Page 229 - AmericasMart: Market Magazine July 2017

HOLIDAY & FLORAL/HOME DÉCOR
raised with less,” she says. “So when they became successful they wanted collectibles and numbered items and annual editions. They wanted limited editions that grew in value. They amassed a lot of things.”
That trend, she says, has extended to Gen Xers, albeit less so. And the latest consumer demographic to come into power, Millennials, are even
more different.
“They’re minimalistic,” says Jenkins-Gibson. “They want to be ready to pick up and move in a minute, so they don’t want a lot of things sitting around their house. That changes my product mix.”
It also changes her strategy. Jenkins-Gibson says Millennials value experiences more than merchandise. She has observed that these customers spend the bulk of their money on whatever enhances their vacation, whether it’s an inn or bed-and-breakfast versus a chain hotel or lunch at a local food truck versus a restaurant.
“Luckily, they also are going to pick up a memento of their trip and often it’s an annual ornament for their tree,” says Jenkins-Gibson. “These customers don’t want to carry lot of things back home, so they’ll say, ‘Okay kids, you each pick out one ornament from our trip to beach.’”
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Another way Millennials distinguish themselves from the previous two generations is in how they decorate their Christmas trees.
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