Close Menu
  • For Buyers
    • Retail News
    • Products & Suppliers
    • Ecommerce
    • Marketing & Management
    • Trade Show News
  • For Suppliers
    • Supplier News
    • Marketing & Management
    • Importing
    • Manufacturers
    • Warehousing
    • Finance
    • Show Exhibiting
  • Wholesale 101
  • Trade Show Calendar
  • Wholesale Products
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Friday, May 30
  • Subscribe
  • Submit Content
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Advertise
    • Display Advertising
    • Email Marketing Campaigns
    • Newsletter Advertising
    • Sponsored Content
    • Lead Generation Services
  • Top Product Sources
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
WholesaleCentral.com Blog
  • For Buyers
    • Retail News
    • Products & Suppliers
    • Ecommerce
    • Marketing & Management
    • Trade Show News
  • For Suppliers
    • Supplier News
    • Marketing & Management
    • Importing
    • Manufacturers
    • Warehousing
    • Finance
    • Show Exhibiting
  • Wholesale 101
  • Trade Show Calendar
  • Wholesale Products
WholesaleCentral.com Blog
Home»For Buyers»Retail News»Personalized and Customized Items: Mementos For Any Occasion
Retail News

Personalized and Customized Items: Mementos For Any Occasion

PublisherBy PublisherApril 1, 2015Updated:February 1, 20237 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email
Share
Facebook Twitter Email

By IvyLee Rosario

Personalized and Customized ItemsA medallion from California, an ornament from Paris, a frame from Florida — these items are all meant to represent a memory from the journey’s taken throughout someone’s life. It is never a plan to go into a shop while on vacation just to buy a magnet, yet we find ourselves reaching for these trinkets well before the trip is over. So the question becomes, what makes personalized and customized items so popular? For Jocelyne Keijzer, co-owner of Medallion Vending — a company that sells custom engraved medallions through vending machines at attractions — these items are sought after because they create an emotion for the customer. “If someone says ‘oh my god I just saw a huge shark,’ they have an emotion with that whether they thought it was cool or scary. They had this experience and emotion and that is why we have these machines that can be placed anywhere inside or outside, so once you have that experience you are able to get these medallions and keep them and keep that memory.”

FTHIn the U.S. today, there are more than 100,000 businesses selling personalized and customized items with annual sales of at least $27 billion, and these numbers are continuing to increase. Whether it be a keepsake for yourself or a gift for friends and family, these items represent a connection to a place or person, making it the best kind of gift available: unique. “If you find something so specific, it is really meaningful not only for you to give to others but also to receive from the people you love,” said Chelsea Cawood, Marketing Director of FTH Wholesale. “It is more than just giving someone a candle or a generic necklace; it says you think about them, their personalities, what they mean to you, what they love and what is important to them.” Uniqueness is the most important quality when it comes to personalized and customized items, creating a statement piece that can always spark a conversation.

Poorboy WoodworksHaving the opportunity to come up with a product that is special to a specific person, area or theme, said Matt Hunter, owner of Poor Boy Woodworks, is the biggest part of creating these items. “Quality is a big feature. These customers are looking for items that they have not seen anywhere else. We specialize in home décor signs so putting something up in your house that says ‘where memories were made’ with a specific town name or state and then a picture is the perfect way to remember a special moment like a vacation.”

Zhen ZhuPersonalized and customized products are not just beneficial for the customers but also the retailers and wholesalers themselves. A Bain survey of more than 1,000 online shoppers showed that customers who had customized a product online engaged more with the company. They visited its website more frequently, stayed on the page longer and were more loyal to the brand. “Being a small company,” said Kristine Mattila, owner of Zhen Zhu – a company that makes hand painted ornaments – “we can take out the time to work on individual designs for people and work directly with the artists so all the ornaments come out exactly how our customers want them.” This way, the customer is given the opportunity to have an item designed to their specifications all while the companies receive feedback on what future customers might be looking for. With the proliferation of social media and online marketing, styles and trends are changing more rapidly than ever. Customization helps companies gain insights from customized designs to stay one step ahead of their competitors. With each design choice, customers share real-time shopper preferences.

SportulaWhen thinking of personalized and customized items one might think of the overly popular novelty items such as shot glasses or key chains, but these items cover a much wider range of everyday products that most people might not think of. “We came up with the concept of Sportula, which is a laser-cut grilling spatula,” said Mark England, National Sales Manager of Sportula Promotional Products. “We feature your favorite college or professional sports logos laser-cut through the blade and then we stamp the name on the handle.” Although a spatula might not be the first product to come to mind when you think custom, this will serve perfectly for the grilling expert in your life, or the overly enthusiastic football fan that owns one of every item made for their favorite team. 

MedallionAdvancement in technology have made personalized and customized items easier to get a hold of, from towels and jewelry to purses and clothing. Product selection has now moved on from ‘what are my options,’ to ‘what can’t I customize?’ “We do everything from buildings — historical and contemporary — we do landscapes, we do animals, we do signs, whatever everybody is looking for,” said Mattila. “I would say that the most popular and the best seller is a custom image of someone’s location, such as a specific town, city, and buildings like a theater or landmark. People who are looking to buy something customized and personalized are looking for something that reminds them of a place or a time that is a great memory for them.”

According to Forbes, there are five simple rules companies should follow when offering personalized and customized options to their customers:

1. Companies should be clear about the strategic value they hope to achieve: whether it is to engage with customers or introduce a new product line, make sure your intentions are clear.

2. Companies need to determine how much customization is necessary in the offer: figure out if you want customers to be able to personalize the item completely or just add in simple details like engraving a name on a wine glass.

3. In order to make customization as simple as possible for customers to follow, create a design template for them to work off of.

4. Make sure you offer a return policy; just because the customer designed the item does not mean it will always be error free.

5. Help your customers share their creations by displaying them on your company’s social media pages and websites.

“Our personalization is done through businesses. So for example, we are putting the Ford logo on the Sportula blade and handle and the people that work at Ford are proud to work there,” said England. “They like to spread the brand and show other people applications for their logo and keep it in front of as many faces as possible.” Personalized and customized products allow customers to be creative and communicate their needs better with the retailers and wholesalers. Product customization helps brands boost sales on their own websites or gain share on a retailer’s site. As more retailers and brands give their customers the design-it-yourself option, they should see a boost in profit and lower costs.

With the ongoing success of these personalized and customized items, no matter what the occasion there will always be an item available for purchase to help solidify a special memory for customers. “I think it is less about how an item is personalized and more about creating those human relationships,” said Cawood. “We sell a lot for families and if you pair that with a sport, occupation, and awareness then it becomes more special. It becomes something that nobody else has.”

Medallion Vending Fun
592 Long Oak Dr.
Gainesville, GA 30501
Phone: 888-995-5546
Website: www.medallionvendingfun.com

FTH Wholesale
2374 W. New Orleans St
Broken Arrow, OK 74011
Phone: 918-369-0622 or 888-708-1090
Website: shopfthenterprises.com

Poor Boy Woodworks Inc.
3075 Shattuck Rd #72
Saginaw, MI 48603
Phone: 989-992-7024
Website: poorboywoodworks.com

Zhen Zhu Inc.
2838 N 71ST ST
Scottsdale, AZ 85257
Phone: 480-663-1133
Website: www.zhenzhuinc.com

Sportula Products
2510 E Center St
Warsaw, IN 46580
Phone: 888-713-5343
Website: www.sportula.com

April 2015 Issue
Share. Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleTurn This Year’s Excess Inventory into Next Year’s Tax Deduction
Next Article The April 2015 Issue of Independent Retailer Magazine is Available Now!

Related Posts

5 Essential Tax Season Preparation Tips

January 24, 2024

7 Tips for Wholesale Inventory Management

January 23, 2024

Prepare Your Business for Supply Chain Disruptions

December 30, 2023
Sign Up for Buyer Updates
WholesaleCentral.com

Join the Buyer's Network

Get news & updates only for retailers.

how-to
Wholesale 101 for Buyers

Amazon Return Pallets For Sale: How to Profit

11 Mins ReadUpdated:August 9, 2024

A big trend among some online sellers is buying Amazon return pallets and overstock and…

Retail News

5 Essential Tax Season Preparation Tips

10 Mins ReadUpdated:August 8, 2024

Are you ready for tax season? April 18 is approaching quickly, and many day-to-day decisions…

Ecommerce

7 Steps to Create Successful Shipping for Your Business

6 Mins ReadUpdated:August 8, 2024

by Sidney Karanja Today’s business environment is more globalized and complex than ever before. In…

Product News

Overstock Liquidations

6 Mins ReadUpdated:August 9, 2024

Overstock inventory refers to the excess goods or merchandise that a retailer has on hand…

Latest Posts

Crafting a Marketing Strategy for Electronics Retailers

January 21, 2025

Effective Digital Marketing Strategies for Health & Wellness Brands

January 21, 2025

Mastering Beauty Ads: 10 Strategies for Engaging Your Audience | Blog.Wholesalecentrl.com 

January 21, 2025

Jewelry Marketing Strategies: How to Attract Customers and Boost Sales in a Competitive Market

December 31, 2024

How to Open a Gift Shop: A Step-By-Step Guide

December 23, 2024

Online Marketing Calendar for 2025: Don’t Miss These Critical Dates

December 17, 2024
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Find Wholesale Sources
WholesaleCentral.com

Join the Buyer's Network

Get news & updates only for retailers.

Follow Us:

Copyright © 2025. Sumner Communications, Inc..

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.