Summer 2006
Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman By Marcia Layton Turner

Market Forecast, 2004-2008 (in billions)

2004 | $22.5
2005 | $24.2
2006 | $25.2
2007 | $26.3
2008 | $27.5

Source: Euromonitor International

A Growing Trend

“In the age of the Internet and email, the art of writing has become so much more important,” says Daniel Mejak, operations manager of Parkleigh in Rochester, NY, a gift shop specializing in “simple luxuries for everyday use.” When it comes to wishing someone well, taking the extra effort to express thanks, sympathy, or good wishes by sending a special card with a personal message, or by writing a heartfelt note on quality paper demonstrates effort and thoughtfulness, according to Mejak.

Fortunately, the number of people willing to make that extra effort seems to be rising, and this trend has become a growing source of sales for gift stores. After a few years of stagnant sales, demand for cards and papers is once again on the upswing. According to global consumer-market research firm Euromonitor, sales of stationery goods in the US are expected to climb from $22.5 billion in 2004 to $27.5 billion in 2008.

This upward trend is apparent to gift shop owners who stock cards and paper. “Our stationery sales are way up,” says Janet Jornlin, manager of Apropos in Greenville, DE, a gift shop offering a range of gift, home decor and stationery products. “We’re seeing people are really appreciating the quality of good paper.”

The fact that Apropos was recently named paper-maker Crane & Co.’s top dealer in the country for 2005—after having only become a dealer in 2004—is a testament to the shop’s brisk sales. By offering a variety of note cards, invitations, personalized stationery and individual sheets of patterned paper, the store appeals to a broad cross-section of customers—from the bride-to-be to a couple planning a dinner party to a job candidate in need of an interview thank-you note. What many customers have in common of late is a preference for more sophisticated styles and heavy, high-quality papers, Jornlin says. And she’s not alone in that observation.

George White, president and COO of Up with Paper in Mason, OH, a pop-up greeting card company, says that in the last five years he has seen a trend toward more premium cards, including the handmade and embellished varieties, such as pop-up cards and others adorned with jewelry, fabric or texture.

White attributes the increase in premium-product sales to the baby boomer generation, a group that has what he calls “kin-keeping” responsibilities. “They’re the glue that keeps the family together,” he says. They keep in touch with their parents and children, as well as extended family and friends, often by card or letter, he says. The growth in high-end paper products also stems from the fact that “baby boomers have always wanted what’s unique,” says White. Boomers are drawn to premium products that “reflect their personality, who they are.” Retailers wanting to tap into the boomer demographic should “think premium, think embellishment,” he says. “Don’t worry about price.”

When it comes to the larger market as a whole, however, it’s consumers age 25 to 34 who spend the most in the stationery category, according to Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, a consumer-research firm in Stevens, PA. According to her surveys of consumers, in 2004 the younger set spent an average of $118 on stationery goods, while those 45 to 55 spent $90. Across all ages, women consistently buy more than men.

“The growth in business is absolutely with the younger generation,” says Julie Pauly, director of printing at Kate’s Paperie in New York City, which sells high-end stationery goods. “The holy grail is getting the younger client and holding onto them.”

Trending up

What are customers buying right now? Color. Pauly reports that colored papers—”brights more so than pastels”—are popular right now, as are two-tone items with color combinations such as pink-and-brown or light blue-and-brown.

“Even traditional companies like Crane are featuring whimsical colors and patterns, such as browns, pinks and sea glass with stripes and polka dots,” says Jornlin of Apropos. At the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, “bright and colorful always sells well,” according to Dawn Bossman-Goodman, a MoMA product manager who works closely with the curatorial staff to create new products featuring pieces in the museum’s collection.

Letterpress is a trend that has been going strong for four or five years and shows no sign of letting up, says Cindy Prangl, design manager at Paper Source in Chicago, IL, a 19-store retail chain for paper lovers. (The company’s wholesale division, Waste Not Paper, supplies paper products worldwide.) Although it costs a little more than other processes such as engraving or raised thermography, letterpress provides a clean look that Jornlin says customers prefer.

Loose paper, sold by the sheet for as little as a few pennies, has also become popular, in large part because “people want to do a lot of personalizing themselves,” says Esther Gabrielides, manager of Kate’s Paperie on Third Avenue in New York City. By using various crafting tools, such as stamps and hand-presses, shoppers can customize everything from letter paper to invitations to gift tags. Imprintable papers are also selling well at Apropos, says Jornlin, adding, “We’re selling a ton of it.”

“We’re also starting to see traditional stationery companies branching out into gift wrap, candles and journals,” says Prangl of Paper Source. She says those products are often finished with the same graphics and color schemes that are used on the companies’ paper products, which results in a cohesive, coordinated look. In fact, place cards that match party invitations, menus and RSVP cards are some of Paper Source’s best-sellers at the moment, mirroring a related buying trend in coordinated birth announcements, thank-you notes and personalized stationery for baby.

At the Museum of Modern Art, Bossman-Goodman is introducing a new line called “Design Doubles” this summer, which includes in one package a set of note cards, two journals, two note pads and a sticky-note pad, all featuring complementary images from the museum’s architecture and design collection.

Other trends just starting to take off at Kate’s Paperie include unusually sized cards and papers, die-cut papers, and those with scalloped or rounded edges. Circles and squares are also popular, specifically round cards in square envelopes, or square notes in square envelopes. At the Museum of Modern Art, pocket-sized books and calendars are currently all the rage. And at Parkleigh, a single square-shaped card with beaded graphics is so hot “we can’t keep them in stock,” says Mejak, despite the $6 price tag.

Getting ink

Other big sellers at Parkleigh are “artsy” writing instruments. One popular line, Acme Studios, wraps colorful, creative images around the base of the pen. Another line, Retro1951, features unusual writing instruments with a sleek, modern feel, such as the Sudoku lead pencil set. Parkleigh also sells the Montblanc line, the “cr’me de la cr’me,” says Mejak.

As with the stationery market, some buyers are drawn to the “luxury” lines. Fine refillable pens, defined as writing implements that are priced at more than $20, account for $220 million in annual sales, while pens costing $8 to $20, account for another $280 million, according to the International Pen Association (IPA), in Kingwood, TX.

High-end pens are purchased primarily by the 20- to 50-year-old consumers, who tend to be success-oriented and want to distinguish themselves with luxury accessories such as fine pens. Up-and-coming trends include more “ladylike” designs and pens in unusual sizes such as the new short-and-stubby designs, according to the IPA.

Display details

“Stationery is one of the easiest products to merchandise,” says Jornlin of Apropos. She advises keeping displays clean and lining up products by company, by product type or by color palette.

Mejak of Parkleigh advocates displaying products in groupings that increase the perceived value. “Make a boutique out of [the display],” he says, by bringing together similar colors and hues.

MoMA’s Bossman-Goodman groups like colors or themes together on a table or tiered wall space. Themes she has used include the outdoors, animals and movies. She uses the common theme to pull together related but different products such as postcards, note cards, calendars and prints in one place. “The worst thing you can do is bring in an oddball [product] that doesn’t fit within a grouping,” she says.

Changing displays often, or periodically moving displays around the store, is another tactic to keep customers from growing bored. Paper Source changes its window displays every six weeks, and interior displays are changed more frequently. “People gravitate toward displays to see something new,” says Prangl of Paper Source.

Fortunately, “something new” is what today’s stationery goods manufacturers are producing, whether that means premium papers that appeal to boomers, or more colorful, funky styles designed to appeal more to the younger set. With the right inventory, gift shop owners can attract new customers and give those customers good reasons to return again and again for more stationery that matches their personalities, or cards and invites that put the finishing touch on an upcoming event.

Despite the “Internet age,” retailers and wholesalers agree, our letter-writing and card-sending traditions are alive and well.

Marcia Layton Turner

Turner writes frequently for business publications. Her work has appeared in Business Week, Business 2.0, MyBusiness and numerous trade magazines. She is also the author of Emeril! (John Wiley & Sons, 2004).MarciaLaytonTurner.com




Social Connections


📣 Meet our speakers! 📣The Garden Center Show, presented by Lawn & Garden Retailer, is excited to announce our Keynote Speakers! 📣 Michelle Sherrier: Owner of MC Design Academy and host of The Retail Whore Podcast📣 Tim Quebedeaux: Owner of RetailKPI and Service Provider for The Garden Center GroupBe sure to check them out, along with our full, FREE conference schedule for The Garden Center Show, Aug. 6-7 in Rosemont, IL.🔗 Register for FREE: LGRMag.com/GCSRegister🌐 Learn more: www.gardencentershow.com🚌 Bus tour info: lgrmag.com/LGRBusTour#GCS24 #GardenCenterShow #GardenEvents #InPersonEvent #Networking #RetailStrategies #SpecialtyRetailers #GardenCenter #Conference #speaker #keynotespeaker ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
Gift Shop Plus Winter 2024
Get one year of Gift Shop Plus in both print and digital editions for just $16.

Interested in reading the print edition of Gift Shop Plus?

Subscribe Today »

website development by deyo designs