Most of us wish to have a better, healthier, and happier year ahead. 2022 is a clean slate for us to redesign our plans. With that, a lot of businesses aim to improve their products and services, too. This is to help them regain what they’ve lost during the pandemic years.
Practicality and usefulness are what a lot of people are after these days. And so, businesses need to work on how they can provide better products that their target market needs. With the rise of e-commerce, every business in each industry is in tight competition.
Businesses compete with each other and try to market the same products differently. Some of the businesses that are in tight competition are photo printing and stationery businesses. Since people can now produce and print their own stationery needs at home, it’s quite hard now to market stationery products.
If you own a stationery business and want to level up your products this 2022, here are 4 practical items that you can add to your list.
1. Design-your-own calendars
One of the things people love about online shops is that they offer a lot of personalisation options for clients. A lot of stationery shops are open to accepting personalised designs for photo printing. They also offer a wide range of mediums for their clients’ prints.
In short, people like to have control over what they purchase. A lot of calendars sold online almost have the same design and feel. If you do offer ready-made calendars, that’s good. How about you also consider accepting personalised designs?
If you think it’s not necessary to start offering it since it’s almost February, you’re wrong. A lot of people buy calendars even halfway through the year. Plus, you are free to decide whether you plan to start the month from January or whatever date it is your client is requesting.
Consider adding ‘design-your-own’ calendars to your products. Aside from its practicality, it is also a necessity that people need.
2. Budget and finance planners
These days, a lot of people in their early 20s value the importance of saving money. If you notice, a lot of online posts share tips on how to save money. There are even financial videos that explain the importance of having an emergency fund and allocating money to certain assets.
It’s important to note that not everyone knows how to start saving. Some just don’t know where to start or how to begin. Others need some sort of guideline to help them allocate their money well. With that, you can consider offering a budget planner.
If you design your planners or have professional photo printing equipment, the better. You can first start designing some guidelines on how to allocate funds. Then, you can create a mock-up of your budget planner and ask your family and friends’ opinions about it.
You can also consider offering 2 types of budget planners. One is for students who are still learning how to save. The second type is for young adults who have other bills and responsibilities to consider. Your budget planner doesn’t have to be technical. It’s better if it is simple and straight to the point. That way, it will be easier for people to follow and keep track of their expenses.
3. Self-help journals
Another famous tip that is often discussed online is self-help topics. A lot of people share their secrets and experiences about how they reached their goals. Others share things they’ve been working on to become a better version of themselves.
With that, why don’t you consider offering self-help journals, too? Self-help topics are indeed diverse. Others prioritise mindfulness, how to reach their personal goals better, and such. In that sense, you can start with the most discussed topic.
You can do your research and check what people are commonly talking about online. If you see more posts about how people want to see and track their progress, you can focus on that. Just like the budget planner I discussed, you can start with simple ones. You can add a ‘small goals’ and ‘bigger goals’ list in your journal.
You can also designate 2 to 3 pages per month that discuss short and simple ways to work on a specific trait. Maybe you’d like to discuss motivation and how you won’t always be motivated. Perhaps, the secret is to build a habit and to stick to it. Whatever topic you plan to discuss, make sure it’s helpful and related to your self-help journal.
4. Item labeller
Over the years, the internet has also influenced people to organise. Just like with the past items I shared, people share content on how to organise and make your space clutter-free. If your stationery business offers printing services, you can consider adding item labellers to your product list.
The thing about labellers is that people can make one at home. What you can do is create embossed, waterproof, and durable ones. That way, your labellers can be used for heavy-duty and normal items.
You can start with 3 different colours first. If you have the budget, you can offer them in 3 different sizes as well. If you want people to freely write and label things on their own, maybe you can look for a permanent pen that can withstand any grease or water.
You can also go for printed ones, but make sure they’re durable. Whatever type of item labeller you plan to offer, make it a useful one. That way, you can help people to organise accordingly. Word of mouth will surely help your business reach places.
Think from the perspective of a consumer to see how you can make simple items practical and useful.
There you have it. These are the 4 practical items that you can sell in your stationery business. Keep in mind, you don’t need to offer items that your competitors are selling. It would be best to study your target market first. From there, list down the things that people are looking for.
Work on those and redesign them into something that can be used daily. In short, turn those items into something useful yet practical for your target market to purchase. Use my suggestions as inspiration to spice up your 2022 stationery product line.
About the author:
Bianca Banda is a writer for DS Colour Labs Ltd (DSCL), a professional photography lab that offers a vast range of products and services for photo and print needs.
Photo by Estée Janssens from Unsplash
