One of the projects I tackled over the holidays was to edit and revamp my wholesale catalog. (For more background on creating a wholesale stationery catalog, visit this post.)
For the National Stationery Show this past May, I used my existing catalog and created a flyer with new products that could slip inside. This worked well at the time, but as I released more new products in August and early December, I could no longer justify having multiple inserts and knew it was time to revamp my catalog.
I didn't do this sooner for two reasons. First, I knew I'd be releasing a bunch of new cards at the very beginning of 2014 and wanted to wait so these could be included in the new catalog. Second, catalogs are quite expensive to print and I wanted to hold off as long as possible!
Here were my guidelines when revising my catalog:
- Maintain the catalog's existing format. My first catalog was very clear and easy to navigate. I received many compliments on it, remained happy with the existing layout, and knew I didn't need to reinvent the wheel.
- Eliminate slow sellers or tired designs. After two years in business, it's become quite obvious to me what designs sell well and what don't. There were a handful of older designs I really didn't like and I was very ready to remove them from the catalog!
- Make minor revisions to terms and ordering details.
- Add new products.
It was a tedious process, but not nearly as onerous as I thought it would be since I was building off of the skeleton of the existing catalog.
Since this is a relatively quiet time of year, I was able to quickly get these printed from my trusty local printer and ready to send off to retailers! If you are a retailer interested in receiving a catalog, please contact me at hello{at}happycactusdesigns.com to have one sent your way. You can also view the catalog digitally here.
Of the various elements that must come together to exhibit at the National Stationery Show, I think one of the most daunting is putting together a wholesale catalog. First of all, creating a 12+ page catalog is time consuming and requires painstaking attention to detail. Secondly, your catalog is one of the most important, if not the most important, marketing pieces that buyers see.
It’s hard to believe The National Stationery Show is merely days away! Happy Cactus Designs officially launched in September 2011, and our sights have been set on exhibiting at NSS ever since. Preparing for the show is not for the faint of heart. Here’s a brief breakdown of some of what has gone into preparing for the show.
Designs
Since
Happy Cactus launched last year, it was pretty clear which of our
designs were the bestsellers and really represented the brand well
(including Garden Blues, Happy Birthday Blue Blooms, Welcome Baby
Elephants, Budding Pinks, and Heart Drops). That said, I was eager to
build out the collection. Over 70 designs will be making their debut at
NSS this year, including a bevy of new patterned and thank you cards,
colorful designs for special occasions (think Mother’s and Father’s Day, Congratulations, Christmas, Hanukkah), and even more Birthday and Baby cards.
Booth
Perhaps
the most ambitious part about exhibiting at NSS is pulling together a
booth design. Since Happy Cactus Designs’ work is so colorful and
pattern-driven, the choice was made to keep our booth clean and simple.
I’ll share a full breakdown of the different aspects of the booth (and
photos!) post-NSS.
Networking
One
thing I did not expect when I launched this company was the number of
wonderful stationery designers, store owners, and consultants to the
industry that I would have the pleasure of getting to know. Everyone has
been so supportive, welcoming, and encouraging of one another, and I
cannot wait to meet my new friends in person!
A
lot of this “getting to know you” has taken place on Twitter and
Facebook. It’s awesome to have a sounding board to bounce ideas off of,
to ask stupid questions, and to support. A huge component of this has
been Tradeshow Bootcamp, founded by Kelp Designs’ Katie Hunt. Katie
created TSBC as a resource for newbies like myself to learn the ropes,
and has done as amazing job pulling together NSS veterans to guide us
through the process.
Marketing
While
I wish I could spend all day doodling, designing, and creating new
products, I end up spending a lot of my days wearing different hats.
While you may think just having a booth at NSS is enough, a lot of prep
goes into the before and after, and I’ve been wearing my marketing “hat”
a lot lately. Pre-show postcards announcing my company’s debut, booth
number, and show special were designed and sent to a carefully curated
list of wonderful stores across the country. The Happy Cactus Designs’
website underwent a revamp and I’m thrilled with the end product. New
business cards were created, too.
Perhaps the most ambitious undertaking was creating and designing a catalog of my entire collection. This included taking styled product photography, learning an entirely new program to design and layout my catalog, and figuring out the details of printing the darn thing. Fortunately, the catalog turned out beautifully (you can flip through it digitally here), and I can’t wait to share it with retailers!