Sample 7
School Supply
It’s difficult to imagine greater innovation in school and office supply products than the introduction of personal computers. Electronic tools seem to have all but taken over at school and in the office. Yet along with computers, faxes, copiers, calculators and other seemingly indispensable electronic items, there are still age old, time tested items.
Pens, pencils, journals, staplers and push pins are alive and well, supporting the computer efforts of consumers at school or in the office. Even in these basic categories, innovation thrives as manufacturers look to meet the needs of today’s consumer and generate new interest, and more sales in traditional items.
At military exchanges, sales have been hampered by recent deployments and rising fuel costs, according to Beverly Calloway, Supervisory Buyer with AAFES. Calloway reports stationary sales for fiscal year 2004 were $145 million, down $6 million from fiscal year 2003, but projects 2005 sales of $151 million.
Part of the AAFES strategy to boost sales, notes Calloway, is to “work closely with vendor partners to stay competitive,” while offering the latest products available. She adds, “AAFES’ buyers and vendors understand the importance of a fresh product mix and earliest availability.”
AAFES reviews space allocation closely on an ongoing basis, sometimes eliminating entire categories if necessary. New products and categories are also being introduced to stay in line with competitors. Shredders have been moved to the stationary department and according to Calloway, “AAFES is also looking at bringing an assortment of United States Postal Service tape and mailing programs in on a trial basis.” Going forward, AAFES plans include promoting the everyday assortment mix and cross merchandising with other departments, such as office furniture.
NEXCOM stationary buyer Sharon Freyer also sees category changes, such as the expansion of the scrapbook offering. Currently, stores have 4 and 8 foot sets based on store size, but Freyer says, “this classification is doing extremely well for us and we hope to expand to a 12 foot assortment in larger locations.”
Exchanges looking to boost sales of school and office products will have plenty of help from vendors, who are responding to the latest trends and consumer demands with fresh ideas and exciting products. BIC, a long time leader in writing instruments, has enjoyed steady growth among military consumers over the years. Brian Trawick, Key Account Manager-Military Sales, BIC Consumer Products USA, says, “the trend we are seeing today is a return to the ‘classic writing instruments’”. He points to strong sales of the BIC Cristal® and BIC Round Stic ballpoint pens as evidence of the trend, noting that BIC also offers value-added mechanical pencils such as BIC Velocity®, items that are popular for office use.
BIC’s offering doesn’t end with writing. BIC Big Wheel™ correction tape is an innovative tool for rewriting. “For consumers who have difficulty using correction tapes,” Trawick says, “BIC big wheel is the only correction tape with wheels for smooth, guided lay down, making correcting any mistake easy.”
BIC’s offering doesn’t end with writing. BIC Big Wheel™ correction tape is an innovative tool for rewriting. “For consumers who have difficulty using correction tapes,” Trawick says, “BIC big wheel is the only correction tape with wheels for smooth, guided lay down, making correcting any mistake easy.”
Crayola, a name long synonymous with crayons, also offers imaginative new designs and features in their lines of crayons, markers and colored pencils. Innovation is key, according to Keri Wilt, who handles Crayola sales for the military market. She says it’s important to give kids something different besides the normal school tools to keep them interested in the category. Crayola’s plans for the future include focusing on the development of new technology to make coloring and drawing more fun and surprising.
Crayola offers several innovative, erasable products. Erasable Twistables are the only crayons with built in erasers. The erasable crayons feature a twist design that eliminates the need for paper peeling or sharpening to refresh the crayon’s point.
Another erasable product, Crayola Erasable markers, uses fast drying ink that can be erased completely from most types of paper. Erasable colored pencils are also available from Crayola in a 20 count value pack that includes a sharpener and eraser.
Pioneer Photo Albums provides products designed to meet the storage needs of school and office supply consumers. Pioneer offers photo albums designed to help organize photos, cards or notes in sizes up to 5x7 inches. Other Pioneer products include scrapbooks, guest books, address books and travel diaries. The company also offers shoe box size storage boxes in several designs and various colors.
Shell Plutsky, president of Pioneer says that “the latest trend in home and office is to offer more trend colors…” He adds that “design and color are continuing to play a big role in this market place.” His company’s sales reflect the success to be had in identifying and responding to trends in product design. Sales in 2004 increased 11% and are estimated to increase 15% in 2005.
For exchanges pursuing sales increase in the school and office products categories, there’s plenty of help available. Manufacturers and suppliers are keeping their fingers on the pulse of consumer trends, and responding with products in the latest styles and vivid colors. There’s a vast array of basic items with new designs that make school and office work fresh and interesting.