"To succeed in life in today's world, you must have the will and tenacity to finish the job."

-- Chin-Ning Chu

by Jami Petersen

Competing with chain stores is one of the toughest things a retail store has to face. Most consumers like supporting the smaller, independent stores but visit chains for the cheaper prices. So what's a retailer to do? Fran Saperstein has some practical ideas to close the gap between you and the larger competition. You don't have to be the biggest store out there, just the SMARTest.

Jami Petersen
newsletters@a-z.com

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.
 

Nancy O'Dell to Announce Creative Memories Partnership at Minneapolis Convention Center. The nation’s love for scrapbooking will reach a new level of excitement this fall when Nancy O’Dell, acclaimed entertainment host and TV journalist, unveils her new partnership and scrapbooking line with Creative Memories, a Minnesota-based leader in the two billion-dollar scrapbooking industry. Details will be announced by O’Dell during a keynote address during the company’s national sales meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Friday, July 30, 2010.

BasicGrey’s Summer Season of Spicy Style. Watch your fingers! The needle on the thermometer rages higher and higher in Booth # 1207 as we heat up the summer with our HOT new summer releases. With FIVE fantastic, color-packed collections, smoldering new embellishments, red-hot new albums and much, much more, you’ll enjoy the fiery energy radiating from our newest releases.

American Crafts to release five new themed product lines - Dear Lizzy Enchanted, City Park, Boo!, Dear Lizzy Christmas and Love. American Crafts will introduce five new themed lines at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show at the end of July. Among the new lines being presented are two new Dear Lizzy lines co-designed with scrapbooker, Elizabeth Kartchner, and several holiday-themed lines.

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by Fran Saperstein

Why Consumers Shop Wal-Mart and What You Can Do About It!

The past two weeks, we’ve discussed how the industry has boxed itself into a corner with all the intricate products and I provided both retailers and manufacturers with some strategies to better support new scrapbookers as they enter the market.

As a follow up, we asked some scrapbookers on the Scrapbooking.com Magazine bulletin board for their insights. We asked these consumers where they purchase scrapbooking products. While many did enjoy shopping their local scrapbook store, many regularly shopped at Wal-Mart, Michael’s, and other large chain stores.

Today we will discuss why consumers continue to shop at the larger chain stores and what can manufacturers and independent retailers do to recapture this market.

Let’s first consider why the new scrapbooker would start to shop in a large chain store:

1. They are already in the store getting other products for their families.
2. The selection is fairly limited, making their decisions easier.
3. There are always coupons and promotions to take advantage of.

These are the usual comments and concerns we see, but how is an independent retailer to compete with this? Let’s take the reasons above one at a time:

They are already in the store getting other products for their families.

Now, I am not at all recommending that a scrapbook store start to carry groceries or children’s clothes. However, I am suggesting that when choosing your location, the surrounding stores should be considered. Is the shopping center a destination for busy women? Is there traffic to ensure that people are coming and going and that your store will be seen?

The selection is fairly limited, making their decisions easier.

This is, to me, the crux of the issue. New and occasional scrapbookers are often overwhelmed by the selection out there. To ensure that everyone who enters your store has what she needs to make her decisions, consider these strategies:

1. Make your store easy to navigate; use signage to help guide people through the store.
2. Merchandise by theme – make it easy for a new scrapbooker to find what she needs to complete a project.
3. Merchandise by brand – the intermediate and advanced scrapbookers will prefer to shop their favorite manufacturer collections.
4. Merchandise by product category – the advanced and intermediate scrapbooker can easily find what she needs to finish that specific project.

Overall, the idea is to make it easier for a busy person to easily find what she needs, when she needs it. The more convenient you make the purchase process, the better your relationship with your customers.

There are always coupons and promotions to take advantage of.

1. We’ve said it before in this column: Promote, promote, promote! There should be events monthly and weekly.
2. Accept coupons from your competition! Yes, I mean that 40% coupon that comes in the mail every Sunday! If you don’t accept that coupon, you are basically telling your consumers to go elsewhere.
3. Provide your own coupons for your consumers. One way to do this is through Scrapbooking.com Magazine’s Premier Retail Store program. The program includes an online coupon that you can change monthly. Learn more about this program by clicking here.

In the end, it’s about making shopping easy and convenient for your customers. It’s about providing your customers with a reason to come into your store, and it’s about being located where they already need to go, as well as allowing potential customers to easily find you. Be SMART, learn from the big chains and hold your own in the marketplace!

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.

Learn more and save >>

Preferred Stamp Companies to Design Stamp Images That Coordinate

Spellbinders™ Paper Arts, LLC, an award-winning inventor, manufacturer and marketer of cutting edge tools for crafters, is pleased to announce its ‘Preferred Stamp Companies’ partners. The eight partners are now endorsed to design stamp images that coordinate with Spellbinders’ Nestabilites®, Shapeabilities®, and other patented die templates. The ‘Preferred Stamp Companies’ are: DONNA-SALAZAR, Flourishes, Gina K Designs, Heartfelt Creations, JustRite Stampers, Layers of Color, StampingScrapping and Waltzingmouse Stamps.

“We are delighted to join forces with these partner companies. They manufacture high quality products and trend setting images,’ said Stacey Caron, President. “Our ‘Preferred Stamp Companies’ are designing stamp images that will be a perfect match with a selection of Spellbinders’ innovative die templates. I can’t wait to see the harmonious projects crafters will create using our partners’ stamps to coordinate with our die templates!”

“It is a very exciting opportunity to work with Spellbinders and develop new tools to inspire the creativity of our customers. We look forward to building a long, creative partnership with the craft industry’s leading die template manufacturer,” stated Cindy Echintaw, Owner of StampingScrapping.

“I am thrilled to create stamps that coordinate with Spellbinders die templates. I’m a huge fan of their die templates because they allow me to die-cut, emboss, and stencil using one die template. Now, I will be able to add stamping to this list as well! Spellbinders is a joy to work with. I am thrilled to partner with them,” remarked Donna Salazar, Owner of DONNA-SALAZAR.

Jan Marie Caruso, Flourshes LLC’s Owner, commented, “Flourishes LLC has always been a huge fan of Spellbinders! Knowing our customers can reach for their favorite stamp set and also a Spellbinders die template to match is outstanding. We started this partnership using our ‘Beauty Within’ stamp set and look forward to many more thanks to its success! The quality of Spellbinders die templates are like nothing else on the market today!”

“We couldn't be more excited to be a ‘Preferred Stamp Company’ authorized to create stamps that match Spellbinders die templates!” said Gina Krupsky, Owner of Gina K Designs™. “Spellbinders’ open die technology allows the hottest techniques that every stamper and scrapbooker is into. The open die technology is perfect for those who prefer our high quality, deeply etched rubber stamps to create cards and scrapbook pages. They can get perfect placement every time, and go a step further with embossing, highlighting, and more. You can't do that with any other die templates on the market!” added Krupsky.

“Versatility is the core of JustRite® Stamper’s design philosophy. Our line of stamps allows users to mix and match borders and centers to create images. It seemed natural to move our design philosophy forward, creating products that work with the industry leading die template company. As cross-marketing partners, we’ve enjoyed creating products that retailers and consumers love to use. The most rewarding aspect of being a Spellbinders ‘Preferred Stamp Company’ is seeing what designers, retailers and consumers create using both our product lines,” said Kellie Fortin, JustRite Stampers Director of Product Development.

Linda Bontrager, President & CEO of Heartfelt Creations stated, “Being a ‘Preferred Stamp Company’ has created a terrific opportunity to reach a new level of creativity and 3D stamped dimension with Spellbinders die templates. We are excited to work with a wonderful company like Spellbinders.”

“Waltzingmouse Stamps is delighted to be a Spellbinders ‘Preferred Stamp Company’. We have been addicted to Spellbinders die templates. As crafters, we enjoy having stamps and die templates that co-ordinate perfectly. The combination adds another level of pleasure to our creative pursuits. We look forward to more exciting die templates and the creative opportunities this opens up for us,” remarked Claire Brennan, Waltzingmouse Stamps Owner and Designer.

“Layers of Color™ is honored to be a ‘Preferred Stamp Company’ for Spellbinders, a craft market industry leader in innovative products!” exclaimed Laura Kirste Campbell, Owner and Artist. “This is a wonderful opportunity for Layers of Color art stamps to shine all the brighter as original and unique designs when they coordinate with Spellbinders die templates. We’re looking forward to an exciting future of working together to inspire crafters worldwide!”

About Spellbinders Paper Arts
Spellbinders™ Paper Arts entered the craft and hobby market in 2003 with the introduction of the Wizard® Universal Craft Tool and a unique, patented collection of dies unlike any introduced before - or since. Always on the cutting edge in introducing innovative tools to the market, Presto Punch™ is the company's latest offering for crafters. Presto Punch makes punching easy, is portable and economical, and stores in a fraction of the space of traditional punches. Spellbinders' products allow crafters, hobbyists, artists and teachers to create one-of-a-kind, beautiful paper art projects.

The company manufactures, markets, and sells the Presto Punch, the Wizard, and a family of dies including more than 250 patented and patent-pending products under the following trade names: Nestabilities®, Shapeabilities®, Impressabilities™, Borderabilities® Petite, Borderabilities® Grand, and Shapeabilities® Nested Sets.