346 Results:
April 8, 2009
April 8, 2009
This blog's purpose is to help the home good industry better market and conduct business online. We can often learn from other industries. Please see attached screenshots. I was buying tickets to a concert, and Ticketmaster is charging fee upon fee, and even wants to charge you extra for printing your tickets. They charge a convenience fee AND a processing fee. Aren't those the same? I hope the artist Neko Case whom I bought tickets to see will pick a new ...
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April 7, 2009
April 7, 2009
The attached image shows what mediums are growing in terms of influence among brides and which are shrinking. The full article can be found online at AdAge.com.
http://adage.com/article?article_id=135372
Taking this information one step further, if brides are one of the legs of the tableware industry, then maybe the tableware industry should start its own bridal site–as Orbitz.com was started by the airlines to counter all the independent travel ...
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January 2, 2009
January 2, 2009
You've probably seen more Obama t-shirts then Che ones over the past year. Now a tableware company is joining the movemnet by offering Obama-Biden inauguration gifts. The gifts, produced by Pickard China, include two plates and a wine coaster.
Please click here to view the Obama collector gifts and plates by Pickard
Note: Pickard China is a Solarek Studio client, and we built their Obama tableware blog.
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October 25, 2008
October 25, 2008
This article below from the New York Post shares that Facebook is looking to promote music to its customer base. Why? Facebook, like MySpace, knows that people that use its service are young and probably listen to and buy a lot of music. Facebook is anticipating a customer desire, and trying to offer one more way to satisfy him or her-and make money in the process.
I wonder if there is some room for the tableware industry to learn from...
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September 14, 2008
September 14, 2008
This article from Ad Age below says that online advertising delivers twice the return on investment as television. Few tableware companies advertise on television, but many do advertise in magazines and trade publications. My question: does online advertising also beat out magazines? I would imagine so. I can't imagine that a tableware ad in Tableware Today for $500, $1,000, or $1,200 can deliver as much as that amount spent online. So, ...
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September 14, 2008
September 14, 2008
The Ad Age article below talks about Sears and the U.S. Army's partnership to sell Army approved clothing. Read: "U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division" on t-shirts, etc. Regardless of your personal view about war and/or the U.S. Army, this initiative says that the Army is being creative in marketing. How does the army relate to the tableware or home goods industry? I'm not referring to camouflage plates. What the Army sees and fine tableware doesn't is the need to: 1) ...
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September 8, 2008
September 8, 2008
The article below from today's Times explains how fashion designers are using the Web to design new collections. I imagine the same could be said of home goods and tableware designers. When more and more people spend time online instead of in front of a television or reading, how could the Net not be an increasing influence? This same trend extends to pre-shopping habits. When people plan to pay $300 for a tabletop setting, they go online first and ...
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June 9, 2008
June 9, 2008
This new home goods website Teroforma means well, but the navigation is horrible. They should've minded everyone's warnings about sites done entirely in Flash.
https://teroforma.com/
The article below is what HFN's Allison Zisko had to say about it. If Ms. Zisko or anyone at Teroforma has any thoughts, I'm happy to take posts on this. Thank you.
...................
New Site Promotes the Customized Table
05/19/08
By Allison Zisko
NEW YORK–A newly launched Web site, “designed by consumers ...
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February 11, 2008
February 11, 2008
I'd like to see the tableware industry take a page from Dr. Martens: have a design competition to create the next tableware set.
Dr. Marten had a contest to design a boot. People vote online for their favorite. Dr. Martens manufactures the winning design.
Dr. Martens design contest: http://www.dmbootdesign.com/ View Post
January 30, 2008
January 30, 2008
Louis Vutitton will start advertising on televion and in movie theaters according to an article in today's New York Times. The upscale home goods industry should realize that it's time to adopt the moving image for promotion. Production of video has come down in price, and upscale consumers increasingly expect moving image. Brands used to see the moving image as 'common,' but Vuitton's strategy shows this view may soon be as outdated formal-use only china....
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January 29, 2008
January 29, 2008
Allison Zisko pens an article in this week's HFN about the absence of the green tableware movement. She says that new manufacturing or distribution techniques are NOT in store. Consumers and the industry as whole can largely look forward to: less packaging and nature-inspired themes. Not too inspiring compared to what other industries are doing. But, let's not kill the messenger.
Her article can be found here:
http://hfnmag.com/index.php?id=91&...
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January 20, 2008
January 20, 2008
The pressure on the tabletop industry continues even for those that have sold out to doing business with Target and big box stores. The stores can't take cover in these football-field size stores; these stores are now requiring them to hand over their playbooks. Allison Zisko writes in this week's HFN:
Target’s newest private-label tabletop initiative, which has vendors negotiating directly with Target’s sourcing arm rather than its team of ...
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January 15, 2008
January 15, 2008
This week's 41 Madison newsletter shows the new Royal Doulton tableware line from Monique Lhuillier. This same page shows Vera Wang's designs for Wedgwood. Since more than 60% of formal china sales come from bridal registries, tabletop companies are smart to partner with wedding dress designers. I imagine if the industry hits harder times the smart players will continue to seek partnerships with wedding designers, celebrity wedding planners, etc., etc. Anything ...
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January 14, 2008
January 14, 2008
The Sunday NY Times published this article below about the environmental impact of cellphones on the world. After reading this, I thought, "I need to get in the business of recycling cellphones-each one is worth $1, and people will give them to you for free. There are 300 million sitting in desk drawers. That's $300 million." I then thought, "What is the tableware and home good industry doing about recycling?"
The ...
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January 13, 2008
January 13, 2008
The blog 'Sustainable is Good' has this to report about the kitchenware line:
Recycline has added a new series of products to its popular Preserve line. The new products are called Preserve Kitchen and include two types of cutting boards, food storage containers and a colander. Most of the products will be sold exclusively at Whole Food Market, several are available directly from Recycline.
"The idea behind the line was sparked over a year ago when Whole Foods ...
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November 29, 2007
November 29, 2007
The need to see more environmentally friendly tableware in the marketplace increases as we see an increasing array of products in other industries. Today's Wall St. Journal says that giving 'green' gifts will be popular this year. Two sites that offer such products:
www.GreenandMore.com
www.olivebarn.com/eco-green-items.html
The Wall St. Journal article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119630028092907321.html
Article excerpt:
"With so much public attention on climate change ...
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November 26, 2007
November 26, 2007
Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving that is the online equivalent of Black Friday, is discussed in today's NY Post and New York Times (links to both are below). Just as online sales will rise in other industries, this day/week should be give our industry a bump.
New York Post:
BIG HOPES BUILDING FOR 'CYBER MONDAY'
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11262007/business/big_hopes_building_for_cyber_monday_308154.htm
New York Times:
Online Holiday Shopping ...
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October 29, 2007
October 29, 2007
When people talk of environmentally friendly production of home goods, this includes not only using production methods that are good for the earth–but for the workers, too. According to today's new reports, GAP Kids clothing was being partially made by enslaved kids in India (who were punished by having oily rags stuffed in their mouth). This should encourage us all to ask how the goods we use are being made. The companies that we work for and ...
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October 23, 2007
October 23, 2007
This blog is usally dedicated to tableware and home goods marketing. An article in today's Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/business/media/12adco.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin) encouraged me to write this response to a quote by Martin Walker, of Walker Communications, about the use of the web:
Dear Mr. Walker,
My name is Jason Solarek, and I met you at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens this past spring at an antique garden furniture show. I was there with some ...
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October 19, 2007
October 19, 2007
These are the seven steps the tabletop and home good markets need to keep in mind to be environmentally friendly. This graphic is from
Metropolis Magazine. Our industry has been mostly silent on this topic since everyone is scarred it will hurt profits.
7 Steps in the Lifecycle of a Green Product:
1. Innovation: The Shape of Things to Come
2. The Right Materials
3. Clean & Green Production
4. Efficient Distribution: Delivering the Goods
5. Low-Impact Use
6. ...
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