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Full text of interview with Greetings Etc.

1. How important is the Asian greeting card and/or stationery product category to your overall business?

Many Asian American moms, like me, want to instill confidence and a sense of belonging in their children. So do the growing number of Caucasian parents who’ve adopted Asian-born children. Chopsticks, Please was created to let us share a little bit of home with our family and friends with upbeat cards that feature Asian American children. Additional products also appeal to the broad range of people who appreciate attractive all-occasion cards with an Asian accent.

2. What types of Asian greeting cards and stationery products and designs do you think are selling well here in the U.S. and any thoughts why they’re doing especially well?

The Asian card category is really two categories. The newest category is Asian ethnic, which reflects the needs of people of Asian descent. I believe this sector is “crossing over” from an exclusively niche market for Asian Americans to a more mainstream market. You can see it in the popularity of Japanese animation, martial arts, yoga, feng shui, and in cross-over entertainment such as Jackie Chan films, Manga, Pokemon, and Tokyo Pop. That's not surprising. Americans are traveling more to Asia and many adopt Asian-born children. A variety of celebrities have an Asian heritage, including Keanu Reeves, Margaret Cho, Tiger Woods, and Lucy Liu. Seeing an Asian face, whether in your neighborhood on TV or movie screen, is not as rare as it once was.

The older category features Asian aesthetics and imagery such as chinoiserie, sumi-e brush paintings and woodcuts, and motifs like bamboo and Chinese characters. Chopsticks, Please also offers cards with the kind of Asian art and imagery that continues to be popular with a broad range of Americans. The peaceful, reflective images of these cards provide a moment of quiet beauty in our busy lives.

3. What are some of the most popular occasions and the types of products that sell around those?

The Lunar New Year is the most well-known and popular Asian holiday. The occasion is celebrated with a feast, firecrackers to drive away bad spirits, dragon dance, and recognition of the Zodiac animal for the New Year. This is a good time to wish others well and give them a good luck token. This could be a card, such as the festive dragon card from Chopsticks, Please, or a small gift of money inside a red envelope.

4. Are you noticing any trends in the Asian greeting card or stationery market?

Our cards include images based on Eastern spirituality. That's a trend that mirrors the growing interest, as I mentioned earlier, in yoga, feng shui, and Asian concepts like Yin/Yang and Zen Buddhism. Our products also reflect the adoption trend. We offer adoption congratulations and greeting cards that help parents express their joy to their adoptive children in a memorable way.

5. Who is the primary customer for these items?

The primary customers are women, the same as for any greeting card line. The core of our line uses images of adorable Asian American children for birthday and holiday cards. These cards contain warm, upbeat messages appropriate to the parents and extended families of Asian American children. But we also offer a large assortment of products, from notecards to all-occasion cards, that appeal to any card lover who appreciates stylish design with an Asian twist.

6. With regard to greeting/stationery retailers, what are some of your Asian greeting card or stationery products or designs that already are, or you think would do well in these types of stores? Please explain why.

We create everyday cards for Asian Americans and the people who love them. A child's birthday is the most popular reason to send one of our cards. When you send one of our cards to an Asian American child, you're sending him a little bit of home. You're not just wishing him a happy birthday, you’re saying, “You’re great – you belong.” That's a message that all parents want to send their children. Our line should do well among retailers in areas with a significant Asian American population.

In our Disco Lantern line, we are pushing the envelope by bringing contemporary Asian themed art into our cards. For instance, we have a set of Chinese zodiac animal cards that were created by a well-known illustrator in a very hip painterly style. We also carry images from Eastern spirituality done in a contemporary style. These cards would do well in shops that cater to design- and art-conscious customers. As well, they would do well in shops that carry solitude products, like spa gift shops or high-end personal products retailer.

7. Where in the U.S. are sales especially strong for this category?

I don't have sales data for retailers but it makes sense that sales would be strongest in the largest markets. For Asian Americans, that means the major metropolitan areas of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

8. Why should a greeting/stationery retailer add ethnic greeting cards and stationery products to their mix if they haven’t already?

Retailers should add ethnic cards to their mix to appeal to a growing, profitable market. There are 13.5 million Asian Americans alone, according to U.S. Census date from 2003, and that's up from 10.6 million in 2000. There's also nearly 2 million people who are Asian in combination with another race. We reflect that trend with our Hapi Hapa line, which features children of mixed races. “Hapa” meaning “half” in Hawaiian, is the term mixed Asian children have co-opted for themselves. Retailers should also remember that the Asian aesthetic of our products appeal to all kinds of people regardless of their ethnic background.

9. What are some of the benefits of incorporating ethnic greeting cards, stationery and partyware products into these types of specialty stores?

If you look at the Census data, there's a general under-representation of ethnic products. Retailers should understand that stocking ethnic products like cards from Chopsticks, Please is a strategic way to increase sales and expand their customer base. Asian Americans represent an untapped market in this sector.

10. What sales or marketing tips would you give to retailers in order to help them build their Asian business?

There are many social and church-based Asian communities that participate in cultural events such as ethnic festivals and holiday celebrations. Getting involved in sponsorship and promotion of those events would be a great way to promote visibility in the Asian American community. Many of the cultural organizations have annual fundraisers with opportunities for advertising and donation of auction items. Retailers who carry our cards can ask for help in connecting with those communities.

11. If a retailer is just starting to carry Asian greeting cards and/or stationery products, what would be the best way to get the word out that they carry it?

I would suggest incorporating an announcement as part of their advertising campaign. Also, because so many Asians are online, it would be a good idea to have at least a basic website with representative offerings.

12. Any suggestions for in-store merchandising? And, are there any merchandising differences retailers should consider when displaying these products in their store as compared to other categories?

Since the Lunar New Year celebration is the best-known Asian celebration, I would suggest a prominent window display of Lunar New Year cards and images. Because it’s a significant holiday that usually falls after Christmas and before Valentine’s Day, a Lunar New Year display can really be a boon to sales during that time period.

In-store displays could incorporate lots of red and gold. And if possible, I would suggest bringing in something that has movement and sound such as a small fountain or windchimes.