The Accidental Collector

In an industry as large and as diverse as the giftware industry, it's almost impossible to get reliable research on the buying habits of customers. Retailers surveying their own shoppers miss the very people they want to attract — those who aren't coming in to the store, but should be. Since most independents can't afford the cost of commissioning a big enough survey to get reliable numbers, Gifts & Decorative Accessories offers this exclusive research into collector behavior recently undertaken by online auction site eBay.

For the eBay survey, AC Nielsen, of New York, contacted a random sample of 1,622 people. Of that number, 63 percent were non-collectors and 37 percent were collectors. That's more than a third of people collecting — good news for a category that was feared to be moribund. However, of those 602 collectors, only 64 percent are "intentional" collectors, the industry's traditional core market.

The other 36 percent are "unintentional" collectors: people who don't think of themselves as collectors, but when asked, turn out to have collections. This population represents the ideal new audience for collectibles retailers: they're already in the market, they just don't know it.

Chances are you already know how to sell to intentional collectors. After all, they're the kind of customers who seek out specific items, enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and consider finding and buying a new piece (and getting a bargain), the best part of collecting. Some 15 percent of them consider collecting a hobby (second only to sports). Nostalgia and family traditions drive their collecting habit, and they consider collecting more exciting now than in previous generations. Their collections include pottery/glass/porcelain, dolls, sports memorabilia, and animal-themed items, and they dedicate space in their homes to display their collections.

According to the Nielsen survey, some 40 percent of these people are "serious collectors" with more valuable collections; they buy more frequently, and spend more money when they do. Intentional collectors are likely to be middle-aged men, married or single, who live in small towns and are employed full time. They have higher incomes, and many have children. They buy at regular stores, specialty stores, auctions, and online. What you may not know is that they often start collecting at age 18.

Unintentional collectors, on the other hand, are not so proactive. Their interest comes and goes, and they generally only add to their collections when they come across a new item. Like intentional collectors, they collect because of family traditions, and enjoy acquiring unique new items. But unlike their more assertive intentional counterparts, unintentional collectors tend to use their collections in daily life. In fact, many consider utility to be the best part of collecting.

Only 3 percent of unintentional collectors consider it a hobby. That's less than sports, reading, arts and crafts, and exercise. Only 22 percent of them are serious collectors. What's more, unintentional collectors are more likely to be women, less likely to be married or employed full time, and less likely to have kids. They tend to have lower in-comes and live in urban areas or their suburbs. Almost half of all unintentional collectors keep a single collection, compared to 38 percent of intentional collectors.

What unintentional collectors look for is different, too. Home decor, books or movies, coins, autographs, and papers and writings are high on their lists. And once they get what they want, they tend to keep it: almost 80 percent of unintentionals have never sold or traded items. They also have less valuable collections, start collecting later in life than intentionals, and are most likely to buy additional items at regular or specialty stores.

Surprisingly, unintentional collectors tend to have more items in their collections than intentional collectors, with 46 percent keeping as many as 11 to 50 pieces, as opposed to only 34 percent of intentional collectors keeping that number. This reflects the fact that unintentional collectors simply have to have more pieces before they even consider it a "collection."

So why should you go after this mystery collector who spends less and doesn't care as much about buying? Because the odds are she's already in your store. Women make up the core customer base for most specialty retailers, so it's very possible that you've seen that valuable unintentional collector within the past week. She buys new, not from other collectors, and she's young, which means she has more years left to be your customer.

However, the old ways of attracting and keeping collectors won't always work on this new audience. Someone who doesn't think of herself as a collector isn't likely to join collector clubs or sign up for collector newsletters. And she won't come to your store looking for collectibles.

To capture her collecting dollars, you must first get her in your store. That means cultivating her patronage with consumable products such as greeting cards, gourmet foods, and personal care — merchandise that must be resupplied. Then position your collectibles to attract the attention of these new repeat visitors.

You may also need to fine tune your product mix with an eye toward usability, a process that many collectibles manufacturers have already begun. For unintentional collectors, with their focus on functionality, the ideal item is one that can be used every day rather than put on a shelf for show.

It also means you should consider displaying your collectibles in decorating vignettes. Home decor ranks high with these unintentional collectors, and showing them just how a grouping of figurines or paperweights would look on a kitchen window sill, for example, just might make the sale.

And you might very well turn an accidental collector into an intentional collector.