Your opinions? Who buys for V Day?

[Giggles]

I'm now thinking about new V Day ideas to add to my website. I have a love page but it's fairly sparse at the moment!
I have lots of ideas but my stuff is mostly aimed at women and i don't have a great deal of male customers... ooops.

So I need some more menish ideas for my female customers to buy.

Do men buy from you all? Do they trawl Folksy etc buying for their other halves?

Do you have 'animal' ideas that men might like?

....and I might as well get my money's worth here so one more.....

Is there something I can do, somewhere I can advertise to get more men looking at my Giggles?

Any help / ideas appreciated! ;)

[Caroleecrafts]

I always do a token for V day but have found in the past that not many people do it. I do think it is quite popular for teenagers so am making some more hip things next year.

[greannancrafts]

Nearly all our Valentines stock is made - we do get many men buy from us for their loved ones.

Jane

[wendy]

I also get men buying for their wives/girlfriends and also for their children. They even order bespoke stuff.

I think however that it is a smaller market and that women buy more than men in general.

[greannancrafts]

I think however that it is a smaller market and that women buy more than men in general.

I don't know - florists do exceptionally well at this time:rolleyes:

Jane

[wendy]

I don't know - florists do exceptionally well at this time:rolleyes:

Jane

I agree, they certainly seem to. I could well be corrected, but I would guess that (excepting Valentine's Day) more women buy flowers than men too.

I just think women buy more in the way of cards, treats, trinkets, gifts, etc than men do.

[Giggles]

Maybe that's it.... Women tend to frequent gift, art & craft places more and this sort of thing appeals to women more,

.....but there are some decent fellas out there who will go seeking these things because they know their loved ones tastes!

I'll just play it safe and try a bit of everything, thing is the shop I sell to will pick what they want anyway.

I like the teenager idea, never thought of that, perhaps cheeky is the way to go rather than lovey dovey. that would suit my Giggles better too.


Any fairs around this early or do you all sell via web?

[jencel]

When I had the shop (selling beads and jewellery), Mothers Day was always busier than Valentines. I think it is something to do with women doing more shopping than men. Some men would put a lot of thought into buying jewelelry for their loved one, and sometimes made or designed something specially for her, but many weren't confident about choosing jewellery for them.

[Heather_1981]

I think a lot of the time you can capture a guy's attention just by selling the product in such a way that it screams out that it's ticking all the right boxes for her.

A lot of guys feel a bit pressured in to buying the right thing, or simply aren't sure, so if you can lay the reasons in front of them - they're probably going to buy. Especially as the date gets closer!

[beckyboo]

we always buy for each other at Valentines day because we don't buy each other presents at Christmas but it isn't soppy sentimental gifts like teddies with hearts but i do always get flowers as well ;)

[bodrighy]

As most of you are women and probably more romantically inclined than a mere male such as myself, maybe you can come up with ideas but I can't really think of anything that I could do that would fit into V day. My craft doesn't really lend itself to the 'romantic' side of things does it?

Pete

[silvermaid]

I very rarely get anything really romantic from DH. Most years it's a bunch of supermarket flowers and maybe a box of choc's.
He has taken me out for a meal on valentines day a couple of times though.
I have the farmers market sale on Valentines day, I doubt many men will be in to buy but I am making sure I have lots of heart pendants on offer.

Melanie

[Giggles]

I like your point HEATHER 1981, now you mention it I've realised that it's usually the captioned pieces I sell to men. For example, I have a sheep with a rose in it's mouth called an 'I LOVE EWE'.
I should probably put it in a heart shaped box just to make things really simple for them. (...was that patronising enough fellas?!) :D

[Giggles]

BODRIGHY, i see you do goblets - could you maybe make a loving cup?
You have the opposite problem to me, you need to package or label your work so that us women folk consider your work as Valentine'sy.

I'm sure you could dig up some love link somewhere, rings perhaps? Do woods have meanings like flowers and gemstones? Just a thought...

(There was an interesting bit on Paul Merton in Europe tonight, ch 5, about a German woodturning business! Maybe not appropriate for everyone though!)

[bodrighy]

I do do wedding goblets (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26751612) with 2 rings on each. If I could get my head around carving or pyro I could do loving cups but that is something I've not got my head around yet. I can't really think of much else though...Dead romantic me :p

Pete