The Frankfurt consumer goods fairs Christmasworld, Paperworld, and Creativeworld launched the new business season with relevant industry topics. 3,051 exhibitors from 74 countries presented their new products for decoration, festive décor, paper, office supplies and stationery, as well as hobby, crafts and artists' requisites to the national and international trade.
The three leading international trade fairs attracted around 84,000 visitors from 163 countries to the Frankfurt exhibition grounds with numerous innovations, unusual product presentations, and a future-oriented complementary programme. "In addition to the industry-specific future topics, it is the high degree of internationality and the outstanding visitor quality that make the trade fair trio an indispensable platform for industry and trade. Our trade fairs bring the global players in the industry together in one place - this personal contact is the key to success for the entire consumer goods industry in the digital age," says Detlef Braun, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt.
Christmasworld gets the season off to an atmospheric start and visitors in the mood to order
At Christmasworld, 1,091 exhibitors from 50 countries (216 from Germany and 875 from abroad) made a convincing impression on the international retail trade with their new products and presentations for seasonal and festive decorations. A total of 43,945 visitors from 128 countries (15,276 from Germany and 28,669 from abroad) came to place their orders for the latest trends and gain inspiration to create new designs at their points of sale.
"As the leading trade fair, Christmasworld is a reliable partner and driving force for the international decoration and festive articles sector. Together with the products and services offered by our exhibitors and future-oriented themes in the complementary programme, the trade is entering the new business season stronger than ever before. This is particularly evident from the optimistic mood in the exhibition halls", says Julia Uherek, Group Show Director, Consumer Goods at Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH.
Exhibitors are delighted with well-filled order books, as the over-the-counter trade sold well over the recent Christmas season and has now stocked up on new products. Eckart Wurm, President of G. Wurm GmbH + Co KG, puts it in a nutshell. "Christmasworld 2020 was the best fair in 50 years. This is where you find the best buyers, both national and international. Our export business in particular has boomed. We are over the moon. Sensational."
That ordering patterns were significantly stronger during the fair (the level rose from 59% to 64%) was also confirmed by exhibitor surveys. "We have been exhibiting at Christmasworld for twelve years and they were all good. Now, the ordering behaviour has increased again, especially among German buyers, but we also had visitors to our stand from Italy, France, the Netherlands and Russia - and buyers from small shops as well as large chains and garden centres", says Michael Gozeling, Chief Executive Officer of Christmas Inspirations B.V.
Hamid Yazdtschi, Managing Director of Gilde Handwerk Macrander GmbH & Co. KG adds: "For us, Christmasworld is the fair for reaching new as well as existing customers. The Internet has not yet reached the point where it is possible to digitally convey the look and feel of products to customers. In this sense, Christmasworld is a real working fair for us. It's where we can present our products in a fitting way, and it's where orders are placed and business is done. That makes it unbeatable."
Visitor quality and internationality 100% perfect
The level of internationality among visitors is 65%. The ten strongest visitor nations include Italy, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, the Russian Federation, Austria, Switzerland, China, Belgium and the USA.
"In terms of internationality and buyer quality, Christmasworld is an extremely valuable fair for us", confirms Renato Frizzerin, Import Manager at EDG Enzo De Gasperi. Ferdinand von Schlenk-Barnsdorf, Management of Weihnachtsland GmbH agrees with him: "We succeeded in acquiring around 25% new customers, with half of them coming from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and the rest from other parts of the world such as Australia and the USA. Products "Made in Europe" and "Made in Germany" are in great demand, and this plays right into our hands".
The excellent visitor quality was also highly appreciated in the exhibitor surveys – 73% are executives, and 64% from top management. "The buyer quality couldn't be better. This makes Christmasworld the most important trade fair for us because it’s where we generate the greatest sales", is how Ferry Mulder, General Manager of Exotica Cor Mulder GmbH, sums it up.
All in all, the exhibitor satisfaction rate of 73% is at a high level. 78% of the exhibitors stated that they had achieved their fair participation objectives.
Highest satisfaction levels among trade visitors
The results of the visitor survey reflect a further increase in satisfaction of three percentage points: 95% of visitors are either satisfied or extremely satisfied with the range of products and manufacturers, as well as with the trade fair as a whole. The level of visitor satisfaction with the achievement of their personal fair visit objectives is also very high, at a constant 95%.
New ideas and suggestions for the over-the-counter retail sector
The complementary programme at Christmasworld offered an abundance of valuable business ideas and inspiration for the "Point of Sale", which is increasingly becoming the "Point of Emotions". In 2020, it picked up above all on the social megatrend of urbanisation, and positioned itself as a valuable source of inspiration with practical and workable ideas.
The Christmasworld Trends 20/21 impressively showcased the new products, colours, and materials for the coming season. The central theme identified by the bora.herke.palmisano style agency is "family matters". It is based entirely on a responsible sense of togetherness, and the desire for a more attentive and environmentally conscious lifestyle. In the three style worlds "green ritual", "silken party", and "happy get-together" it became particularly clear that the classic Christmas bauble is evolving into a "year-round bauble", and can therefore be decorated all year round. This trend was confirmed by numerous exhibitors with extraordinary bauble creations for weddings, spring and Easter, or sociable evenings.
In the Decoration Unlimited - Dark Ocean area, trade buyers learned how storytelling and elements of surprise can entice shoppers to buy. Designer duo Rudi Tuinman and Pascal Koeleman from 2dezign transported visitors away to a deep blue, elegant world of experience, which interpreted the trendy "Classic Blue" Pantone colour in a Christmassy way. They also presented tips for a conceptual implementation. "Christmasworld has demonstrated once again how to surprise, fascinate, and ultimately convince consumers in the retail trade. Dark Ocean, above all, offers great ideas for wow effects. 80% of them can also be created with traditional Christmas decorations. What counts is regular changes to the floor space and shop windows", emphasises Peter Botz, Managing Director of Verband Deutscher Garten-Center e.V. (VDG - Association of German Garden Centres).
Many visitors came to Christmas Delights in search of products to liven up their product assortment in a surprising way. Culinary take-away articles offer the trade additional sales potential all year round.
Retail BLVD: Outlook on the future of the retail trade
According to the findings of a survey conducted by the Institute for Retail Research (IFH), it can be seen that customers nowadays are increasingly seeking information online, and buying offline. Christian Spancken of Google “Future Workshop” (Zukunftswerkstatt) also emphasises this: "Any retailer who cannot be found online is practically non-existent. A good online presence also results in higher customer frequency in the store". Shoppers want competent advice, emotional experiences, and additional service. They can only find this in the retail sector. The "Retail BLVD" concept area at Christmasworld showed how forward-looking models can look. Together with the IFH in Cologne, the Retail BVLD focused on the customer journey, and depicted the steps from buying impulse to customer loyalty. In the "Social Media Playground", "Convenience," and "Experience House", visitors learned how different customer needs can be satisfied optimally - and, above all, how digital solutions can best be linked.
Ricardo Camacho of Feliz Luces, a Christmas article retailer from Mexico comments: "The guided tour of the Retail BLVD was really interesting - I picked up several ideas for my business, such as how to use digital media in a complementary way in the shop, and how to present products well, particularly online, to improve the shopping experience". Marta Golec from Candlemania in Ireland explored the "Social Media Playground", and added: "We came to the fair to meet our suppliers and find out what's new. The Retail BLVD is an excellent addition to increasingly important digital communication activities".
Boris Hedde, Managing Director of IFH, sums up as follows: "With the Retail BLVD, Messe Frankfurt is making it clear that it is an industry insider and an expert for the retail sector. Working together, we offer initial ideas and approaches to solutions for owner-managed businesses. This sensitises the key target group to the challenges of tomorrow".
"The Retail BLVD is in tune with the spirit of the times, the contents of Google’s Future Workshop and the guided tours by the IFH experts were particularly impressive, but such contents take time. The retail sector urgently needs tips for digital solutions because it has yet to arrive in the digital world. We took a lot on board in this respect", adds VDG Managing Director Botz.
For those interested in extending their in-depth knowledge, the contents are available throughout the year at www.conzoom.solutions.
Conspicuous: festive decorations are becoming more sustainable
Christmas and seasonal decorations are becoming noticeably more sustainable, both on a small and a large scale: numerous products such as candles but also artificial snow, ribbons, cards and gift packaging as well as entire festive decorations e.g. for cities and shopping centres are being made of environmentally friendly materials and produced in a more resource-saving way. Examples range from paper baubles made of FSC-free paper (e.g. Flatyz) to biodegradable gift ribbons made of 100% cotton (e.g. C.E. Pattberg), a Christmas tree stand made entirely of recycled plastic (Krinner), and spectacular light decorations made of biodegradable sugar cane (Blachere Illumination).
This trend is also reflected in terms of style: baubles, pendants, planters or candlesticks feature floral motifs such as sprays, flowers and leaves or are made of wood, cork, paper, glass and recycled materials. The range of colours is correspondingly natural: mint green, bottle green or even fern green, for example, are in fashion. Brown is also growing in popularity - hazelnut brown, coffee bean or beige, and the Christmas classic red in fuchsia or bordeaux are all the rage. While "Classic Blue" never goes out of style anyway. It is all a matter of elegant staging. Velvet, in combination with fresh flowers and plants, adds a refined and cosy touch to winter decorations. The festive character of the traditional Christmas celebration is additionally accentuated by exquisite chocolates in decorative shapes, flavoured coffee beans or exclusive liqueurs along with culinary delicacies for tree decorations such as tartlets, pretzels or even camembert.
The consumer goods fairs will again take place next year around the last Saturday in January:
Christmasworld: 29 January - 2 February 2021
Paperworld and Creativeworld: 30 January - 2 February 2021