The adult crafting trend is carving out new opportunities for the office supplies industry, according to Adult Coloring, Crafting, and the Handmade Movement: An NPD Office Supplies Industry Report, from global information company The NPD Group.
Coloring and art supplies are a $1 billion market, with in-store and online sales growing to $75 million combined in 2015. In the arts and crafts paper category, coloring pages, including adult coloring books, is the largest segment based on dollar volume, also seeing the largest store dollar growth in 2015. With paint nights and adult coloring gaining in popularity, sales of complementary products such as colored pencils, gel, and porous pens, painting accessories, and acrylic paint are driving growth within their respective categories.
Chalk and chalkboard usage is also influencing industry sales, as these items are increasingly used not only for school, but for businesses, home offices, and home décor. The chalk category saw the largest in-store dollar sales increase in 2015, surpassing crayons. Both dollar and unit sales for chalkboards more than doubled in 2015 compared to the prior year.
