Gift Focus - Jan/Feb 2018 (Issue 105)

giftfocus 21 trends I’m always excited to look ahead at what might be the next big thing in gifting. While you can never completely predict what’s around the corner, there are four trends that I believe will present huge opportunities to retailers in 2018. Firstly it’s seaside-themed products, which are being boosted by the popularity of the new series of Blue Planet . We’ll see manufacturers like Jelly Cat leading the way, with crustacean and fish-inspired toys. Secondly, as Star Wars celebrates its 40 th anniversary next year, we can expect consumers – of all ages – to seek out a range of licensed merchandise and Royal Selangor has already picked up on this by releasing a diverse range of Star Wars -themed pewter homeware, gifts and personal accessories. Men’s gifts are another area that will grow in 2018, with men’s grooming and DIY products presenting fantastic opportunities for retailers to diversify and bring in new customers. Finally, 2017 really has been the year of gin, with sales surging by 12 per cent over the past year. In 2018, I expect to see a fantastic variety of gin-inspired gifting products hitting the shelves – CGB Giftware has already unveiled a ‘gym and tonic’ duffle bag and Gin Pong game and more will follow, I’m sure. 2018 will be another exciting year for the giftware industry and it will be fascinating to see what other trends come to the fore throughout the year. Rob Sapwell Head of Sales (Gifts, Home & The Summerhouse), Spring Fair Ascential Events Key trends to hit the world of gift in 2018 include the new hot craze of llamas. This quirky animal makes a great graphic for cushions, makeup bags, fund boxes and plaques and has been presented in a bright fun colour palette inspired by Peruvian patterns and culture. To finish this fun look off there’s clever wording such as drama llama and no problama . Llamas are definitely the new Unicorn in the gift and home industry! Still in the limelight for 2018 are unicorns and mermaids – hot sellers in 2017. This look is magical, mystical and with a pretty rainbow coloured palette it’s perfect for a mixed age range of little girls and women as it translates across so many gift products such as, wooden plaques, cosmetic bags, figurines, wish boxes and fund boxes. Sentiment messages and typography continue to perform well from the more traditional messages for baby, wedding and christening to the more fun messages about gin, prosecco and unicorns. This product area will feature strongly in 2018 on wish boxes, plaques, candles and fund boxes. Gold foil wording is still popular teamed with bright and pastel colours. Tree of life jewellery continues to sell exceptionally well and with bright colours being key for the spring/summer colour palette, we have combined this look within the tree of life collection. Other items that will feature in this gift area will be unicorns, mermaids and a new hand-painted jewellery trend. Our colour predictions for next year are navy blue, bright Peruvian colours such as hot pink, teal, purple, orange and lime green with gold foil stamping still being key. Laura Leigh Head of product development, Joe Davies joedavies.co.uk

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