The brand also produces interesting animal prints that meet the taste of people from different age groups. Matching stationary sets and household product series are also on the CRAFTHOLIC product catalogue.

Brand across the world are riding on animal characters to raise brand awareness and competitiveness. This is how Japanese brand CRAFTHOLIC made its name. The company’s fluffy, long-limbed mythical animal CRAFTs from the planet CRAFT have made successful inroads in the Asian markets. CRAFTHOLIC representative Rena Manita believed that market responsiveness and licensing are the keys.

Finger on the market’s pulse

CRAFTHOLIC’s parent company Accent Corporation used to focus on home furniture design and household products until the launch of a blanket in 2008 turned CRAFTHOLIC into a household name. Rena Manita recalled: “Our cushions and blankets were widely popular back then, but it was in fact our animal print products that were the bestsellers.”

Capitalising on the hug cushion series’ popularity, the company in 2010 officially launched the CRAFTHOLIC brand. The brand also produces interesting animal prints that meet the taste of people from different age groups. Matching stationary sets and household product series are also on the CRAFTHOLIC product catalogue.

CRAFTHOLIC currently has six retail shops and one factory outlet in Japan while there is one of each in mainland China and France. These bricks and mortar shops act as promotional channels that provide the local customers product details for their needs. Rena Manita added that, “Retail shops are important because they encourage customers to learn more about CRAFTHOLIC and attract people who are new to the brand.”

CRAFTHOLIC online shop offers a wider variety of products. Customers are spoilt for choice. This year, we rolled out a colourful array of advertisements and promotional drives on our online shop. This has contributed to a profit increase of 115% year on year.” This omni-channel model is helping to fuel and sustain business growth.

Brand licensing

CRAFTHOLIC in 2013 began its licensing business and a year later broke into various overseas markets. The brand will launch more character print products in mainland China and focus on China’s online market business. According to the research from LIMA，the licensing market of mainland China reached 900 billion Japanese yen (about HK$63 billion) in 2016, and is the second largest licensing market in Asia. It is predicted however that mainland China will soon outrun Japan in that regard.

Aside from promotion on its own sales platforms, the brand has been a regular in the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s Hong Kong International Licensing Show since 2015 in a move to further penetrate overseas markets. Rena Manita revealed that, “The Hong Kong International Licensing Show’s business matching service has provided CRAFTHOLIC optimal business opportunities. Meetings with interested buyers and in-depth business discussions among industry players have also led the company to seal deals as well as success,” She added “This year, we united with our buyers from the 2016 show and extended the licences,” Rena said. “We are looking to launch a series of new products in the winter to be licensed to a sizeable Taiwan household product retailer.”