If you want to know about the tastes and interests of the American consumer, you need only look at his or her walls.  Americans are spending more money decorating their walls, says the latest study on art and wall decoration by Unity Marketing.  However, how they choose to spend their dollars within the art world is changing, and savvy marketers will react to these changes in focus and taste.

The Changing Face of Personal Art Collections

Consumers have a wide range of options from which to choose in the art and wall decor categories. These include original art works, art reproductions, and wall decor items such as mirrors, wall hangings, shelves, decorative clocks, and other items. 

To better display their array of original, reproduction, and self-made items, consumers also have a wide range of custom framing options from which to select.  Understanding consumer preferences in these areas is the key to maintaining a competitive position in the marketplace.

"Americans are paying more attention to decorating their walls, but traditional art reproductions, for example, are being purchased less frequently today than they were in previous years," says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of the new book, Shopping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Shopping Experience (Kaplan Publishing, Oct 2006).

"Those who serve the art and wall decor market need to understand how to compete in the most competitive segments of the market, and what segments are ripe for expansion.  The art and wall decor consumer wants to feel that she is heard and understood by those wishing to sell her these most personal forms of expression, or else she will walk out the door to someone who will."

Americans Want to See Their Own Lives on Their Walls

As the American consumer demands increased participation in other areas of her life, it is only natural that she wants to be an active participant in her art.  Unity Marketing's study found that consumers characterize potential art and wall hangings more broadly than ever before, requiring a wide range of framing and display options. 

"The custom framing store that can help a consumer find a display option for a treasured item, like a souvenir theater program or a 3-D collection, turning it from clutter on a tabletop to a room's focal point, has won that customer's loyalty," says Danziger. 

The trends impacting the custom framing market and an examination of this expanding consumer definition of art are all part of the report.

Information Included in the Art, Wall Decor, Custom Framing and Picture Frame Market Report

Unity Marketing's Art, Wall Decor, Custom Framing, and Picture Frame Market Report is designed to help art, wall decor, custom framing and picture frame manufacturers, marketers and retailers better understand the consumer market for their goods. Based upon research among recent product category purchasers, this report focuses on market opportunities available to product manufacturers and retailers to help them deliver products and services that satisfy the consumers' desire for art, wall decor, custom framing and picture frames.

Through an in-depth investigation of consumers, their buying behavior, needs, desires and preferences, this report includes research data and statistics about:

• Art, Wall Decor, Frame and Framing Market Size and Growth: What is the size of the overall art, wall decor, frame and custom framing markets? How rapidly is it growing? How is the market segmented by type of product purchased? How are sales by channel of distribution shifting?
• Demographics of the Market: What are the demographic characteristics of people who buy art, wall decor, frames and custom framing? What are the key demographic differences found among and between buyers of the different product segments (e.g., gender, age, generation, household income, size, composition, ethnicity/race, education, etc.)?
• Art, Wall Decor, Frame and Custom Framing Buying Behavior: What are the primary characteristics of the consumers' buying behavior related to these products in general and each product segment in particular (e.g. art, wall decor, frames, and custom framing)? Why do they buy these goods and how do consumers' motivations different by product category segment? Where do they shop for the different types of products; what factors influence their decision making; how much do they spend buying each of the products segments and across the entire category? What is the role of brand in product selection and shopping choices? How do different demographic segments differ in their shopping and buying behavior?
• Psychographic Profile and Segmentation of the Art and Custom Framing Markets: A psychographic profile of four types of the art buyers and three distinct custom framing customers is developed in this report. The personality profiles identify different types or personalities of consumers of art and custom framing. These profiles identify different drives and motivations found among consumers in purchasing these products; what factors are more or less important in driving their purchasing decisions; and how art and framing marketers and retailers can better understand the hearts and minds of their consumers. In essence, we will discover why people buy art and custom framing.

How You Will Benefit From This Report

If your company is interested in understanding and reaching the art, wall decor, custom framing, and picture fame consumer, you will find this report a critical resource.  The psychographic profiles act as a "field guide" to the various preferences and motivations exhibited by different personalities of art and custom framing consumers, allowing you and your employees to quickly identify and better serve these distinct market segments.  Trend data will help you understand the driving forces behind these changing markets, while purchase behavior data will help you understand which products will find treasured homes with these new consumers, and which will gather dust.

This report will help:

• Marketing managers identify marketing opportunities and develop targeted promotions that will reach and stick with the art and wall decor consumers.
• Research and development professionals understand which product types are likely to gain in popularity over the coming years and which have already peaked.
• Advertising professionals to develop messages that resonate with specific consumer profiles.
• Business development executives to understand growth and partnership opportunities driven by the changing consumer marketplace.
• Store owners to better identify and understand the consumer walking through the door, with the goal of making that consumer a regular, repeat customer.