, there is such tremendous talent in this industry and your artwork could be at risk. Your design is your intellectual property until you sell it or give it away. If you want to give it to the world -great for you. But if you make your living from your creative talent, stop and think how much this bill could impact you. Please learn more--Beth

6/2/2008 9:12:12 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Friday, May 30, 2008

The Need for Gasoline Trumps Dad
Posted by Beth

Dad won't be feeling the love on Father's Day as much as mom did on her day according to some research from the National Retail Federation. News from their press release:

Higher prices at the pump and the grocery checkout line might be cutting into Father’s Day budgets. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Father’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, consumers plan to spend an average of $94.54, compared to last year’s $98.34. Total spending is expected to reach $9.6 billion.

“When it comes to dad, a simple greeting card and family dinner really goes a long way,” said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. “Unfortunately, consumers are torn between their love for dad and their need for gas this year.”

The large majority of consumers (68.4%) will invest in a greeting card for dad, spending an average of $7.49.

8 bucks for a card? That's almost two gallons of gas! Retailers who promote cardmaking can do something fun with this. Why not send out an email with this message:

"Research says consumers will spend an average of $7.49 on a card for dad this Father's Day- check out our Father's day card kits and you can make a great Father's Day card and still have money left over for a gallon of gas!"

And, since many people will be giving gift cards, consider adding a pocket to the card where the giver can tuck in a gift card for gas or otherwise.

You could even cross promote with other local retailers whose businesses are popular with men. Provide them with a couple of card kits to sell alongside gift cards.

Here's a time where cardmaking can be money saving- a timely message if there ever was one.

Enjoy your weekend!--Beth

5/30/2008 8:35:56 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Farewell Wade
Posted by Beth

The sewing and quilting industry lost a truly fine person last weekend with the sudden passing of Wade Roberts of Gutermann America.

I had the opportunity to work with Wade during my years at the home sewing association and he was a passionate advocate of the art of sewing and a great supporter of the association's industry growth efforts. Integrity is the word that comes to mind when I think of Wade and he'll be on my mind when he's laid to rest this Saturday.

I feel blessed for the opportunity to work with so many fine people in the craft industry. I've learned so much from my colleages over the years and they have truly made my life bigger. This type of event reminds me that we should say thanks to our colleagues as often as possible.

So there's my challenge for today- tell at least 3 colleagues that you appreciate them. Life can change in an instant so always be sure to say the good things sooner than later.

Hugs to my friends at Gutermann.--Beth

5/29/2008 8:43:59 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Shopper Marketing in the Scrapbook Store
Posted by Beth

I just read an interesting summary on shopper marketing and how while it offers lots of potential for profit in the grocery store, the advertisers haven't figured that out yet.

If you spend any time in the grocery store you know the shoppers have a different shopping mindset when they run in for a gallon of milk than when then do the "big" shop for groceries. Shopper Marketing is when you display cookies by the milk or crackers by the cheese. Makes sense -by displaying the items side by side you influence additional sales.

So how do we apply Shopper Marketing in the scrapbook store? It's a matter of displaying items in more than one area of the selling floor.

The most immediate opportunity is with adhesives- displaying purpose-specific adhesive by the items they belong to. You can put them on a shelf or a clip strip so that when a customer buys an embellishment, they are encouraged to buy the adhesive as well.
Put a few ribbon organizers by your ribbon selection in addition to your storage product area.
Place the eyelet setters with the eyelets as well as in your tools section.
Display journaling stickers and punch outs in your pen display.

The people coming in for the "the big shop" will come in with a list and move around your store to pick up the items they need. But the customer who is coming in for a specific product will be more focused.

So, if your customer comes in to grab a few rub-ons, she may be planning to grab the rub-ons and go without checking out any other aisles. However, if the tool is displayed nearby you could get an add on sale.

Can you think of any other good pairings? Respond to this blog entry and post them here!--Beth

5/28/2008 8:39:46 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Do you know your local Professional Crafter
Posted by Beth

Old timers, remove your hands from your ears. You'll want to hear this.

I know the term Professional Crafter or Pro Crafter has a lot of negative connotations. So let me coin a new term for those folks who make craft products for resale- designer/manufacturers.

I met alot of savvy folks at National Stationery Show who were looking for bulk sources for their businesses. These folks make greeting cards, do events and make favors. These were not folks who sell at flea markets (although we love those people too!) these are folks who charge $4-10 PER invitation. These are folks looking for quality supplies that would make their work distinctive from the mass produced stationery items. They are not buying their fill-in supplies from discounters.

Now of course I have no problem with folks looking to get the best possible wholesale prices for supplies but I think there is a role the local retailer can play here if she is willing to work with this customer and do special orders. After all, wouldn't you rather that bulk order go through you to your distributor?

Why should you reach out to these papercraft designer/manufacturers:

1. They buy in quantity- 50- 100 paper and envelope sets times three: invitation, reply card and thank you note.

2. They customize so they really don't need 1000 of anything but they need a large enough number of any one item to merit a bit of a discount.

3. The will bring you business all year round, even when crafters aren't scrapbooking- people will still need wedding invitations and birth announcements.

4. Their special order tagged onto yours may save you shipping or help you reach the minimum for reorder.

5. Their order may allow you to test a new product in the store without making a new commitment- order for them and add a few for you.

Can these people go around you direct to manufacturers? You bet, it's easier than ever for them to go direct. But most would rather support local businesses if you work with them.

There will always be times when they can't get the product they need because the vendor will only sell to retailers. Or maybe they just need 1000 yards of a particular color and width of a ribbon rather than an array of colors.

You have nothing to lose by reaching out to these folks. They may already be buying from you. Check out the local Yellow Pages, visit local wedding websites and bridal shows. Find these folks and invite them in. Tell them you'll work with them and reap the rewards of the relationship! Why sell onesies and twosies if you can sell fiftysies....oh, you know what I mean!--Beth

5/27/2008 3:49:59 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Friday, May 23, 2008

Check out www.iamadiva.com
Posted by Beth

Did you ever have one of those situations where you make a mistake and no matter how hard you try to fix it, it just seems to get worse? That's where I am with getting Suzi Finer's Web site info correct. Again Suzi, SORRY!

Suzi Finer's site is iamadiva.com... a Web site with a store located in California.

Suzi has parlayed her experience in retail marketing into a multi-platform retail business (web and brick & mortar). Essentially she carries beautiful things that she likes that others will too.

The most interesting element is the social networking element and her cadre of Divas who are stylemakers- reporters- marketers in their own right. It is a place where the latest trends and ideas are shared. And if you are a trend junkie like me- a person who always wants to analyze what's hot now, and what's next- you must tune in.

I think people come back because Suzi is a sharer. She is warm, smart and funny. When she presented at our seminar she engaged the crowd because she sounded like she was letting us in on a secret. Throughout her conversation she kept saying "you can do it" and "you can make money at this." For her consumer following she encourages them to expand their creativity without all the rules of crafting.

So take a look at what Suzi is doing www.iamadiva.com- three A's- got it.

And have a great weekend. I know i'll be downloading a seriously overloaded brain cache-- Beth

5/23/2008 9:11:03 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Stationery in Review
Posted by Beth

I'm back from New York and Scrapbook Retailer's very successful run at National Stationery Show.

I want to start by saying a special thanks to our vendor partners who supported our presentation at National Stationery. Suzi Finer of iamadiva.com and Katey Franchescini of the Paper Company made the "Gold in Scrapbooking" program sing. Bob Radcliffe of Display Dynamics offered some very compelling and honest advice on the realities of selling scrapbooking products in a merchandising session. I always get great ideas from Scrapbook Retailer education sessions thanks to folks who contribute their time and expertise.

Also thanks to Sharon and Teresa from Preserve It Frames for their demos and to Quikutz, Hot Off the Press, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L with providing us products for demos. We appreciate your support of our efforts.

Stationery and paper greetings seem to be an area where artist/entrepreneurs are making their mark. We saw a lot of folks who where interested in scrapbooking products that they would be using to hand make cards for resale.

I was pleased to see that the trends come to scrapbooking product as fast as stationery and gift. For example... owls and birds were everywhere... a trend we reported on in February. Could it be that folks are shopping CHA for supplies to make custom cards then exhibiting these products at Stationery? Could be. It could also be that many of the same high end suppliers of scrapbooking products also sell into the stationery market so I was seeing some of the same lines we first discovered in February.

Green as a category is becoming more than a trend in product manufacturing. Vendors are going green in their packaging (less packaging or more usable packaging), marketing efforts (online catalogs), sampling (product available upon request rather than automatic mailing).

Some other trends in materials besides eco-friendly papers were wood paper or thin sheets of wood being used as card or album surfaces. It's a good texture for all that old fashioned letterpress imagery.

My colleague Beth Williams from Memory Makers clued me into the "teeny" trend. Smaller notecards but also smaller embellishments and typography leaving the paper to speak for itself. You could have a postage stamp size image in the middle of a social note- that's it.

Charms were being used judiciously- nice to see charms back. I've always liked charms and small metal findings for crafting because they are inexpensive, you can buy them in bulk and there are lots of choices.

We'll report more on trends from National Stationery Show once we sift through all the materials we brought home. My only sorrow is that I didn't get photos of all the amazing display ideas. Stationery is such a great place for ideas on how to display paper! We look forward to going back in 09 and seeing you there.--Beth

5/22/2008 12:25:28 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Day 3 Wrapping it Rich
Posted by Beth

ok, I confess, I am not sure when I got old and creaky but a four day show is seeming longer than I anticipated.

Day three of National Stationery Show is all about wrapping paper and new options. Both Anna Griffin and American Crafts introduced new wrap collections related to their paper offerings. Today we saw a cool demo of an Epson printer that works with MountainCow software to create customized wrapping paper. Super super cool.

Sharon and Teresa from Preserve It frame were on hand to demo their frames and to suggest that home decor and framing come together within scrapbooking. Thanks Ladies- let's brainstorm more ideas!

For our seminar we had a small group but a great dialogue today regarding "There's gold in scrapbooking" Suzi finer of iamadiva.com (a website with a store) had a way of speaking that made you feel like she was letting you in a major secret. She reminded one attendee who was opening a shop on a tropical island to not forget tourists and their interest in themed product,

Katey Franceschini of The Paper Company offered sage counsel to look to your suppliers to help you identify which new lines will work in your store. She brought in this happy ad colorful window box full of crepe paper flowers and birds. Why not create your version of "Macy's flower show in your store?

A few other little item trends while we're on the subject

Wood "paper" as a base for mini album covers or cards that are stamped or woodburned with images.
Pre-designed albums-these are memory books with "scrapped" pages sans the photos. These came in a variety of themes, price points and qualities including some very good looking pop up versions.
Single charms on cards and memory jewelry> I love the high end scrapbook Jewelry from Nunn Designs.

I need to sign off now, too bleary eyed to continue. Tomorrow NSS ends I think I'll be a puddle-- Beth

5/20/2008 11:49:20 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Monday, May 19, 2008

Tracking trends at NSS
Posted by Beth

Today we started off the day at National Stationery Show with an interview with Andrea Grossman, THE Mrs. Grossman of the eponymous sticker company. She said she survived tough times with faith in God and lots of hard work. It was great to hear a manufacturer say "we love our customers" and really really mean it.

27 people joined us for our Understanding the Scrapbooker presentation.In fact, there seemed to be interest in scrapbooking across the board- quite a few vendors reported that they were pleased with feedback from the show so far. I am not sure if that was translating into actual orders but contacts were made.

Got a chance to walk a few aisles today. Saw lots of flocking on wrapping paper. Scads of letterpress and letterpress-like products. The overall palette was softer, not somber but definitely not as passionate as we've seen in years past we saw more greys, oatmeal, butter yellow and cream.

Notecard sizes were smaller, plenty of allover surface pattern, two color print jobs- color and white or two monochromatic colors plus white.

I'm not seeing as much emphasis on baby products although they were there in full force. However the bridal trends seminar was packed.

We'll see what tomorrow brings... stay tuned.--Beth

5/19/2008 9:45:14 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Great to be in NY NY
Posted by Beth

Here I am in vibrant New York City for the National Stationery Show. I love New Yorkers, they are the best! I knew I was officially back when one outdoor vendor offered to waive the $2 fee for a diet coke for a "leetle kees". I passed on his generous discount offer but it made me smile.

We primarily saw folks from the tri-state area- trains, turnpike, bridges and tunnels. I was thrilled to sign up a bunch of new subscribers to Scrapbook Retailer.

Speaking of trends, Scrapbook Retailer contributed the scrapbooking trend forecast and it was very cool to see the 6-foot tall poster of the trends next to all of the forecasts for bridal, gift, card and stationery trends.
Didn't get out of the booth much so not alot of trends to report. Today I was showing how chocolate bars can be customized as gifts. The Hot Off The Press mini file folder template and little Xyron X box generated quite a bit of interest.

I haven't gotten over there yet but from the buzz, it sounds like Accucut is doing well with it's new dies with pins for creating invitations. With the big crowd of designers and handmade invite at the designers, they seemed to have a home run.

Mrs. Grossman's has introduced a new adhesive product that picks up pet hair. A portion of the proceeds goes to a charity for seeing eye dogs. Tomorrow a.m. I interview Andrea Grossman whom I admire as an entrepreneur and a person who gives back to her community in many ways.

Anw Crestwood presented a coolly elegant booth and it just goes to show you that scrapbooking and social stationery are in the same sphere.

Paper can be a beautiful and visually stimulating product and fixtures from Display Dynamics are sleek and elegant. If you are in town for the merchandising seminar on Tuesday- you will hear a great presentation from Bob Radcliffe. I am definitely going to work on capturing that info to share further.

Just in my own little corner of the show I saw a lot of pink, more than at CHA and texture in decorative papers and wrapping is very strong- especially velvety flocking in polka dots and damask prints. Birds aplenty with 1970's owls and japanese inspired line art prints.

Early morning call for our 8:30 interview then a seminar on Understanding the Scrapbooker with my friend Beth Williams. I promise to report more on product tomorrow.Good night!--Beth

5/18/2008 10:44:05 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Free Updates

Navigation

Search

Archives

More Links