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6 GENERAL NEWS Bridal Registry (Cont. from Page 1) stage in their life, for example, starting a new home," points out Kris Malkoski, President, North America. "World Kitchen brands are seen as 'high quality for everyday use' and being part of consumers' new stage in life sets our brands up to be loyally used for years. "We are always making new and refreshed sets to appeal to the consumer," Malkoski continues. "A new line, 'Boutique' by Corelle, launched in 2013 and has been very well received at Kohl's, Macy's and Bed Bath & Beyond. Glass storage is important to Millennials and Pyrex has addressed this interest with the launch of No Leak Lids and Glass Lids, which enable you to keep the lid on your glass when used in the microwave or oven. Corningware has beautiful sets of French White and a new colored line 'CW by Corningware,' which will launch in spring 2014. Our Corningware products are now nestable to make storage easy for the new homeowner who might not have a lot of space." Amanda Harrison, Brand Marketing Manager for Calphalon, comments, "Traditional bridal registries are very important in attracting consumers and maintaining loyalty. Registering for cookware is usually a couple's first major entrance into the category where they are able to select items based on what they want, rather than what they simply needed when they were single. Our goal is to provide durable, high quality kitchenware and cookware that ensures a couple has a great experience with Calphalon products and continues to stay loyal to our brand. "Brides want durable cookware that gives them great cooking results," Harrison adds. "Our Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick cookware combines contemporary design with multi-layer nonstick for ultradurability; and is our number one line of cookware in the bridal category. In 2013, we added dishwasher safe technology to the line so clean-up is more convenient and even easier." Calphalon's 17-piece Contemporary Cutlery Set and five-piece Gourmet Bakeware Set also are popular registry selections. Trendy gadget supplier Joseph Joseph spotlights its classic 100 Collection as particularly appropriate for registries. "The 100 Collection is perfect for bridal registries, as it is our best designs remodeled in the finest materials and restrained use of color— more timeless, less fashiondriven, pieces," notes Damon Willmott, Senior Vice President of Sales. "It's a great way to reach out to new consumers and introduce them to a brand they may have not of been familiar with KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW before. We like to think that once consumers have experienced using our products firsthand they would be keen to invest in and enjoy other areas of the collection. Our products lend themselves very well as gifts." Many suppliers offer helpful suggestions or tools to retailers to help them guide couples through the registry process. "We understand that registering for wedding gifts can sometimes be an overwhelming experience, so we provide a 'wedding wish list' to prospective registrants as a helpful guide, offering direction on what and how many items they will want to register for in order to adequately stock their linen closets," explains Steve Schneider, President of luxury linens supplier Sferra. "Sferra offers comprehensive marketing materials that serve as resources for our stores' gift registries. It is essential that these consultants become expert in the products they offer. Many of our retail partners provide the services of a personal registry consultant. "Sferra recommends that the registry offer gifts in a variety of product categories," Schneider continues. "We have a wide selection of bed linens, bath linens, table linens, down comforters and pillows, and decorative accessories. We encourage our customers to offer a complete line of basics to ensure that the selection will be timeless. It is best to offer gifts at various price levels, not just the high ticket items. Sferra sells bedding as open stock—sheets, cases, etc., are sold separately, not in sets. This way the customer can list individual pieces of an ensemble to make the gifts accessible to more people." Le Creuset, known for its high quality enameled cast iron cookware, offers its retail customers a wide variety of marketing materials to help develop their registry business, including online image libraries and customizable ad templates targeted at brides. "Bridal and gift registries are a wonderful opportunity to introduce people to our brand," comments Will Copenhaver, Director of Marketing Communications. "Le Creuset is certainly aspirational, but our products also are highly functional items that will last a lifetime, and we find that people who receive Le Creuset from their registries often become lifelong fans. "Different registry solutions fit different models, so we try to provide broad tools n FEBRUARY 2014 that will help our customers present the Le Creuset brand in a compelling manner," Copenhaver adds. "I believe the bridal/gift registry will business continue to evolve away from some of the more traditional conventions of the past – the fine china and the silver – and towards items that are versatile, fun and touch your daily life. At the same time registries are clearly opportunities for splurging, and we're seeing large gift sets at high price points continue to grow." Industry executives agree that there is a growing trend towards casual entertaining products in registries. Portmeirion, for instance, spotlights its new Ambiance tableware. "Finally there is a collection available for you to mix with the friends you love and the food you share," states Wendy Motlaq, Corporate Vice President, also citing the company's oven-to-table Sophie Conran collection. "Perfect for casual entertaining, each piece nicely complements and reflects the design of our Sophie Conran dinnerware and glassware collections." Several suppliers point to the growth in wedding websites, social networking and online sales platforms as an important direction. Overall online retail sales during the recent holiday season rose more than 10 percent over last year, according to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, which tracks online retail activity. And according to The Knot, while in-store initial registry set-up continues to be popular, onlineonly registry management has increased significantly, with a small but growing number of couples choosing to post a "universal" registry online. "There are so many good bridal registries online today, it makes the online portion very competitive and is a great convenience to those guests that live out of town," remarks Jason Needleman, President and CEO for luxury linens supplier Peacock Alley. "The online registries are very inexpensive today and the startups take very little time. While the online registry business is very competitive, it gives the bride/groom and guests ultimate flexibility to give gifts. "We always encourage retailers to push the basics for a bridal registry...sheets, blankets, towels and robes," Needleman continues. "They are a gift that can last a long time and if they like the product, they will come back for more. Adding some n www.kitchenwarenews.com type of personalization will make the gift even more special—we have seen everything from names to wedding dates to zip codes for an extra touch." Malkoski of World Kitchen notes, "We have proof that individuals under the age of 35 use the Internet for 80 percent of their informational needs. If retailers aren't providing their registry information and marketing online where he or she is looking they will miss out. While consumers still like to go 'in store' to register so that they can review, touch and feel the products, the rest of their bridal registry experience happens online." Sferra's Schneider points out, "Webbased registries provide the all-important element of convenience for friends and families. Guests can easily see products and can purchase and have items gift wrapped and shipped from afar. Sites that allow couples to combine items they want to register for—across the web, from different sites—have sprung up in recent years and offer an easy convenience for registrants. They function somewhat like Pinterest, so it's easy to add selections to your registry as you surf the web. MyRegistry.com is a good example of these types of sites. An online retailer might not even know that something purchased through their site has gone out for someone's wedding registry—that's the seamless beauty of this trend." For More Information Calphalon www.calphalon.com Le Creuset www.cookware.lecreuset.com Joseph Joseph www.josephjoseph.com Peacock Alley www.peacockalley.com Portmeirion www.portmeirion.com Sferra www.sferra.com World Kitchen www.worldkitchen.com