Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Market overview
- Top takeaways
- Issues and opportunities
- Men are engaged in the craft market, but stick to specific project types
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- Figure 1: Project engagement by gender, December 2019
- Lack of interest keeps some from crafting, but others just need some guidance
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- Figure 2: Barriers to craft making, December 2019
- Textile crafters are invested, but isolated
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- Figure 3: Median age of crafter, by crafter type, December 2019
- What’s next
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- At least half of all adults have a creative hobby
- Crafters aren’t loyal to just one brand
- Younger adults are especially interested in knowing new craft trends
- YouTube could unlock opportunities for craft-related brands
The Market
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- Craft market remains stable over time
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- Figure 4: Adult craft participation in the last 12 months, 2012-2019
- Cooking and baking drive creative market
- Interest in photography on the decline
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- Figure 5: Adult craft participation in the last 12 months, by craft type, 2012-2019
- Figure 6: Share of adults who own a camera, 2010-2019
Market Perspective
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- Crafts brands can take advantage of organization obsession
- Committed crafters dedicate storage space
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- Figure 7: Organization items purchased, July 2019
- In their own words: Organizing crafts
- A quarter of crafters wait to stock up
- Brand loyalty not a strong factor for crafters
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- Figure 8: Crafter purchase habits, December 2019
Market Drivers
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- Gen Z adults and Younger Millennials are eager to learn about trends
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- Figure 9: Key drivers of interest in learning new crafting trends, December 2019
- Crafters look to social media for inspiration
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- Figure 10: Agreement that the best ideas come from social media, December 2019
- Pinterest stays strong
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- Figure 11: Daily Pinterest visitation by age, December 2019
- YouTube is a go-to for learning new skills
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- Figure 12: Agreement that YouTube is the best place to learn something new, December 2019
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- Figure 13: Daily YouTube visitation by age, December 2018-2019
- Figure 14: YouTube visitation by gender, December 2019
Key Trends – What You Need to Know
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- Craft supplies are sized up in-person
- Mass merchandisers are most popular retailer
- Sustainability and wellness trends enter creative territory
- Seeking the new and relishing the old
- Crafts will both soothe and take a stand in 2020
Arts and Crafts Retail
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- Consumers see the benefit of buying craft supplies in person
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- Figure 15: Attitudes toward the cost of crafts, December 2019
- Mass retailers lead sales of arts and crafts-related goods
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- Figure 16: Retailer correspondence map, December 2019
- In their own words: Retailers shopped
- Grocery stores lead for baking supplies
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- Figure 17: Project materials purchased by retailer type, among total, December 2019
- Figure 18: Michaels Stores Valentine cookie decorating post, January 2020
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- Figure 19: Michaels Stores holiday cookie decorating post, December 2020
- Craft store chains draw crafters, but lag behind mass retailers
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- Figure 20: Project materials purchased by retailer type, among crafters, December 2019
- In their own words: Craft retailer descriptions
Craft Trends
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- You heard it here first
- Sustainable supplies
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- Figure 21: Agreement that craft supplies are not environmentally friendly, December 2019
- Wellness through crafting
- Going genderless
- Nostalgic craft trends enjoy a reboot
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- Figure 22: Caboodles Barbie brand storage container, January 2020
- Figure 23: Lisa Frank sticker collection, January 2020
Craft Predictions
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- Tactile crafts can be “oddly satisfying”
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- Figure 24: How to Make Crayon Slime DIY Activities for Kids, October 2019
- The future is out of this world
- Crafting to perfection
- 2020 color predictions aim to soothe
- Fabric crafts get around
- Craftivism will thrive in 2020
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- Figure 25: #DareToDream craftivism instruction video, June 2019
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Drawing, coloring and painting lead in the creative space
- Makers are driven to decorate
- Young adults continue to embrace crafting
- Woodworking and tech-related crafts offer creative outlets for men
- Parents see crafting as a way to build STEAM skills
- Non-crafters need education and a confidence boost
Defining Crafters
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- Majority of adults work on art or craft projects
- Fine art-related projects prove most popular
- Opportunities to expand market for baking-related projects
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- Figure 26: Crafter categories, December 2019
- Men more likely to gravitate to woodworking and tech projects
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- Figure 27: Project engagement by gender, December 2019
- Maker community reflects a somewhat even gender split
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- Figure 28: Gender split by crafter type, December 2019
- Millennials and Gen Z adults continue to drive crafting engagement
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- Figure 29: Project engagement by age, December 2019
- Younger generations are less engaged with sewing and quilting
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- Figure 30: Median age of crafter, by crafter type, December 2019
Project Types
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- Drawing and painting have a broader appeal than other craft types
- Sewing and knitting projects are not “one size fits all”
- Less overlap within male-dominated project areas
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- Figure 31: Crosstab of project types by crafter type, December 2019
- Crafters are drawn to decoration projects
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- Figure 32: Types of projects made in past 12 months, December 2019
- Die cutting projects and DIY kits lack traction
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- Figure 33: Types of projects made by crafters and non-crafters, December 2019
Kids and Crafting
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- Crafting engagement higher among parents
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- Figure 34: Project engagement among parents and non-parents, December 2019
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- Figure 35: Types of projects made in past 12 months among parents and non-parents, December 2019
- Kids’ crafts mirror adult crafting interests
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- Figure 36: parent/kid project types by crafter type, December 2019
- Parents feel pressure to encourage STEM skills
- Crafting seen as helpful to building STEAM skills
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- Figure 37: Attitudes toward crafting and STEAM skills, December 2019
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- Figure 38: Traits of those more likely to agree that craft projects help kids learn STEAM skills, December 2019
Crafter Motivations
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- Passion for crafting starts in childhood
- Crafters are confident
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- Figure 39: Crafter attitudes toward crafting and creativity, December 2019
- Paper crafters and jewelry makers may have better resources to DIY
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- Figure 40: Share of crafters who make what they want if they can’t find it, by crafter type, December 2019
- Projects generally motivated by emotional benefits
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- Figure 41: Crafter motivations, December 2019
- Some motivations differ by project type
- Paper crafts fuel relaxation
- Sewing and quilting generate the most pride
- Woodworkers are driven by utility
- Yarnwork inspires practical gift projects
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- Figure 42: Crafter profile, by crafter type, December 2019
Overcoming Barriers
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- Pricing hinders interest in crafting-related technology
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- Figure 43: Key drivers of willingness to pay more for arts and crafts technology, December 2019
- Non-crafters less likely to see themselves as creative
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- Figure 44: Non-crafter attitudes toward crafting and creativity, December 2019
- Converting non-crafters starts with education
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- Figure 45: Barriers to craft making, December 2019
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – The Consumer
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- Figure 46: Craft store chain purchases, by crafter type, December 2019
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- Figure 47: Mass retailer purchases, by crafter type, December 2019
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- Figure 48: Grocery store purchases, by crafter type, December 2019
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- Figure 49: Drug store chain purchases, by crafter type, December 2019
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- Figure 50: Home improvement chain purchases, by crafter type, December 2019
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- Figure 51: Online-only seller purchases, by crafter type, December 2019
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Appendix – Key Driver Analysis
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- Methodology
- Interpretation of results
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- Figure 52: Key drivers of willingness to pay more for arts and crafts technology, December 2019
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- Figure 53: Key drivers of agreement that craft projects help kids learn STEM skills, December 2019
- Figure 54: Key drivers of interest in new crafting trends, December 2019
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