Special points of interest this issue:

NEW CE Pin and Brad

embellishments

Grand Calibur Replace-

ment Plates in stock

NEW Umount stamp

plates

Grand Calibur

expected stock date

Developing customer

loyalty

Creative Expressions

E-Newsletter

Vernon Court

Henson Way

Telford Way Ind Estate

Kettering

Northants

NN16 8PX

ryan@creative-

expressions.uk.com

Inside this issue:

Welcome to Re:Mail 11 1

Latest Expressions 1

Marketing Update 3

Retail Remedies 4

May 2011

We lcome to Re :Ma il 1 1

Re:Mail

And this edition’s Retail Remedies includes tips

and advice on developing customer loyalty and encouraging repeat business from your

customers. I hope you find Re:Mail useful and informative.

Ryan Kyle Marketing

Issue No. 11

A printable version of this

newsletter is available to

download from the trade

area of our website.

In this issue of Re:Mail you can find all the latest

Creative Expressions product news, including details of brand new embellishments, three new

rubber stamp sets and replacement plate packs for the Spellbinders Grand Calibur. The Marketing Update section on page three

contains details of all our recent and upcoming marketing activities.

We are excited to announce the release of two

new embellishment collections that are great for adding accents to all manner of craft projects:

Creative Expressions Decorative Pins and Faux Screw Brads. Decorative Pins

CE Decorative Pins are 2 inch long silver

embellishing pins with decorative heads in classic pearl or crystal bead styles. They are

available in Black Pearl, White Pearl, Cream Pearl and clear Crystal designs, and each pack

contains 20 pins. These pins are great for adding dimensional flair to vintage and shabby chic projects, as well as

stylishly securing other embellishments, such as ribbons, paper flowers or charms. Faux Screw Brads

CE Faux Screw Brads are metal brads styled to appear as cross-head and flat-head screws with

an aged appearance. The brads are available in Antique Copper, Antique Gold and Antique Silver

shades and are excellent for attaching ribbon, charms, vellums and more to papercraft pieces. Each pack of Faux Screw Brads contains 24

individual brads, including 12 flat head and 12 cross head designs.

CE Decorative Pins and Faux Screw Brads are in stock and available to order now.

Latest Expressions

Brand New: Decorati ve P ins and Fa ux Screw Brads

Above left: Black Pearl Decorative Pins, packaged Above right: White Pearl and Crystal pins.

Pins Black Pearl PINBLACK £0.94

Pins Cream Pearl PINCREAM £0.94

Pins White Pearl PINWHITE £0.94

Pins Crystal PINCRYSTAL £0.94

Brad Ant. Copper BRADAC £0.83

Brad Ant. Gold BRADAG £0.83

Brad Ant. Silver BRADAS £0.83

Below left: Antique Copper Faux Screw Brads, packaged. Below right: Antique Gold & Antique Silver brads.

Creative Expressions

Retailer E-Newsletter

Details of our three latest Umount stamp plates, designed by Sam Poole, can be found below.

New Umount Stamp P lates

Page 2

License to Grill A5 Plate This fun barbecue themed stamp set features

thirteen images, including large barbecue and

apron designs, as well as traditional barbecue treats and accessories. The set also includes a

selection of light hearted sentiments that are great for any card making occasion. Code: UMGRILL Price: £4.56

Picnic Time A5 Plate Full-to-brimming hampers, summer fruits and

whimsical ant motifs all feature on this summery

picnic themed plate, which is excellent for creating fun children's cards.

Code: UMPICNIC Price: £4.56

We expect our next shipment of Spellbinders

Grand Calibur machines to arrive in the first

week of June and we are currently taking pre-orders for machines on this shipment.

Due to the high demand for the Grand Calibur

we recommend pre-ordering to ensure you receive the number you require.

To pre-order simply send an email stating the number of machines you would like to reserve to

sales@creative-expressions.uk.com.

Spe l lb inders Grand Ca l ibur : Expected S tock Update

Grand Calibur Replacement Plates

pack

Thoughtful Sentiments A5 Plate This stamp plate features a wide range of warm,

inspirational and thought provoking messages

which are ideal for scrapbook pages, birthday cards, sympathy cards, congratulations cards

and more. The set contains fifteen sentiment stamps.

Code: UMTHOUGH Price: £4.56

The packs are available to order now at a

wholesale price of £9.87 each.

Code: WIZGC-002 Price: £9.87

Grand Ca l ibur Replacement P la tes Now In S tock

We are happy to confirm that Spellbinders Grand

Calibur Replacement Plate packs are now in stock (pictured left). Each pack contains one Grand

Calibur Base Plate (A) and one Cutting Plate (C).

Creative Expressions

Retailer E-Newsletter

Page 3

Marketing Update

The table below shows the date of broadcast/

release for all recent and upcoming CE marketing activity. It also details the products

that will be promoted: allowing you to stock up on the relevant lines and take advantage of the

increased demand that follows.

Channel Title/Channel/Site Promotion Type Products Featured Date Print Press Crafts Beautiful News item+ giveaway Cos Shim Drawing Inks, Dazzle Paints, Chalk Mists 29/04/2011

CB: A5 Project Book Step by step project Tatty Button rubber stamp range June Issue

Half page ad Tatty Button range

Print Press Craft Stamper Project article Eco Green Substrate: Bird on a Pedestal 06/05/2011

Project article Umount Wine Labels stamps June Issue

Full page ad Linda Ravenscroft Enchanted Fairies stamps +

Eco Green Crafts Acrylic Paints and Inkpads

Print Press Cardmaking & News piece + image Cos Shim Drawing Inks 10/05/2011

Papercraft Giveaway+editorial Cos Shim Drawing Inks, Chalk Mists, Dazzle Paints, Issue 92

Shimmer Misters

Project article Tatty Button rubber stamps: Sunflower, Swingtime

Print Press Let's Make Cards News piece + image Cosmic Shimmer Drawing Inks, Dazzle Paints, 20/05/2011

and Chalk Mists June Issue

Television Create & Craft Live TV Show Enchanted Fairy A6 stamp sets: Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, 22/05/2011

with Jo Channon Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagitarius, 10am-12pm

Scorpio, Taurus, Virgo 5-6.00pm

Enchanted Papercraft CD ROM

Cos Shim Drawing Inks: Essentials, Garden, Persian,

Circus

Cos Shim Twinkles: Aqua, Sky Blush, Iced Candy

Cos Shim Glue: Pearl White, Pearl Black, Dries Clear

Cos Shim Embossing Powders: Black, Aurora Sparkle

Cos Shim Film: Peacock Blue, Sassy Pink, Purple Haze,

Aurora Sparkle, Aqua Sparkle, Coral Twinkle

Perfect Medium Clear Pad, Distress Ink-Walnut Stain

That Special Touch masks: Delicate, Elegance

CE Two-speed Heat Tool, Crystal Lacquer Clear

Sheer Iridescent Ribbons: Cobalt Jade, Fuschia, Light

Blue, Raspberry Lime, Lilac Blue, Midnight Marine

Print Press Making Magazine Project article Eco Green Crafts Acrylic Paints 26/05/2011

News item + image Eco Green Crafts range July Issue

Full page ad Eco Green Crafts range

Television Create & Craft Live TV Show Umount A5 stamp sets: British Wildflower, Meadow 30/05/2011

with Jo Channon Flora, Butterfly One, Birds, Thoughtful Sentiments 8-9.00am

Umount A5 Mounting Cushion 1-2.00pm

Cos Shim Mists: Golden Mint, Aqua Lagoon, Angel 4-5.00pm

Pearl, Ancient Copper, Peacock Green, Red Firefly 6-7.00pm

Cos Shim Emb Powder Set 5 - Vintage 02/06/2011

That Special Touch Masks: Doodle Daisies, Ivy 8-9.00am

Distress Inkpads: Victorian Velvet, Peeled Paint, 1-2.00pm

Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Dusty Concord, Pine 3-4.00pm

Needles 6-7.00pm

CE Embossing Folders: Lattice, Fauna 03/06/2011

Creative Metal Squares: Gold, Fuschia, Green 8-9.00pm

Grosgrain Satin Ribbon: Brown, Ivory, Plum, Celery, Teal

Print Press Craft Stamper News piece + image Cos Shim Drawing Inks, Dazzle Paints, Chalk Mists 03/06/2011

Project article Eco Green Crafts Six Drawer Chest July Issue

Editorial + image Umount Countryside stamp plate

Print Press Papercraft News piece + image Cos Shim Chalk Mists 08/06/2011

Inspirations Giveaway Cos Shim Chalk Mists, Dazzle Paints Issue 88

Print Press Papercraft Project article Tatty Button rubber stamps 09/06/2011

Essentials The World of Tatty Button papercraft CD ROM Issue 69

Creative Expressions Retailer E-

Newsletter

Page 4

The Retail Remedies section offers expert advice to help solve your business problems. If you

have a problem or query that you would like help with we would love to hear from you! Simply

email it to: ryan@creative-expressions.uk.com.

Retail Remedies

Q: What can I do to keep customers returning to my

store?

Creative Expressions says:

Another way to add value through free

information is through a customer newsletter. If sent out via email this can be very cost

effective and a basic newsletter can be easy to produce. You can add value for customers

through a newsletter by including techniques

and tips, as well as information about new products, special promotions and upcoming

events that may be of interest to them. Customers email details for a newsletter

mailing list can be gathered easily by offering

entry into a free prize draw or a small discount on their first purchase in exchange

for their email address. 3. Add value through loyalty rewards. A loyalty reward system is another effective

way of encouraging customer loyalty and repeat business. This can be as simple as

giving a loyalty card to customers, which is stamped (with a unique stamp) every time

they spend a certain amount in store. A voucher or free gift can be offered as a

reward when the customer accumulates a certain number of stamps. Customer loyalty and price Developing customer loyalty will increase the

likelihood of customers choosing to shop in your store over competitors. However they

may still buy from competitors where there is a significant price difference in their favour.

To minimise this it is important to track your competitors prices and ensure that your

prices are as competitive as possible.

It’s a widely accepted fact that retaining

current customers costs far less than attracting new ones. So in these frugal times

when margins are being squeezed and when many craft consumers’ budgets are reduced,

it is more important than ever to develop

customer loyalty and keep customers coming back to your business. One way to develop customer loyalty is by offering additional benefits (or adding value)

for customers when they shop at your store,

that they won’t receive at competitors stores. Below are some tips on how to

encourage loyalty from your customers. 1. Add value through customer service. Excellent customer service is fundamental to

developing customer loyalty. If your staff come across as unfriendly or unhelpful, any

efforts to engender loyalty and encourage customers to return are likely to fail. Conversely, going the extra mile for your

customers, getting to know their interests and/or ordering in a hard-to-find product for

them, will go a long way to developing loyalty. 2. Add value through free information. A free weekly project or technique tutorial

sheet in store, or free weekly product demonstrations cost the business very little.

But offering these resources for free increases customer perceptions of good

value, helping to engender positive feelings

towards the business and develop loyalty. Releasing them weekly also encourages

customers to visit the store regularly.