"Do the things you fear most, and the death of those fears is certain."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

by Jami Petersen

Dennis Conforto believes that the key to increasing profits is to harness the excitement of the craft renaissance and to market to groups previously ignored by the industry. He believes there are several crucial markets that need attention from retailers and manufacturers. Get the facts on how to attract these forgotten four.

Jami Petersen
newsletters@a-z.com

The Memory Tradeshow

The Memory Tradeshow is the premiere market for scrapbooking and related products, family history and digital imaging.

It is the most important gathering of this industry regionally, and it’s attracting executives from all sectors: manufacturers, retailers, distributors, suppliers, sales reps, designers and press. The show’s goal is to provide the highest ROI show within the industry with a greater focus on the business of the memory industry, education and best business practices.

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Press Releases

News you can use about the latest media coverage of hot trends, noteworthy events and dynamic industry leaders. Learn more about the current headlines in arts and crafts by clicking on the title of each article segment.
 

 

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by Dennis A. Conforto, A-Z Media Group, Inc.

Of all the articles I have ever written to the scrapbooking industry, this one is the most important if we are truly interested in growing scrapbooking to its 25 billion worldwide market potential.

Most people think that scrapbooking is the core of the industry. But it is not. Not according to what I am seeing and hearing in the industry. Currently, the center of scrapbooking is the craft, or the hobby of scrapbooking. In this scenario, there is no market place for scrapbooking beyond the craft segment.

The scrapbooking industry is being hijacked by the “craft only” mentality of scrapbooking. It’s as if retailers have an invisible sign that says, “Crafters only: everyone else not invited”. This may seem harsh, but let’s look at the evidence of the exclusion of these four groups:

1. Men: By and large the scrapbooking industry has not created any kind of scrapbooking model that men in mass are gravitating to. It is as if the 100 million men in North America don’t count to the scrapbooking industry. That is not to say that men don’t scrapbook, it is to say that less than 1 in 100 use the current model of scrapbooking.

2. Corporations: What about the corporations of North America? They have photo albums of company events, but they don’t know how to journal the events and document their corporate culture. Our industry walks away from this 2 billion dollar scrapbooking market place.

3. Busy Women: What about the instant scrapbookers non-crafters? They are the majority of women who lack time and this group of women is 10 times larger than the women who do scrapbook. They have money to spend and are easy to please because they just want a fast solution at an average price point - about $30, which is twice the size of the average crafting scrapbooker.

4. The Digital Market: Of course there is the digital scrapbook, the online scrapbook, the cell phone scrapbook, video scrapbooks and hybrid scrapbooks. These are all emerging formats that are quickly coming into the market place from the digital world. The problem with digital is that nobody really owns it, just like nobody owns the internet. However, the scrapbooking industry can control it and monetize it.

As long as the craft is in the center of the industry, and not scrapbooking, there isn’t any room for any other form of scrapbooking to be viable in a retail store. There is no question that craft started it, but let’s not let the “craft only” mentality limit it.

A scrapbook store needs to be everything scrapbooking, not just “craft only”. What store can afford to limit its market place? What store can afford to say, “I have no solution for your scrapbooking needs”?

It’s not only stores who need to consider these new markets; manufacturers also need to take them into account. Manufacturers should focus on new products for new kinds of consumers, because we need more new customers. We cannot afford to say no to so many.

All of us need to change our views about the hobby of scrapbooking. Scrapbooking must be seen as more than a hobby, but a lifestyle. There are more pictures being taken and less being printed. The vast majority of pictures taken are merely stored in the digital “shoebox” of memory cards, computer files and cell phones.

Scrapbooking in any format is intimidating because nobody knows where to start and the task seems so big that people just push it off as one of those future events they never seem to get to. The pictures then pile up and exacerbate the problem. If we are SMART as an industry we will shift from the “craft and hobby” mentality to the “everyone in the lifestyle” mentality, so that all who take pictures will learn to spend a little bit of time each week doing scrapbooking in any of its many formats.

If we open our eyes we can clearly see all of the opportunities for success. This is our chance to show millions of new consumers how important it is for them to scrapbook. Behind every photo is an incredible story!      

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Recently the Advisory Board for The Memory Trade Show recommended that the first show to be held in Utah be moved to the Fall of 2010. The primary reason for this change is to ensure enough time for industry-wide participation of manufacturers and retailers alike. The Memory Trade Show Advisory Board is made up of leading manufacturers and retailers from within the Scrapbooking industry.

In a few weeks several announcements will be made regarding this new trade show based on feedback we receive via surveys completed by the Advisory Board as well as many retailers and manufacturers from within the industry. The purpose of these surveys is to ensure that the show meets as many of the true needs, desires and requirements of the industry as possible.

Future announcements will include the show dates and times, as well as a preview of the educational program which will be designed to move the industry from surviving to thriving.

Once the dates are announced, updated attendee registration forms, exhibit space and speaker applications will be available on The Memory Trade Show’s official website www.TheMemoryTradeShow.com.

The Memory Trade Show promises to be a unique and rewarding experience focusing on the primary business needs of the industry – market expansion, product innovations and best business practices that drive profits. On behalf of the Advisory Board and Show Management, we look forward to serving the needs of our industry, and we look forward to your input and feedback in the coming weeks and months.

Thank you!