If you’ve recently been joined by a new member of the family, there’s a strong chance you’ll be in the market for a gift. If so, what’s more adorable than purchasing a bespoke item customised with their name so they can let everyone know who they are? Customised gifts for children are big business, but if you’re selling rather than buying, you are probably interested in the most efficient way to customise such items. Here, we explore the argument for using technology versus the old-fashioned way.
The Power of Convenience
We all know that technology has made things quicker and cheaper, and these are the main benefits you’ll receive if you use technology to customise your children’s items. The downside of this is the additional cost you will incur as a business. Devices like the Brother PR1055X embroidery machine can easily cost you over £10,000. However, features include automatic colour change and built-in fonts, which allow you to customise items with relative ease.
On the flip side, some brands still choose to add names and other customisations by hand. While more time-consuming, some consumers simply appreciate the art of human skill and effort that goes into their products. It also gives the product an extra sense of uniqueness. While consistency in products is important to an extent, there’s something quite empowering about the fact that your product is one of a kind.
To play devil’s advocate, the right answer probably depends on your business and, in particular, the size of your business. While you may prefer to add customised touches by hand, the size of your business may prevent this from being realistic. This is where smaller, newer brands have the advantage. The likes of Petite Lumiere, which is a relative newcomer to the children’s accessories industry, can afford to stitch products by hand. Their personalised children’s backpack is a great example of this.
If you’re making the transition from hand stitching to computerised personalisation, it’s definitely worth exploring the different options that are available to you. There are some great places online where you can pick up second-hand sewing machines or machines to rent that will help keep costs down.
The Sentimental Value
It’s not uncommon for high-tech items to also hold sentimental value, like we do with our Game Boys from back in the day and PlayStation. As soon as you take one look at them, all the memories and, in a sense, feelings during those times come rushing back, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but you miss playing those games, and if you are lucky, you still can if it’s working. So crafting those with high tech and, in tech, a personalised product can ensure that you are bringing the customers back for new and better models.
While handcrafted items are usually memorabilia, pieces of decor or little toys that you wouldn’t really play with again in your adulthood. They are great to have in your home and serve as a constant reminder of your childhood. It’s also more special and unique to you and, in all cases, made with love from a member of your family, which you can still appreciate in years to come and who knows? It might be something that you can re-gift to your children, keeping the family tradition going and the love passed down from generation to generation.
Eco-Conscious Choice
The argument of which method is more eco-friendly is a very popular topic of discussion for many companies, as it’s great from a user and business perspective if you are more sustainable. Handcrafted items can be made with sustainable materials, and the method of customisation can be done by hand, which requires no more than your own physical energy with little to no ecological impact.
While high-tech customisations can be colour, giving the user a lot more choice with their personalisations, you are having to use energy, most likely electrical, which isn’t as sustainable as the alternative. It’s all dependent on what your customer would value more, and in today’s day and age, customers love the idea of things being handmade, as it’s so rare nowadays.
It boils down to manpower, energy usage and what suits your business structure. It requires a lot of manpower if your company grows and it might not be manageable to meet up with demand. These are factors you must consider.
Final Thoughts
When it comes down to what method you choose, it comes primarily down to the scale of your business, demand and which method is the most cost-effective. While a handcrafted item can be seen as more valuable to a customer, it depends on whether people are willing to wait a little longer for it. I would recommend trying handcrafted, and if it becomes too much, you can always switch.
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