One of the
first things that we have to do when we go into a new country
– whether it’s in Asia, Slovenia, Puerto Rico or wherever we
go – is that we can’t assume that we know everything about
their region. So it’s very important for us, when we put
together our merchandize specialist team, that we ask the
developing country first to define which market they are trying
to target. We ask: Are you trying to expand your exports into
North America, and even more specifically Canada or the US, and
then where in those countries? To South America? To Europe? To
the Asian market?
Once we determine that – and in the case of Slovenia, 87%
of the small producers indicated that they wanted to target the
US market first and then to possibly look at Canada – our goal
is to bring together the best merchandize specialists that will
give the country feedback on the product development they
require.
How does that work out?
What that meant in the case of Slovenia was that I invited
along our generalists: buyers from Canada as well as some top
buyers from the United States. Then in order to be sensitive to
the culture we brought in an anthropologist, the owner of a
gallery who was good at indicating why certain people might want
certain colours, certain weavings or certain ways in which a
product was developed. It is important for us – a matter of
respect – that when we give the small producers feedback, that
we are very cognizant of the local/regional needs. When our team
comes over, we are also going to be bearing in mind that some
products are going to be developed for the domestic market.
Who else apart from the anthropologist/gallery owner was on
your panel in Slovenia?
We had a top retail buyer from Canada who does a beautiful
catalogue and retail gift shows. We had someone from the Ontario
Craft Council, and someone who does a lot of buying in
Yorkville, Ontario. We were fortunate to get the Vice-President
of Robert Redford’s Sundance Catalogue and Stores as a US
buyer. Together then, as a team of US, Canadian and Slovenian
buyers, we took each product and provided constructive and
specific recommendations (these are always phrased positively)
on what the producer could do to attract the US buyer.
What sort of changes were suggested?
When we have a product that is very traditional in scope or
design, labelling is very important for marketing, but we also
suggested that little hang-tags should tell the story of the
product. People don’t want to know just that something is ‘made
in Slovenia’ because the question then for a potential buyer
is ‘Where is Slovenia?’ We think it is important to mention
the specific village, say where it is and who makes it. Buyers
in the United States and Canada are interested in the human
interest element of the product – what lies behind it. That
comes almost first in our purchasing considerations, next to the
product, of course.
And other suggestions?
For someone who was producing porcelain, we wanted to make
sure that they were taking a look at magazines that were trendy,
to show them the right colours, designs etc. We wanted producers
to understand that saleable colours may change quickly in today’s
market, that they need to be aware of this in their planning for
trade shows that may be eight months away. Wholesale buyers used
to have products on their shelves for two years. It’s now
eight to 12 months. I always caution people about going for big
orders from big retailers, because if you spend a lot of time
building your production around their demands, you end up losing
the higher-value specialist orders.
You’ve said this is true not just for producers in
developing or transition countries, but also for those selling
within North America…
Yes, I want to emphasize that when we are doing our regional
judging in Canada, it’s also very important for us to
understand where the product is going to be ultimately sold. A
product that appeals to a Torontonian is not necessarily going
to appeal to someone in Alberta. You might have more success
with folk art and jewellery in Toronto because of the influence
of New York buyers who come to Toronto. In Alberta you are going
to be selling to a ‘prairie market’ – a lot of ranching
theme products, beautiful art work with wheat (we had a
wonderful artist who produces blown wheat glass). That doesn’t
appeal to someone on the west coast who will be struck more by
scenes of whales and mountains.
In Slovenia we suggested to producers they have to be careful
about the products that they are pitching to the Los
Angeles/California market, which they might not realize is
different from the East Coast/Massachusetts market in the
products that would have most potential.
So you work with completely different panels to assess the
export potential for each area?
Every time you go into a new area you have to work with
merchandize specialists for that region. You need generalists
because some things are true of all products: design so that it
does not fall apart, originality, creativity, the function of
the design, people who ask: can it be made better, can it be
made with different materials? In Slovenia one of the products
with export potential was made from plastic. We thought it had a
better chance if it was made from natural materials. But we
never say to producers that they must follow our suggestions. We
only say: here are some options to consider if you want to
target your specified market. Ultimately it is their choice.
