Category: Features
Cultivating Success
Cultivating retail success means getting to continue to do what we do. Keep your customers inspired by curating feel-good selections,
product devoted to animal companions and embrace the idea of Hygge.
Winter Show Finds
As affordable as they are accessible, stickers were already poised to slay the stationery market pre-pandemic. In the ensuing months, these addictive adhesives have morphed into visual shortcuts to instantly convey our personalities and predilections, and as such played a starring role at winter markets across the country and our screens.
Mind Over Matter
While most stationery and gifts serve some sort of tangible function, they are splurges at heart. One of the many lingering coronavirus effects on the American psyche has been a thoughtful shift in the attitude toward indulgences of all kinds, described Pam Danziger of Unity Marketing.
Celebrating the Season
We applaud Dads and Grads this time of year — but any day can become a greeting card-sending occasion with Just Because, Father’s Day, and expressive sentiments topping the list.
Winter Holiday
Shoppers are elevating gifts into something more than a commodity. “Gifting is not just about expressing care for another person, there is a lot of identity wrapped up in what someone gives to another person,” Chris Gray, Psy.D. of Buycology noted. “It says something about you, that you are a thoughtful and caring person.”
Noted Lookbook
The third incarnation of *Noted: The Greeting Card Expo returns virtually May 20-21. Programming includes the ever-popular pitch programs, yet the focus is stellar card design, like this exquisite Design with Heart selection featuring Pantone’s 2021 Colors of the Year.
Office
Merchandise to complement an office space, whether at home or in an office complex, serve a purpose and yet are essentially still a splurge. With the pandemic, American consumers have shifted purchases to indulge in little splurges. With this type of shift in Office markets, there are new gifts (and splurges) dimensions to explore!
A Small Urge to Splurge
Impulse-driven add-ons still exert a strong hold over the American consumer. The more ways you can present these fun gift finds to your clientele, the quicker they will sell.
As USPS founders, Congress treads water
Significant reform is on the horizon, but hasn’t yet actually begun for the USPS. We still wait for Congress to fix the 1970 Postal Reorganization Act.
Baby
When a given product, such as a baby gift, is not an essential, customers tend to regard it with criteria such as localism, sourcing, packaging, materials, manufacturing practices and cause-related elements.
Sticking Around
Stickers are just a small portion of the ‘21 stationery and gift trends we’ve put together for you. Keep pressing on for more design inspiration in these articles!
Holding it All Together
The buzzwords to keep in mind through 2021 are Lifestyle — the theme of this issue — and Storytelling. The former concerns mostly consumers, the latter how we in the trade interact with them.
What’s in the Cards: Back to Basics
Heartfelt salutes to mothers, especially new moms, have special resonance in ‘21. What’s in the Cards pays tribute to women with these finds, click through to view all Back to Basics stationery picks.
2021 Design Elements that Intrigue
Design elements in stationery and gift product offerings can do the heavy lifting from browser to buyer with enticing offerings that feature clever verbiage, girl go-getters and pattern driven designs.
COVID-19 Teaches the Benefit of the USPS — and its Limitations
While the full impact of COVID-19 remains to be seen, it’s taught us one thing for certain: Americans love the United States Postal Service (USPS). For years, the USPS has been the top-rated government agency, but the pandemic emphasized how important it truly is in so many ways.
2021 Stationery and Gift Product Categories that Meet Consumers’ Needs
Consumers seek creative DIY options, stories that resonate with them, eco-friendly options and unique gift and stationery merchandise. Browse the variety of options showcased in each of the following categories to curate a mix for your customers.
A Range is Born: NIQUEA.D
In September, IG Design Group Americas announced the launch of its NIQUEA.D greeting card collection by Dominique Schurman. With Schurman, formerly of Schurman Fine Papers, at the helm, the exquisite range is poised to redefine the modern handmade card just as snail mail is receiving renewed interest from a distanced populace.
10 Designers to Watch in 2021
This year, Stationery Trends takes a look at 10 designers who have stood out as stationery stars in 2021.