Unique products, updated display options draw stores

P. Graham Dunn, Divinity Boutique and Carpentree were among the gift vendors who reported experiencing a strong show at ICRS. 

Dunn’s laser personalization program will have touchscreen software starting in January 2014. As a result, there has been “a strong increase in the interest,” said Anthony Burdette, marketing manager. 

The new software “takes a lot of the work off of the store employee and [puts it] more in the hands of the consumer, and it’s pretty fun to do as well,” he said.

Burdette said retailers expressed the strongest interest in the company’s puzzle piece art.

“Since the summer, we have introduced probably 30, 40 more different colors and varieties, and those have just been selling like crazy for us, and we think stores are going to do the same,” he said.

Considering its location in Ohio’s Amish country, Dunn has entered a new product category, introducing Amish-themed cards, postcards and calendars.

“Calendars can actually be customized to the store so you can get your store name added to the back of the calendar,” Burdette said.

Dunn also was honored by Parable Group with the Parable Vendor Partner of the Year award, presented at ICRS.

Retailers visiting Divinity Boutique’s booth benefited from the company’s new electronic mobile order entry system. Used for the first time at ICRS, the mobile system allowed the company to “scan in orders to an iPad, electronically transfer orders to our office in Ohio and get them processed within days of the show,” said Keith Schwartz, president of Nicole Brayden Gifts and Divinity Boutique. 

The system enabled Divinity to show pictures of products, descriptions, related items, group products as collections, email products that a customer wanted to look at, but was not ready to order, as well as write and ship orders.

Carpentree was pleased to introduce its new “The Bible” miniseries product line.

“Three items are tabletop and also come ready to hang, plus our two wall décor items make a great statement and were very well received at ICRS this year,” National Sales Manager Jordan Hobson said. 

The company also held a post-ICRS drawing for $500 worth of free product. The winning store had the option to select gifts and décor items from Carpentree’s line of framed art decor and gift products.

Store owner Rodney Mackrill of Divine Truth Christian Store in LaVista, Neb., was the recipient of the free product. 

“We appreciate all those who placed orders just before and during the ICRS show this year,” said General Manager Dan Hobson. “Due to the contest, we were able to get in great pre-show orders, resulting in even faster ship times for our ICRS customers.”

NOTW’s CEO Aurelio Barreto highlighted his company’s onesies and rompers for little ones, as well as a new product for tweens, which sees the company partnering with DaySpring. 

New U-Neeks T-shirts can be merchandised alongside the DaySpring cards highlighting characters that show kids they are uniquely created by God.

“That’s a market that nobody’s been addressing, so that is ripe for the harvest,” Barreto said of the tween gift market.

Jayme Brandt of apparel company Gardenfire introduced contemporary economical wall art, including box prints, at ICRS. Brandt has signed every piece with his name, and all are handmade.

The company also brought along equipment to demonstrate T-shirt screen-printing and educate its customers. Gardenfire also launched new apparel designs, including the Dem Holman women’s shirt, that are “on trend,” Brandt said.

Despite the show being “very slow” this year, Brandt found significant opportunities in licensing, distribution and custom printing, so he came away feeling positive about the overall experience.

Universal Designs has made it easier for retailers to stock and organize its product, including its core “Pass It On” cards and lines of bookmarks as well as auto decals, on its new product tower.

Bobbi Baugh, president of the Central Florida-based company, said the tower makes it simple for stores to continually reload Universal Designs’ product.

“We really knew that we needed some updating and refreshing of the look and the color schemes, so this is based on really popular black and granite patterns and very well-received,” Baugh said.

The configuration has also changed, meaning stores don’t have to commit to certain products “for life,” she added.

“Before we had really designed our displays to hold a specific product mix, and I think retailers know what’s best for them, so if you have a chance to change and find the thing that suits them best, that’s just all good,” she said.

The company also now has a bit more emphasis on auto products and has come up with its own version of stick people decals that are in fashion for family vehicle windows.

Debut Avenue featured products ranging from devotional items (Faith Box International) to games (Gotta Have Games). Some products were simply “family-friendly” such as snowball fun from the Snowtime Anytime! company.

A Debut Avenue exhibitor, Divine Image Cosmetics won the CBA Impact Award for best first-time exhibitor, which commended the company for its overall presentation, branding and messaging.

Activity for companies like Pampeana and Baskets of Cambodia at the Fair Trade in Action pavilion was quiet this year, perhaps due in part to its placement toward the back of the show floor.

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