Creativity is Popular Again
This trend that began in 2011 shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, sales continue to climb. Of Amazon’s top 20 best-selling books, nearly half are coloring books. Whether you want to illustrate your faith or simply relax with a few coloring pencils, there are many products to choose from.
From art journaling to coloring, pen and paper is making a comeback.
This trend that began in 2011 shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, sales continue to climb. Of Amazon’s top 20 best-selling books, nearly half are coloring books. Whether you want to illustrate your faith or simply relax with a few coloring pencils, there are many products to choose from.
This creates a unique opportunity for retail stores to plan exciting in-store events that could generate much needed traffic. From Bible journaling classes to coloring parties, people love to show off their creativity.
Coloring Books
With many CBA publishers following Christian Art Gifts into this category it may seem over published, but there are still plenty of sales ahead for the best products. “Today is Going to be a Great Day“ has been the runaway best seller in the CBA market. It is the only coloring book to have shown up on all the best seller lists. See below what our customers has to say about this title:
“It has been a fun having adult coloring books in the Christian market. They provide a unique way for our customers to spend a few moments of downtime in a busy day to relax and reflect on the scriptures that are found in the books. Christian Art Gifts was our first provider of adult coloring books and it’s been fun to see the success of that first book, Today is Going to Be a Great Day. It was a top seller for us during our Thanksgiving Weekend Sale as well as through the Christmas season. It was a great introduction to this genre for us at LifeWay.”
– Rachel McRae, Senior Book Buyer at LifeWay Christian Stores
“Christian Art was first to the market on the coloring trend! And they continue to add items that perform!”
– Sherry White, VP of Merchandising at Books-A-Million
Similar to book categories, one title does not sell like another. A combination of design, title, content, and quality make some fly off the shelves, while others gather dust.
This quarter brings several new coloring products. In Coloring Books, “Cups of Joy“ and “Inspiring Moments“ will be arriving in 2 weeks. Each of these feature unique hand drawn line art band punch out heavy stock craft pages. We also have pocket versions of both titles releasing mid-February. These are travel size coloring books and at $4.99 both make a nice impulse purchase.
Two new titles planned for Q2 include “The Psalms in Color” and “My Favorite KJV Verses to Color”
Add On Products
Coloring note cards make a nice add on product. These should be arriving before the end of January.
Our coloring pencils should be arriving early April. These are a high quality professional grade coloring pencils. Encased in cedar wood, the lead is 4mm in diameter which makes for easy shading. Pencil sets come in both 12 and 24 colors. Fine line markers are also a popular choice for coloring and art journaling. We have a 4 and 8 color set slated for release in March.
Creative Bible Journaling
Art journaling is a wonderful way for visual learners to organize their thoughts and focus on a particular verse. Using color and illustration, our right brain is stimulated, which makes the verse come alive in our minds. This has made journaling Bibles very popular.
We enter this market with a first of a kind journaling Bible titled “My Creative Bible“. This Bible uses the traditional single column layout with 2 inch margins for journaling printed on high quality Bible paper. What makes this Bible unique is the nearly 400 hand drawn line art images.
Not all of us can doodle like the pros, but no matter what your artistic capabilities, everyone can make these verses come to life by coloring them.
New Product Release Summary
January – Coloring Note Cards
February – Cups of Joy and Inspiring Moments coloring books and pocket versions
March – 4 and 8 color pen sets
April – 12 and 24 color pencil sets
May – The Psalms in Color and My Favorite KJV Verses to Color