If you combine a sports fanatic’s passion with a personalized gift featuring their name, you have a good idea of exactly what Name in the Frame provides. “This idea was originally featured via direct mail, and even on a TV shopping channel,” says Jon Hart, owner and Chief Personalization Officer at Name in the Frame. “The problem was, customers ordered the item and had to wait three weeks for it to be made and shipped. Now with today’s technology, it’s made instantly while the customer waits. It’s a great seller at mall carts and kiosks,” he adds.
Name in the Frame is able to take someone’s name and insert it onto a color photo of a lineup of major league sports jerseys, so the recipient becomes part of the team. “It’s a great gift idea for sports fans who really identify with their team,” Hart says. “Last year, women were huge buyers of our product as gifts for the men in their lives,” he adds. Hart notes that the most successful dealers of Name in the Frame are high service gift retailers, “who are willing to spend time to show the product to customers,” he says. “We turn down big box retailers, preferring to deal with mom and pops, gift boutiques, and mall cart and kiosk operators.” Hart says people are attracted to the product as they walk by, and then the sellers can demonstrate it. “We do a big business with fair and festival retailers,” Hart says. “One seller did 1,000 units in 16 days at the Southern Christmas trade show last November in Charlotte, NC,” he notes. “Another cart operator was so pleased with his one cart’s sales that he’s expanding to 15 carts this year,” Hart adds.
To get a clearer picture of the product and how simple it is to make, Name in the Frame has a short video link on its site titled, “Business Opportunity,” that explains it all. “The finished prints wholesale for $12 each,” Hart says, “but can retail for much more, depending on how much framing or matting a retailer does for the customer. If you take a shot of San Francisco 49ers jerseys, for example, and then mat the finished product with the red and gold colors of the ‘Niners, you can add $10 to the retail price for only $1.20 worth of extra paper,” Hart explains. “Best of all, there’s no inventory for the photos themselves, as they’re all Internet based,” he adds.
Currently it just takes a minimum of $300 to get started, for what Hart calls 25, “print credits,” needed to access the site, where the pictures are stored online. Coming up later this year, the company intends to roll out White Glove Service, a complete out of the box solution for the many vendors who’ve asked for it. “We’ll supply the mats, photo paper, bags, bulk supplies, and basically everything a vendor will need except the picture frames and printer,” Hart says. “We just debuted it at the ASD show in Las Vegas last month, and it was a huge hit.” He also notes the product sells well at malls, with both mid-scale anchor stores like JC Penney and high-end anchors like Nieman Marcus. The difference with the high-end anchor stores is that shoppers don’t blink at paying extra for a nice frame to go with their art. “Name in the Frame is a revolutionary, 21st century business model for the independent retailer,” Hart adds. “It’s a unique product at a nice margin, without the risk.”
For more information:
Name in the Frame
PO Box 63617
Colorado Springs, CO 80962
Tel.: 719-494-8156
Fax: 719-387-1253
Email: thatsmesports@gmail.com
Website: www.nameintheframe.com