Hybrid is the Way!

Integrating digital products into a retail store has many owners scared. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to be! Digital products can actually bring in a new revenue stream to your store and can enhance the products you already carry. Keep in mind that the answer isn’t simply “add digital;” the answer is “add Hybrid.” Hybrid Crafting and Scrapbooking incorporates both traditional and digital products and techniques. This method brings together both aspects of our crafting industry and turns the computer into a crafting tool.

Through my experience consulting with retailers I have learned that there are many factors surrounding the fear of incorporating digital products into their store. The biggest fear is how the digital products will affect their bottom line since digital products are not in the same consumable category as traditional paper and embellishments.

What’s the solution? It’s simple really: Creative hybrid displays, knowledgeable employees or teachers and smart purchases from your procurement agent.

The most common mistake made by a retailer introducing digital products is that they themselves do not often understand the product and so they don’t know how to display it in a fashion that will encourage sales. Since time is limited for most storeowners there are ways to conquer this issue that require minimal time. Send an email or post an announcement that your store is looking for hybrid and digital teachers. With the influx of digital scrapbooking over the past 5 years you will be surprised to find that many of your consumers have knowledge in this area. Tapping into your loyal customers is a way to bring in the knowledge that you do not have the time to learn. If you are unsuccessful at finding capable teachers then search on the Internet for Hybrid Scrapbooking and Crafting and then request help and information from sites that are already catering to this area. The final option is to take time out to learn about it yourself and then educate your employees.

Putting a CD on your shelf, no matter how eye-catching the cover is, will not sell the CD. Your customers are tactile and visual. They need to see what the CD can create and touch the printed items. Create displays that catch the eye and educate your customer. If all you do is print out samples that can be hung next to the CD you will increase the purchasing power of the product but the most innovative way to encourage sales of digital products is to couple them with traditional items that you already carry in the store. You can show the full capabilities of the digital products by combining pieces of them with matching embellishments and papers that your loyal customers already love and purchase. By creating sample pages that show the mixture of traditional and digital products on them you show your customer how seamlessly the products fit together. Use arrows or other tags to label the different methods for creating the page. Point out the digital products so that your customer can see how versatile the items contained on the CD are and how well they match with your traditional products. Keep an eye out for manufacturers that are already thinking along these lines for you. Companies that have released their own digital products often have creative ways that they can be combine with other traditional items. Utilizing these products in your store will make it easier for you to sell them to your consumer.

Manufacturers are beginning to understand the need that retail storeowners have for products that intermix. Prima has a fantastic line-up of hybrid products that go hand in hand with each other. Glitz Design offers a variety of CD’s that match their papers and embellishments. They also have a Create-A-Card CD series that is quite popular. Daisy D’s has several 4-in1- Stamp Kits that include an alphabet stamp set and a CD that includes the same font as the stamps and a few digital papers. These kits match existing lines that Daisy D’s offers. Tinkering Ink offers their papers on CD as well as by the sheet and their finery and other embellishments work in conjunction with the digital and traditional items. Lasting Impressions offers their Memory Mixer Software that can be used to create scrapbook pages and books. As these manufacturers push the industry to adjust to the need of the hybrid scrapbooker and their retailers I believe we’ll see a growing number of companies that jump on board and provide compatible digital products that are intended to be used in conjunction with traditional products.

To help encourage your loyal customers to step outside their comfort-zone you have to be willing to do so yourself. Adding digital products into your store and displaying them properly will help your customers feel comfortable coming to you for products, information, classes and ideas. To break into this area it is sometimes easier to have a “HYBRID DAY” at the store where your customers can drop by to learn about this method of scrapbooking, see in-store demonstrations, sign up for classes and purchase products. Package traditional and digital products together to make it easier for your customer to walk in and purchase items that work well together. A hybrid day is also a great way to feel out the interest from your customer base. Once you have interest begin offering classes that will teach your customers how to combine traditional and digital techniques and products together.

It is important that you don’t feel discouraged when you first launch your digital products. As the interest in digital grows in the industry, so does the curiosity of your consumer. During the recent CHA Summer show in Chicago we spent a lot of time talking with manufacturers about the concerns of retail stores and how they see the retailers moving into the digital products marketplace. Lane Hill from Lasting Impressions had this to say, “Every store owner is viewed as the memory expert in their community. Take advantage of that and learn the new technology so that you can be the place they go for answers.” I am a firm believer that if you aren’t doing it, your competitor will. By providing the products in a visible location in your store and offering classes you are sending the message to your customers that you are the place they can come when they are ready to try out a digital product.

It isn’t easy to take the first step forward but when you start small and start smart you will be successful in integrating digital products into your store. If you have more questions about this, visit our private Retailer and Manufacturer section in our forums and we will be happy to give you additional information that will help you on your way.