You’ve watched the scrapbook category boom. You’ve seen the consumer change and grow, carving out their own styles, becoming sophisticated scrappers and savvy shoppers. At the same time, there is a world of beginners and potential scrapbookers. And what about all the people in the middle?
You know you must address a wide variety of consumers in order to grow your customer base. So do we. Through market research, attending scrapbooking conventions and talking with scrapbookers, we’ve identified three main types of scrapbook consumers: The Beginner, The Realistic Scrapper and the Dedicated Scrapper. Let’s meet them.
The Beginner
Her name is Karen. She started scrapbooking last year when she had a baby and a friend threw her a scrapbooking baby shower. Now, with tons of photos and little time, she’s interested in the hobby but feels overwhelmed with all the choices of product, techniques, styles and sources. She loves the products she sees, but doesn’t really know how to use them—she doesn’t even know what the basic supplies are or how to lay out a page. Shopping a typical scrapbook store is totally overwhelming—salespeople don’t approach her to ask if she needs help, and she doesn’t know what questions to ask. She has an album, photos and a few embellishments that are more confusing than exciting. And right now, they’re sitting in a box in her den. They haven’t been touched in months.
She wants to be a scrapbooker, but she’s facing obstacles she simply doesn’t have time to overcome.
In October 2003, Hot Off The Press created a website for beginning scrapbookers just like Karen, called Scrapbooking101.net. “We included basic information, page samples and a short video from designer LeNae Gerig,” says Hot Off The Press President Paulette Jarvey. “The traffic on this site skyrocketed—we had nearly 10,000 unique visitors within 20 days of its inception. That really speaks to the number of people who want to learn the basics of scrapbooking. Our challenge is to serve them well—and make sure we educate and inspire them into becoming dedicated scrapbookers.”
How can you target The Beginner? Do you have classes on Scrapbooking 101? Do you have a Basic Scrapbooking section in your store? What about clear, informative signage? “I am so impressed by Archiver’s store signage,” says Jarvey. “Each product section was clearly labeled, and informational signs told me the difference between different types of products. I could easily read what made a 3-ring binder different from a strap-hinge; what made one adhesive different from the adhesive hanging next to it. It made the store easy to shop.”
And don’t forget customer service. The Dedicated Scrapper wants to know where the new products are; the Realistic Scrapper needs to get the basics and go—but the Beginner needs assistance. She needs attention. And she needs a connection…otherwise she’ll look for it somewhere else—or give up.
The Realistic Scrapper
Her name is LeNae—and unlike Karen, she’s been scrapbooking for nearly ten years. In fact, she’s designed idea books for Hot Off The Press since Paper Pizazz® first hit the market. She knows the lingo, knows the product on the market, and has about every tool you can imagine. She can design amazing layouts.
But in her real life, she doesn’t really want to design amazing layouts.
LeNae is a Realistic Scrapper. She’s the mother of a three-year-old. She works. She has a very active social life that includes a number of activities from church to friends to family. In her real life, she’s short on time.
Like LeNae, the Realistic Scrapper is often the mother of small children. She’s busy. She’s looking for cute, fun, colorful page ideas and supplies. She also creates serious, thoughtful pages with lots of journaling—but these layouts are outnumbered by the pages dedicated to birthdays, slumber parties and park visits. Most of her photos are of her kids, and most fit into themes and occasions: birthdays, Halloween, Christmas, and school photos.
Yet she won’t sacrifice style. She wants great-looking layouts, but she wants to spend her time making memories, not laboring over layouts.
How can we address this consumer? A couple of retailers and manufacturers already are. From Simple Scrapbooks magazine to Hot off The Press’ book, LeNae’s Scrapbooking Basics, the industry is paying attention to the Realistic Scrapper. And if you visit Archiver’s or ReCollections, you’ll notice these two stores have laid out their merchandise with this customer in mind: Themed vignettes and bright, informative signage make it easy for the consumer to find what she’s looking for—and easy for her to buy.
The Dedicated Scrapper
Meet the industry’s Ideal Customer: Her name is Brookes.
Brookes has been to Creating Keepsakes University (CKU) twice—once to get her “scrapbooking degree” and again the next year to participate in the Masters Program. She participates in 8-hour crops twice a month at her local scrapbook store, where they know her (and her husband) by name. She has a dedicated space in her home for scrapbooking (she stores her paper in wire racks from NovelCrafts). She keeps up with the newest products and buys them as soon as they’re available. She also buys high-ticket items, like the QuicKutz die-cutting system (“I currently have 5 alphabets with numbers and about 30 individual dies,” she says.). Her other “big toys” are the American Tag Home Pro Eyelet Setter and a Xyron laminator/sticker maker. And since Brookes scraps on the go, she also needs a way to transport her toys—two Crop In Styles and an additional tote do the trick.
Brookes is a classic Dedicated Scrapper. Like LeNae, Brookes has a child, a job and various activities that demand her time and attention. Yet she’s made scrapbooking a priority, fitting the craft into her schedule the same way she does other activities. For Brookes, scrapbooking is as much about the process of the craft as the finished results. She scrapbooks to preserve her photos for her daughter, of course—but more important, she scrapbooks for the creativity, the “me time” and the chance to socialize, shop, and play. For the Dedicated Scrapper, srapbooking isn’t a pastime, it’s a passion: She’s online, participating in Yahoo groups and surfing the web for her regular scrapbooking sites. She probably competes in layout contests and she might even work in the industry.
How can you sell to Brookes, the woman who has it all but will happily buy more? Remember this: Scrapbooking is about the newest products, the latest designs and the biggest names. She will buy every idea book or magazine SIP published—so for heaven’s sake, reserve a copy for her when you place your order. Spoil her with Invitation-Only crops, parties and events. Make sure you’re offering her classes that teach the latest techniques. But remember—she’s dedicated enough to be a pretty tough critic, so your classes must be top-notch. Challenge her with new techniques. Inspire her with magazine-worthy project samples. Impress her by having the very newest product—and a few surprises. Teach her something she doesn’t know!
Catering to the Three Customers
Variety is the spice of life—and it’s also the future of the scrapbook market. The challenge is to keep up, challenging our Dedicated Scrappers, serving the Realistic Scrapper and encouraging the Beginner.
