Keys to Quinceañeras: As evidenced by the attention paid to Sweet 16 and Bat Mitzvah celebrations, the transition from childhood to womanhood is a significant passage for adolescent girls in almost all cultures. This is especially true in Mexican heritage where it’s marked with the celebration of the Quinceañera, or 15th birthday. Because this celebration can occur any day around the calendar, this is a great retail opportunity for party stores, and the significance of the event means that shoppers are willing to spend money to make it memorable. Teen Theme Quinceañeras includes balloons, solids (table covers, cups, napkins etc), napkin imprinting, rentals, themed décor and partnerships with local party planners, bakeries and caterers. The color scheme is generally dependent on the celebrant’s favorite colors and then a theme is created around it. “We’ve seen a rise in florescent colors often integrated with animal prints, but shades of pink and purple continue to be the most popular.” “Mardi Gras, Hollywood and Western have been consistent choices for Quinceañera themes, with stars, butterflies and diamonds recently becoming more popular.” Hilda Gabriela, senior editor of Quinceanera, agreed that modern day Quince girls are looking for bold, vibrant color schemes. Themes that support that color palette are Brazilian carnival, masquerade and rave. Their focus is not so much on icons, but more on creating overall environments for their guests. “Quince girls are finding ways to make their celebration their own,” Gabriela said. “Just as they personalize their cell phones with unique cases or bling, they are also finding ways to make their celebration a mirror representation of their unique lifestyle.” For example, the traditional cake topper for a Quince cake used to be a doll, which was kept as memento or keepsake. Now, girls are using feathers, monograms or picture frames to decorate the top of the cake. All of these can be saved post party for years to come. The majority of items (tiara, guest book, bouquet, religious candle, etc.) all are included as a package. As a result, the focus is on the most traditional items that are served at Quinceañeras, regardless of budget or guest count. This includes champagne cups and sparkling white grape juice given to the court for the opening toast, concentrated punch, pastel mints, Spanish peanuts and imprinted napkins that are all served with the cake. Although many of the items needed for a Quinceañera celebration resemble bridal items, Gabriela said retailers need to market their products specifically to Quinceañeras. For example, a vendor should not approach a family planning a Quince with a wedding album and try to sell them the idea of what their album can look like. “I’ve seen this done many times before and it’s very unattractive and gives no results,” Gabriela said. “Real examples of Quinceañera products are more appealing to these consumers.” It’s Personal When it comes to coordinating décor items like tableware and party favors, Gabriela suggested the best party favors are those that serve another purpose other than just being the party’s keepsake. Ear buds, CDs, jars of candy and USB drives are some of the most popular favors right now. Most of those items can be bought in bulk, so if retailers offer these and provide customization in labeling, they will appeal to the new generation of Quinceañeras. Shannon Wolfe of Paper So Pretty agreed that personalization is key. “Tableware should complement the theme without over-powering, and personalized napkins are very big,” Wolfe said. “Personalized favor bags are also big, and we see the girls wanting to add their name and photo to their take-away bags. Many often offer personalized candy or candles as their take home gift as well. Garza has found that almost all Quinceañera celebrants take professional portraits of themselves in their dress and color scheme before their event, and that personalized invitations are included in the overall package done by the photographer. “In our partnership with photographers we offer clear sleeves for the invitations to be put in and they range in dimensions,” he said. “Often corresponding themed confetti is put in the invitation for added color, so we offer that as well.” If a Quinceañera is not decorated by the venue, they suggest using as much color on the tabletop as possible and giving out beads, glow necklaces, bracelets and blinking rings to guests as they are dancing as part of entertainment and as favors. When dealing with parents and children, it’s important to know who to market your service to. To appeal to the parents, Gabriela said retailers must have flexible payment plans and reasonably market their services/products. “Most parents are comfortable with paying for lavish up-sells, so long as they are being up-sold from the current market price and not from an exaggerated cost,” she said. “To appeal to the celebrant, they must offer their services/products in a wide range of colors/patterns and be willing to customize to their client’s needs.” “In our region, the celebrant’s parents often select ‘Padrinos,’ family or friends that are sponsors to portions of the Quinceañera such as the ‘regalo sopresa’ (surprise gift), cake, food, etc.,” Garza said. “Most often retailers try to appeal to the parents, but it is the celebrant that ultimately makes most of the decisions. “We keep in mind that a Quinceañera is planned more than a year in advance and the young celebrant has plenty of time to decide exactly how her event should look,” he continued. “In our consultations, we often defer our questions to the birthday girl and build from there.” With such importance placed on the event, anything retailers can do to personalize the experience will pay off for all in the end. By Abby Heugel Managing Editor
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 16:47:31 +0000
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