Party Time: Happy New Year Partyware
By Nicholas R. Messina, JR.

New patterns, colors and accessories for New Year’s Eve soirees are helping partyware sales to soar.

The numbers are in on New Year’s ... and they add up to soaring sales for folks in the partyware business. According to a recent survey of more than 2,300 adult consumers conducted by The Macerich Company, 75 percent of American adults celebrated New Year’s Eve in 2006. The survey also showed that 32 percent hosted a New Year’s party and spent an average of $172 on the evening’s festivities.

The main reason why this holiday has gained momentum in the last several years is that more adults are choosing to attend at-home parties to ring in the New Year, thanks in no small part to rising gas prices, stiffer penalties for intoxicated driving and hectic holiday schedules. “New Year’s Eve parties are becoming more of an event hosted in the home for family and friends and less of a function where people travel a long distance to attend a celebration with masses of people whom they do not know,” asserts Dave Goode, national accounts manager for The Beistle Company. “We have become a very fast-paced society, where free time is a luxury. A greater number of people want to spend their free time in smaller, more intimate settings with family and friends, which is resulting in more home-based parties.”

The good news for retailers is that manufacturers have been responding to the trend by producing a wide array of New Year’s Eve patterns for a variety of affairs. One of the most significant design trends in recent years has been a push toward elegant, “adults-only” designs. For example, while prismatic designs with a New Year’s message emblazoned in bright blue, red, purple and green are still popular, there has been a steady influx of simple yet sophisticated color palettes in black and white, as well as metallic tones such as gold and silver.

According to Carol Florsheim, president of Paperproducts Design, among newer trends for New Year’s Eve are designs that emphasize celebrating without specifically saying “Happy New Year” or even printing the year on the pattern. “Hostesses are looking for sophisticated, creative designs that do not say ‘New Year’s’ on them, but merely present a look of festivity and celebration,” she says.

An example of a nonspecific-New-Year’s pattern is Caspari, Inc.’s new “Black Tie” ensemble. “‘Black Tie’ features penguins in party mode, wearing hats and drinking cocktails,” explains Mark Hawbecker, merchandising and p.r. associate for Caspari. “This design mixes well with black-and- white elements that are popular for New Year’s celebrations.”

Hawbecker notes that Caspari has taken the trend one step further by using words as art to add flair to the designs. “We are also introducing our ‘Happy Times’ ensemble in both gold and silver backgrounds,” he says. “It features the word ‘Happy’ in multicolored fonts to set the mood for cocktail hour and on towards the midnight countdown.”

In addition to tableware ensembles, retailers should be on the lookout for a variety of accessories, which according to Noreen Matts, product manager – seasonal for DesignWare, an American Greetings Company, are key to successful New Year’s Eve sales. “Accessories tend to outsell partyware for New Year’s due to the fact that you have two buyers – the host of the party, and the partygoers themselves,” says Matts. “Partygoers like to make sure they have accessories for the parties they attend, which is why standard items like horns, blowouts, hats, tiaras and confetti usually lead the charge as best sellers.”

Jenni Payne, assistant product manager for Party Express from Hallmark, also stresses the importance of accessories for celebrating the big night. “In addition to our three new cocktail napkins and tableware patterns, we’ve also developed some exciting new accessories,” she says. “New products for 2009 include popping confetti bags, confetti poppers, tinsel garland, a mini cascade centerpiece, cup clings, blowouts, a light-up wristband, a medallion necklace and a light-up button.”

The last three items mentioned by Payne call to mind another hot product category for New Year’s Eve – wearables. “As usual, we’ve seen considerable demand for wearable accessories,” notes Goode of Beistle. “However, there’s a strong push for accessories beyond the standard hat and tiaras. We have expanded our offering of bead necklaces, buttons, eyeglasses and party ‘boppers’ to meet the demand. We always receive requests for ‘anything fun that makes noise,’ so we have developed several fun, new novelty items that both make noise and can be worn by guests at the party.”

Bearing in mind the trend toward many of the experts note that buyers tend to put off shopping for New Year’s until the last minute – especially given the hoopla that comes with preparing for all the various December holidays. “The decision to throw a New Year’s gathering has become more of a spur-of-the-moment thing, where a small, manageable group of six-to-eight guests are invited on short notice,” says Caspari’s Hawbecker. “Paper-tabletop designs make setup and cleanup easy and affordable, so retailers need to have their displays ready for at least the entire week before Christmas.”

“The majority of consumers do not make firm New Year’s Eve plans until after Christmas, as their focus earlier in the month is on Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa,” adds Goode. “However, it is advisable for retailers to have their New Year’s merchandise on display early so that shoppers can see the variety of products that are available and hopefully return later to make their purchases. In addition, retailers who experience heavy consumer traffic prior to Christmas can capitalize by offering coupons or other savings when they purchase items for New Year’s Eve.”

“Consumers will pick up New Year’s along with their Christmas items if they are given the opportunity to buy it early enough,” says Matts of DesignWare. “It can be hard for many retailers to give up the space while Christmas is still out there, but they should try to set up New Year’s as soon as they can. And, always remember to put the accessories near the register for those important impulse buys!” Greetings