Small is beautiful
Craft fairs and markets can be a great way to learn how potential customers see your products at first glance, and how you can best present them. For Jigsaiz, with a completely new concept (i.e. a small jigsaw with a greeting), we set out to listen, and we learned a huge amount.
In the early days, people didn’t really know what to make of our jigsaws. They’d never seen a puzzle with a birthday greeting, or a friendship message, and they were used to 500 or 1000 pieces with a picture on a box. Some people got our idea immediately, and loved the idea of sending a greeting in this quirky and unusual way. However, we overheard a few comments from people who’d just glanced our way, along the lines of “Oh look, wee jigsaws for the kids”. They hadn’t looked beyond the size (which is similar to a traditional greeting card) to see what they actually were, and to realise that they’re primarily aimed at adults.
So, we needed to find a way of getting the idea of a greeting jigsaw across quickly.
The idea of a “greeting jigsaw”
The core purpose of a Jigsaiz jigsaw puzzle is to deliver a greeting or message in a form that is small and immediate, and carries an element of surprise. In essence, many of our puzzles (birthday, anniversary, engagement etc.) are an upgrade to, or a replacement for a traditional greeting card, or they’re a novel gift to accompany a card, so they need to be small and easy. They’re not intended to be difficult, they’re intended to be quirky. (You can read about our design process in more detail here ).
Developing a new marketing message
On the basis of what we were hearing at the craft fairs, we decided to focus some of our point-of-sale material, and the introductory material on our website, on explaining more about the purpose of our puzzles. We stressed the point that small jigsaw puzzles can be for adults too, when they’re delivering an adult message.
Additionally, when potential customers approached our stall, we were much more proactive in explaining the thinking behind the puzzles. As it was coming up for Christmas, we emphasised the idea that they could send a Jigsaiz jigsaw instead of a Christmas card. We also stressed the idea that our puzzles would make ideal stocking fillers and secret Santa gifts.
Design changes
From a design perspective, we also made some changes. We began to use more overt personalisation on our puzzles that made the adult focus clear: Number 1 Mum; “Happy Christmas to a Fabulous Gran”, and, as shown below, “Wow, Mum, You’re Awesome!”
Feedback
The net effect of this was really positive. In the run up to Christmas, we sold lots of puzzles which customers said were for mums, dads, grandparents, work colleagues and even relatives in Australia!
The lesson we learned from all of this was clear. As crafters, it’s essential to see your products through the eyes of your customers! We managed to find a way to show them that, in the context of a jigsaw puzzle, small can be beautiful, and for grown-ups too!
One final thought
And just one final thought in relation to this theme … A few years ago (long before Jigsaiz), our friend Caroline gave us a gift of a small wooden jigsaw – 5 inches by 3 inches with about 49 pieces. We’d no idea what to expect, having no experience of an adult jigsaw quite so small. The pieces were exquisitely cut and shaped like no others we’d ever seen, and it was immensely rewarding to finish. That really was an example of small is beautiful!
