ETD: 974 Do you Wiki?; Market Report — High Point; Tabletop Market Study
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post at gapent.com
Tue May 2 00:17:57 GMT 2006
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0974 May 2, 2006
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem at gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] Do you Wiki?
[3] Market Report — High Point
[4] Tabletop Market Study
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
I'm in Greensboro, NC until Wednesday
evening. We're reviewing a warehouse operation
for a client, with the intent of upgrading the
technology in use there. I last did this project
eight years ago, and the client more than doubled
their volume (they are in $50 million range), and
they want to double it again over the next five
years. So, we are looking at a total revamp,
including automated material handlers,
computerized belts and a triangularized picking
system using RFID. I'll keep you posted.
Do you Wiki? We're interested in knowing of
anybody is using Wiki, and, if so, how.
Bessie Nestoras and Maria Weiskott have a report
on the International Home Furnishings Market
trade show in High Point, which they publish as
part of Gifts & Dec Magazine. If you're in that
arena, or want to get in it, read this market review.
Pam Danziger has information on their latest
survey on the Tabletop Market. Very interesting
information. This is another market that you might want to consider.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, LLC
mailto:georgem at gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] Do you Wiki?
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In The Economist’s Technology Quarterly (part of
the regular magazine) last week they had an
article on Wiki, and I was curious to know if anybody is using Wiki?
For those who may not know, Wiki is a website or
similar online resource or an online
collaboration tool which allows users to add
and edit content collectively. (“Wiki wiki”
means "rapidly" in the Hawaiian language).Users
can freely create and edit Web page content using
any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has
a simple text syntax for creating new pages and
crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.
It is very similar to a Web Log (Blog), which has similar capabilities.
We are interested in it as a knowledge base
within our company, and with clients. I've used
this concept once before, using blogs. We had
people in 15 offices throughout the world, and we set up a blog to communicate.
So, do you Wiki? If so, how?
George
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[3] Market Report — High Point
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Springtime, and the weather is unpredictable.
From the cold, rainy opening day of the
International Home Furnishings Market, we could
easily have mistaken this even for one of the
winter shows! Yet by late afternoon, the clouds
had rolled away and the sun shone brightly on High Point.
Still, the bad weather didn't stop buyers from
shopping, though — or partying, as we saw in many
showrooms. Inclement conditions may have kept
buyers in one building for most of the day (as
some exhibitors told us), but vendors were definitely writing orders.
By evening, the party moved outdoors for the
annual Home Accents Today (sister pub to Gifts &
Decorative Accessories) event, featuring a lively
band, tasty food and a decidedly upbeat mood.
Indeed, the optimistic atmosphere that underlined
the market tone in January seemed to have carried
through the dank winter months intact; it’s a
mood that bodes well for upcoming markets.
If there was any cloud over High Point — besides
the one that poured buckets that first morning —
it was discussion about the growing Las Vegas
market. In showroom after showroom the question
being asked was: “Will Las Vegas take over as the
furniture market leader?” Even hotel and parking
lot personnel voiced concerns about the
possibility of a growing Vegas market. And for
good reason: the International Home Furnishings
Market is essential to the High Point economy.
Still, some admitted that competition — which
High Point has never had — would bring needed
innovation and renewal to the North Carolina market. Only time will tell.
Not Just For Kids Anymore
One of the biggest pieces of market news came
from Drexel Heritage, which introduced the Walt
Disney Signature collection of furniture. But
make no mistake: this is one Disney line that’s
not for children. The collection draws
inspiration from the design studio of Walt Disney
himself, and has the “blessing” of the Disney family.
There are 12 pieces in the line, including a
leather sofa and club chair, sofa table, cocktail
table and a desk made of rich wood with marble
and nickel finishes in Art Moderne style. The
collection is expected to ship in late fall.
Additional pieces are in the works, as is a line
of accessories including lamps and rugs, expected
to be ready for the fall market. The company will
also be replicating Mr. Disney’s own chair — a
seat his staff knew never to sit in when meetings were called.
Meanwhile, gift retailers will welcome news that
the Swarovski line of Disney jewelry will be
extended in 2007 to include fairies. The line
will feature the best known of all Disney
fairies, TinkerBell, coinciding with the first of
a trilogy of Disney fairy movies based on books by Gail Carson Levine.
Jeannine D’Addario, director of marketing home
and infant furnishings at Disney Consumer
Products, told G&DA that the company will also
add products to its jewelry line, including
pieces inspired by Winnie the Pooh. The
collection will feature jewelry, as well as gift
items such as boxes, vanity trays and more.
Retailers should also be on the lookout for a
collection of Disney crystal and enamel jewelry,
currently flying off the shelves in Japan, according to D’Addario.
Tickled Pink
Is pink the new black? Well, not yet — but it
just might be, one of these days. Sometimes soft,
other times brilliant, pink was spotted
throughout the showrooms in a variety of product treatments.
In a throwback to the early sixties, Counterpoint
by Interlude featured combinations of pink and
gray, while Abigail’s showcased the color along
with green. Pink was also seen in splashes around
The Phillips Collection and Emissary Home and Garden.
In general, the colors of home accessories seemed
to be toned down a notch, more muted compared
with previous markets. Green — in a variety of
shades including green wash and celadon — and
turquoise could be seen everywhere. Lazy Susan
grouped a selection of vases, glass bowls and
frames in a verdant table display, and the green
theme was seen in a vast array of products at
Global Views, Arteriors Home and Andrea by Sadek.
But the big color story at Sadek was the
emergence of black and white, with the company
introducing a dinnerware pattern called Midnight,
as well as a collection of accessories featuring
a floral toile pattern. Both Abigail’s and DK
Living told us that they will be introducing the
popular color (or should we say, non-color) combination at upcoming markets.
Of course, shades of chocolate, cream and coffee
showed up delectably in many showrooms. But
bronze and copper tones also appeared to be
trending up. Another metal, mercury — actually
“antiqued mercury” — was featured by Arteriors
Home. While standard silver and gold remain in
fashion, the warmer metallic tones are finding fans among manufacturers.
Showstoppers
Global Views’ new drapes made of interlocking
glass links are an expansion of the company’s
successful C chandelier. The unique drapes make a
dramatic statement, suitable for a modern home.
They’ll be sold in 3’x8’ panels. Each panel is
made up of 360 pieces of glass links — but will
ship with 400 — and be sold for approximately $2,600.
Arteriors Home certainly impressed with its
chandelier collection, which was introduced two
markets ago. The company has expanded the line
with a wide selection of crystal; the large black
crystal chandelier hanging at the showroom
entrance featured strands of black crystals with
a single, yellow, quarter moon-shaped crystal.
Andrea by Sadek expanded its lamp collection with
13 new pieces in its Vera Bradley line, as well
as five lamps in its Sadek collection. The
porcelain lamps feature traditional silhouettes
with elegant patterns. Each is topped with a
white shade, keeping the look simple while making it a bit more contemporary.
Bessie Nestoras and Maria Weiskott
Gifts & Dec Direct
http://www.giftsanddec.com/
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[4] Tabletop Market Study
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Consumers Want to Set Their Dining Table with
Tableware that Reflects a Casual Luxury Lifestyle
The tabletop market has been on a slow growth
trajectory for the past five years. It reached
$9 billion in 2005, rising only 3.1 percent from
the previous year. Its growth has lagged that of
the housewares industry which it is a part. The
housewares market grew 4.5 percent in 2005 to
$36.9 billion, according to a new consumer
insights study from Unity Marketing on the
tabletop market covering the dinnerware,
glassware, flatware, servingware and tabletop decorative accessories markets.
Slow growth has put pressure on once prospering
tabletop companies. Some of the industry’s
leading brands have been acquired recently — The
Pfaltzgraff Company, Lenox, Royal Doulton — and
others, like Oneida, Syratech and Anchor Hocking,
have fallen into bankruptcy.
People blame the industry’s struggles on many of
the usual suspects, such as changing patterns of
shopping and brides registering at specialty
stores, rather than department stores, for their
dinnerware patterns. But something more fundamental has changed.
Consumers’ Tastes Have Changed toward a Casual Luxury Lifestyle
Consumers tastes have shifted toward a more
casual, but luxurious, way of setting the
table.People want tableware they can dress up and
dress down depending on the occasion. This
affects marketers at both ends of the pricing
spectrum, as people want tabletop that is better
than everyday, but more casual than formal dinnerware.
In a survey of 1,300 recent tabletop consumers,
nearly 80 percent agreed with the statement, “My
lifestyle is more casual, so I prefer to set my
table with more casual, less formal
tableware.” And two-thirds agreed with: “When I
entertain, I prefer to set my table with upscale
but casual dinnerware that is easy to care for
and that I can put in the dishwasher.”
Consumers have changed how they define luxury in
tabletop. Luxury used to be synonymous with
formal tableware — china, crystal and sterling
silver — but no more. People want luxury that is
both fashion-forward and elegant in style, but in
an easy-to-care format and sold in stores where
they like to shop. They also want to buy it open
stock so they can pick the pieces they want.
For example, today’s younger consumers are
members of the ‘Starbucks’ generation who drink
coffee in 12 ounce mugs, not tiny five ounce
cups-and-saucers. Young men, who represent a
powerful emerging market for tabletop as revealed
in the study, complain that they can’t fit their
fingers in the handle of traditional coffee
cups. Yet many tabletop companies insist on
delivering cups-and-saucers to the customer,
despite the fact that many people don't want them.
Too many tabletop companies have been slow to
pick up on the shifts in consumer
preferences. Tabletop marketers have been
notoriously product driven. But they must listen
to the consumer and adopt a consumer-centric
business model. Unity’s new Tabletop Market
Report gives them the insights they need to
understand their new casual luxury consumer.
Unity Marketing’s Study Provides Information
Tabletop Marketers Can Use to Be More Successful
Unity Marketing’s Tabletop Market Report, 2006
gives tabletop marketers the most current
consumer information, so that they can start to
move with the consumer market, not against
it. Tabletop marketers and retailers will get a
new understanding of what today’s consumer wants
when it comes to tableware to enhance their
dining and entertaining experiences. It examines
what tableware consumers are purchasing, where
they shop, how much they spend, their brand
awareness and usage for over 40 tabletop brands
and the reasons why they shop for tabletop.
The study includes results of seven focus groups
with women active in the tabletop market,
including one group conducted with brides and
engaged women who registered for tabletop. A
quantitative survey among 1,303 recent tabletop
buyers is also reported. The survey sample had
an average income of $69,300, slightly higher
than the national average, and male/female ratio of 36 percent/64 percent.
A special feature in the Tabletop Market Report,
2006 is a psychographic study of four different
personalities types that make up the tabletop market:
To learn more about this study visit http://www.unitymarketingonline.com
Pam Danziger, President, Unity Marketing
717-336-1600
Author of Let Them Eat Cake: Marketing Luxury to
the Masses — as well as the Classes
New book, Shopping: Why We Love It and How
Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Consumer
Experience, will be published Fall 2006.
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