Party and Paper Magazine

New Decade, New Way to Party

When referring to New Years’ past it was easy to say that we were entering the ’80s or the ’90s, but it got a little sticky when we hit 2000 (the naughts, Double Zero, ’00 ...). Looking ahead to the upcoming New Year’s celebration means looking ahead to” new decade” celebrations — the ’10s.

But New Year’s can be tricky, in that although it’s a widely celebrated event, there is a comparably short selling season for “only” the New Year’s holiday. Because of this, retailers can take advantage of the “new decade” hype and start the selling period earlier than they might have in the past. A quick and easy way to get consumers thinking in the party mindset earlier is by creating end-cap displays. They don’t take up much time or space, but yet still draw attention to the product at every turn.

“Endcaps lead up to more prominent setups — including multi-use decorations like balloon kits, food and beverage serving ideas and invitations — all of which can obviously be purchased at your store,” said Dusty McClintock, vice president of sales, Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kits. “Retailers should also consider taking advantage of their print or e-communication consumer databases to begin peppering consumers with New Year’s Eve messages well before the normal selling season, increasing the frequency of outreach after Christmas.”

Kathy Flynn, special projects director for Pioneer Balloon Co., suggests displaying New Year’s balloons and party supplies immediately following Thanksgiving and adding a little merchandise signage — such as “Plan your party now!”— to ensure customers will buy decorations and place their balloon orders early.

At Unique Industries, they recommend stores set up at least a small section of New Year’s merchandise in early December, as most shoppers plan ahead and will remember to swing by again after Dec. 25 for their New Year’s party supplies.

“Devote a little shelf space to the most popular, eye-catching items and shoppers will return the last week of December, after the bustle of Christmas is over,” said Unique’s Vice President of Marketing, Debbie Beer. “Then create colorful, eye-catching displays of all New Year’s products, utilizing windows, walls and ceilings to hang open items. Also incorporate year-round, everyday items in the New Year’s section for increased sales.”

Streaming Ahead
And when it comes to sales, the National Retail Federation predicts that the average consumer will spend around $35 on decorations for the holiday. Beer predicts that silver, gold and black will maintain the top color spots for this season, but that bright, contemporary colors such as lime green, purple and yellow are showing strong in the market, too.

“Bright, colorful, eye-catching decorations are key for most New Year’s parties,” explained Beer. “Retailers should be well stocked for the New Year’s season with perennial best-sellers including poppers, blowouts, horns, noisemakers, hats, tiaras, serpentines, beads and balloons. When it comes to cascade and honeycomb decorations, confetti and banners, foil, glitter and prism are the most popular styles.”

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Originally posted Wednesday, Jun. 24, 2009