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IS IT ALL OVER FOR

NOTEBOOKS & PADS?

ou might be forgiven for Office & Student. For example, with technology. Of course, has seen a new size enter
Ythinking that the notebook and not surprisingly, students electronic devices can be the market: the B5 notebook,
and pad category was in serious consume more books and pads used to send emails, produce which is in between A4 and
trouble. The growth in tablet in a year than the rest of the UK presentations and create A5 and similar in size to tablet
use in the UK has reached over population, which is great news spreadsheets, but you cannot devices. This size has grown
20m and is expected to account for the category as this is also beat a notepad/notebook for a to a 9% share of the category,
for 34.8m in 2017 – that’s half the group that is more likely to quick reminder, a to-do list, quiet cannibalising share from A4,
the population – and PC/laptop look to technology as notes in meetings, drawing a whilst other sizes stay steady.
sales, whilst now on the decline, an alternative. quick diagram, or doodling – if This is the first time a new size
are present in most workplaces Of course, many college that helps you think! has entered the category since
and many homes. It would students now take class notes The other good news for Hamelin has been tracking the
appear that the art of writing by typing on a laptop/tablet, the category is that while the category structure.
is long gone and e-mail has but a study by the University paper industry has spent the The other big change is in
become the choice of many for of California* showed that this last 20+ years focussing on the sources used by consumers
communication. However, all is method is less effective when the environmental impact of outside of work to purchase
not lost! it comes to learning. Writing production and ensuring that products (Fig 1). Purchasing
In the summer of 2014, notes by hand is much better for forests are re-planted and paper from the internet is 30%
Hamelin Brands conducted retaining information in long- is recycled, the electronics higher than five years ago,
a study with over 1,000 term memory, which is great industry has not been so although this is still a very small
purchasers (age 16-64) to find news for notebooks. Electronic forward thinking. It is claimed proportion of purchases overall.
out about their last notebook/ devices have also proven to be that they have been using up As with the rest of shopping
pad purchase. This was similar distracting in the classroom, a their resources to the point that behaviour, out-of-town is
to a large piece of research factor which also holds true in some will run out in less than 10 also increasing as a channel,
that took place in 2009 and the workplace, where a debate years. compared to the high street.
Hamelin wanted to review what, about the use of laptops to take Supermarkets have stayed fairly
if anything, had changed over notes in meetings continues. Other Changes steady but have been increasing
the previous five years. This is a Hamelin’s view is that To The Category their space allocation, whereas
snapshot of some of the findings notebooks can sit side by side In the last five years, Hamelin the office products channel is
of that research. still dominated by catalogue and
In 2009 the iPad did not exist wholesaler purchases. Hamelin
and the launch of it has certainly Evolution of Channels are planning to look further
changed how consumers into the behaviours that affect
behave in terms of searching this channel as it is seen as an
online, gaming, shopping and Supermarkets have held up as a purchase channel while high street opportunity for growth.
social media. However, has options have declined and out of town options have made gains. Hamelin Brands are
Online has grown more than three times.
it really impacted on sales of committed to understanding
notebooks/pads? consumer behaviour in the
The good news is that 82% of notebook/pad and filing
consumers still use a notebook 45% 44% Channel% 2009 categories to enable them
or notepad: that’s nearly 34m 2009-2014 2014 to work with customers and
adults in the UK. find the best opportunities for
Out of that group, 26% growth. This research is part of
consumption remains high: 22% that investment and will lead to
on average 5.2 notepads, 3.8 more exciting developments in
notebooks and 3.5 refill pads 12% 9% 8% 13% 2015.
are purchased per consumer 2% 7%
per year. Hamelin has identified Supermarket High Street High Street Out of town Internet order *http://www.scientificamerican.
different purchasing patterns general store stationer office supplier com/article/a-learning-secret-
across the three category don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop
segments: Professional, General Fig 1: Evolution of channels

December 2014/January 2015 | BOSS TODAY 33

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