3 minute read
Retail Advice
Location, …while Sunburst and bluebells taken by Scott Morrish is a really popular image for the Eco Friendly Card Company location, location
You don’t have to live in a tourist area to benefit from sales of cards that feature local landmarks and areas, as Henri Davis explains
In my last piece I discussed my different customer types and the type of cards they want to buy. Because of our location, many of my customers buy cards that remind them of their time in the area and either keep them as personal reminders or send them to people so they can share in their experiences and see the beautiful places they have visited.
Many card publishers base their whole business on images of locations, often with a regional focus or concentrating on certain subjects so they appeal to specific retailers or outlets. But how they do it varies hugely.
Probably the most obvious route is photography - and there are brilliant photographers who have fabulous collections of images. Some specialise in specific locations while others work in particular styles but cover a wider area. When I was the card buyer for the National Trust, photographic cards were very popular as were postcards, because they reflect elements of the place that people actually saw.
But there are many very talented illustrators who create images of locations in different interpretational styles. This is really interesting because each focuses on certain elements or uses colour cleverly so they create all sorts of effects that appeal to different types of customers.
It is tempting to think that you have to be based at or near a visitor attraction to stock these types of cards but that is far from the case. If they are blank cards they can make great thank you cards to friends or can be used as a notecard as a way of keeping in touch. Stocking a small selection of local images can really enhance your range.
On this page you’ll see a really interesting selection of cards so you can get a sense of what I mean.
What I like about all these images is the strength of shape and colour as well as a certain quirkiness that gives them real character. I would suggest that if you have local illustrators who have images that would appeal to your customers and they are of a suitable quality and price, then it may be worth stocking a small selection as a trial to see if they would be popular with your customers at certain times of the year.
Ilona Drew has developed a really eye-catching range of images of locations around the country called Landmarks. They have been very successful for her over the past few years I first saw Jessica Hogarth’s images probably 10 years ago and this part of her portfolio continues to be incredibly popular Perkins and Morley has a really diverse collection including a stunning range called Walk on the Wild Side, and this one of Wembury Point is one of my favourites
Suzy Furse Illustrations is based in Bristol and many of her images are of iconic features around the city
Henri Davis is an independent retail advisor to businesses in the cards, gifts, stationery and heritage industries with more than 35 years of retail experience. She worked for Habitat, Next, WHSmith and the National Trust and now advises retailers, visitor attractions, manufacturers and suppliers. A past chairman of the Giftware Association, during lockdown she has taken over a village stores and moved to Cornwall. For more information visit
