Luxury Writing Instruments and Stationery in the US

2020 IMPACT

Writing instruments and stationery fares best among personal luxury categories

Although it is among the smallest personal luxury categories in both retail value and retail volume terms, luxury writing instruments and stationery fared best among personal luxury categories amid the COVID-19 pandemic thanks in large part to their more essential nature and usefulness during quarantines. However, the category will still register its steepest sales decline in recent history, as travel restrictions, store closures, economic constraints, and a reprioritisation of consumer values worked to depress demand for luxury writing instruments.

Ease of purchase through e-commerce buoys sales, but store closures weigh heavily

A leading contributor to weakened sales for luxury writing instruments and stationery in 2020 were the efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 that forced the closure of, or contributed to reduced foot traffic to, the category’s largest store-based retail channels throughout much of the year. With lockdowns lasting from mid-March until at least May or June in many states, the closure of stationery stores, classified as non-grocery specialist retailers, as well as department stores, classified as mixed retailers, prevented consumers from purchasing writing instruments in stores during this time, while increased hygiene and social distancing protocols in stores, as well as boarded-up storefronts during periods of civil unrest, led to a reduction in foot traffic to stores throughout the remainder of the year.

Consumers find use for luxury writing instruments for both work and play

With many offices and other white-collar workplaces across the US having closed in mid-March and remained as such throughout the year, luxury writing instruments and stationery has been buoyed by workers spending company payments or their personal funds to set up workplaces inside of their own homes where they can be both comfortable and productive. While the majority have done so by purchasing monitors, desks, chairs, and other furniture, others sought luxury writing instruments and stationery from brands including 2019 leader Montblanc in order to feel a stronger sense of being part of a professional organisation while working from home.

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