The election is finally over.
Everybody is trying to digest much more than their turkey dinners this week, notably whether a post-election exhale will breathe life into holiday sales in the near term and whether a Trump presidency will mean headwinds or tailwinds for business in the long term.
While all of that justifiably occupies plenty of attention at this pivotal political-economic moment, the housewares industry from a planning standpoint is already well into 2017. Regardless of the election outcome and the final holiday sales tallies, housewares success in 2017 will require fiercely contested campaigns by competitors juggling a host of potentially conflicting positions, such as how to be decisive and resolute without sacrificing flexibility and consideration.
Pinpoint Precision
Planning requires pinpoint precision in this thread-the-needle marketplace. Narrow the focus too much, though, and you risk missing opportunities to capture a broader constituency. Or you might be sacked by a big, last-minute surprise.
Despite all the technology that purports to project sales and marketing success with greater accuracy, a strong, persistent ground game still is needed to swing a steady string of business victories.
The HomeWorld Business annual Trade Show Report in this edition (page 17), which profiles several of the top trade shows for the housewares industry, affirms the enduring importance of a such a ground game when it comes to planning for and achieving success.
Surviving Reality
It doesn’t seem that long ago— it was 2001, actually— that HomeWorld Business ran a special report comparing a trade show sector anxious about rapid consolidation and emerging digital interaction to the reality TV show “Survivor.”
While the threat of constriction was a trade show reality at the time— and there were some casualties— the trade show schedule remains robust for housewares and its affiliated categories. In fact, gourmet kitchenware, tableware and home décor have more meaningful show destinations now than when skeptics were questioning show sustainability a few years back.
Sustaining all these shows in today’s competitive race for share puts a heavy burden on vendors to exhibit— and finance— more shows; and on retailers to justify the ongoing vendor expense by shopping these shows. It can make for difficult decisions in a climate of recalibrated marketing investment priorities.
Necessary Turnout
Yet, these shows continue to command the necessary turnout. They serve up an evolved mix of services that extend their value beyond the show floors while keeping the face-to-face exhibits at the core of a collective promise to connect the industry for optimum success.
The 2017 show campaign for housewares kicks off with a rush of activity in January.
The election is finally over. The ground game needed to win continues.