2024
9
US Arts and Crafts Consumer 2024
2024-02-21T20:02:08+00:00
REP5A23ED87_25F5_436B_BE8D_E68EEFF06C4C
3695
170766
[{"name":"Leisure and Entertainment","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/leisure-entertainment"},{"name":"Retail","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/retail"}]
Report
en_GB
The arts and crafts market is thriving, driven by demand for projects that allow for self-expression while also being a budget-friendly pastime with wellness perks. Fiona O'Donnell, Senior Director…
  1. /
  2. All Industries
  3. /
  4. Leisure and Entertainment
  5. /
  6. US Arts and Crafts Consumer 2024

US Arts and Crafts Consumer 2024

Reports - What's Included
  • Multiple Report Formats
  • Access to our Clients Portal
  • Interactive Databook
  • Custom Presentation Tool

Explore the US arts and crafts market with this report. With increasing participation as consumers realize the value of arts and crafts, now is the time to capitalize on demand. Below, we’ve summarized the key topics analyzed and provided hand-selected findings from the report.

Key Topics Analyzed

  • Crafter demographics and how they see themselves.
  • Types of projects consumers worked on in the past 12 months and five-year trend.
  • Crafting motivations and barriers to participation.
  • Retailers for purchasing crafting supplies and shopping habits.
  • Key crafting trends, market drivers, launch activity, and innovations in crafting.

US Arts and Crafts Market Overview

The arts and crafts market is flourishing with almost three-quarters of Americans participating in the past 12 months. The category is benefiting from an increasing interest in handmade, personalized products and recognition of the therapeutic value. There are challenges, with heightened competition from online retailers, increased material costs, and limited shopper loyalty. As the market grows, preserving the authenticity of handmade goods will be crucial to maintaining consumer trust.

Arts and Crafts Consumer Insights

  • Crafters are engaging with various project types. This reflects a diverse market with multiple entry points and the potential for growth across traditional and emerging disciplines such as tech-related craft projects.
  • Affordability is a prime motivator for crafters. This is particularly the case for young adults, who are the most active crafters overall, and more constrained by budget. There’s room to position crafting as not just emotionally enriching but as a budget-savvy pursuit.
  • Men’s engagement in arts and crafts has increased, rising 10%, indicating a move away from traditional gender stereotypes. Mintel identifies this trend as a shift in the definition of masculinity, as men find a sense of accomplishment and productivity in participation.

What’s Next for Arts and Crafts?

Retailers must evolve with shoppers. Crafters shop around and seek inspiration and engagement across digital and physical platforms. This means that looking ahead, retailing and marketing efforts should provide a seamless omnichannel experience.

Buy your copy of this report today and grow your business strategy. You may also be interested in browsing our consumers and trends research.

Market Definition and Brands Covered

Market definition: “Arts and crafts” describes projects made by consumers for recreational or commercial purposes, either using a kit or from base materials. Consumer creative activities evaluated include painting, drawing or coloring, making decorations (eg wreaths, centerpieces), decorating baked goods, paper crafts (eg scrapbooking, die cutting), kids’ crafts (eg making slime, nebula jar), woodworking, knitting or crocheting, jewelry making, and tech-related craft projects (eg 3D printing, electronics).

Brands covered: The arts and crafts competitive landscape is covered in this report, concerning brands such as Makerplace by Michaels, Handmade.com, Etsy, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann, Amazon Handmade, and more.

Expert Analysis

Leading lifestyle analyst Fiona O’Donnell delivers expert industry insights with this in-depth report.

The arts and crafts market is thriving, driven by demand for projects that allow for self-expression while also being a budget-friendly pastime with wellness perks.

Fiona O’Donnell, Senior Director US Reports
Fiona O’Donnell
Senior Director – Lifestyles, Culture & Identity, Multicultural, Travel & Leisure

Collapse All
  1. Executive Summary

    • Key issues covered in this Report
    • Overview
    • What you need to know
    • Consumer trends: key takeaways
    • Market predictions – arts & crafts
    •  Opportunities
  2. Consumer Insights

    • Nearly three quarters of consumers engage with crafting
    • Crafting maintains pandemic-era popularity
    • Participation in crafting shows no signs of slowing
    • – Graph 1: participation in any art/craft in past 12 months – any project (NET), by gender, 2023
    • – Graph 2: participation in any art/craft in past 12 months – any project (NET), by age and by parental status, 2023
    • Inspire kids and parents through creativity and convenience
    • – Graph 3: participation in any art/craft in past 12 months – any project (NET), by household income, 2023
    • Provide value beyond price
    • – Graph 4: frequency of crafting participation, 2023
    • – Graph 5: crafting skill level, 2023
    • Classes enhance skills and foster community
  3. Project Participation

    • – Graph 6: types of projects worked on in past 12 months, 2023
    • Pandemic boost to arts and crafts has staying power
    • – Graph 7: types of projects worked on in the past 12 months, 2019-23
    • – Graph 8: participation in painting, making decorations and tech-related crafts, 2023 and 2019
    • Decor projects promote wellbeing and individuality
    • Quality, utility and harmony for the “total” decor
    • Tech expands horizon of creativity
    • – Graph 9: select projects worked on in past 12 months, by gender and by age, 2023
    • Make crafting more accessible to underserved groups
  4. Motivations and Barriers

    • – Graph 10: motivations for doing arts and crafts, 2023
    • – Graph 11: financial motivations for crafting, by age, 2023
    • Boost engagement by touting emotional drivers
    • – Graph 12: select attitudes toward emotional benefits of crafting – any agree, by gender and by age, 2023
    • – Graph 13: barriers to arts and crafts, 2023
  5. Crafter personas and perceptions

    • – Graph 14: crafter personas (top three selected)*, 2023
    • People are ardent about their craft
    • – Graph 15: select crafter personas (top three selected)*, by gender and by parental status, 2023
    • – Graph 16: crafter personas (top three selected)*, by age, 2023
    • Resin art makes a comeback with young creatives
    • – Graph 17: crafter personas (top three selected)*, by race/Hispanic origin, 2023
    • Acknowledge and celebrate diversity
    • – Graph 18: approach to arts and crafts, 2023
    • – Graph 19: select attitudes toward crafting and enjoyment – any agree, by age, 2023
  6. Spotlight on hosts and home decorators

    • Home is a gateway to self-expression
    • Home decorators and hosts find inspiration everywhere
    • Help decorators visualize the creative process
    • – Graph 20: select activities participated in the past 12 months, by crafter persona (top 3 selected)*, 2023
    • Go across mediums to broaden reach
  7. Retailers and shopping for supplies

    • Crafters shop around
    • Competition heats up in the crafting retail landscape
    • – Graph 21: retailers shopped, 2023
    • Craft-specific retailers are losing ground
    • – Graph 22: select retailers shopped, by crafter persona (top three selected)*, 2023
    • – Graph 23: approach toward shopping for supplies, by gender and by age, 2023
    • – Graph 24: impact of cost when shopping for supplies, by gender and by age, 2023
    • – Graph 25: select attitudes toward shopping for supplies – any agree, 2023
    • Carafes and crafts
  8. Launch activity and innovation

    • Competition heats up in third-party seller marketplace
    • Sellers and influencers represent strategic market
    • Home improvement retailers cater to decorators
  9. Marketing and Advertising

    • Digital ad spend correlates with holiday season
    • – Graph 26: digital ad spend by select craft retailers – across platforms, by month, 2023
    • – Graph 27: share of digital ad spend, by craft retailer, 2023
    • – Graph 28: share of digital ad spend across platforms, by select craft retailers, 2023
    • Jo-Ann announces new partnership
    • Michaels refreshes brand identity
    • Etsy aims to become go-to destination for gifting
    • Etsy: Gift Mode
  10. Opportunities

    • Areas to branch out to and explore
  11. Market Context

    • Economic indicators point to a healthy economy and a robust future for crafting
  12. Market Drivers

    • Crafting promotes mental wellbeing
    • AI can complement creative pursuits
    • Digital artists find success on Etsy
    • Crafting is an economical pastime
    • – Graph 29: consumer sentiment index, 2021-24
    • Sustainable crafting is a push to reduce waste and get creative
    • Look to players outside the category for best practices
  13. Market Share

    • Mixed results for craft-specific retailers
  14. APPENDIX

    • Market definition
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Consumer qualitative research
    • Generations
    • Abbreviations and terms

Why Choose Mintel?

Mintel is the world’s leading market intelligence agency. We show you how consumers think today and tomorrow. As a trusted partner to industry leaders, we deliver game-changing insights to businesses across the globe, fuelling their marketing and innovation strategies that will shape the future.

Access high-quality market research with every purchase of Mintel’s consumer reports. Here’s what else is included in your report purchase:

  • Multiple Report Formats: Mintel’s reports are available in PDF and PPT formats, and are delivered straight to your inbox, so you can easily share Mintel’s market intelligence.
  • Access to Mintel’s Clients Portal: After your purchase is completed, you’ll receive an invitation to join Mintel’s Clients Portal, providing instant access to supplementary insights from Mintel’s industry experts.
  • Interactive Databook: Mintel’s bespoke consumer data is presented as an interactive website, so you can deep dive into your chosen topic, explore demographics and download specific statistics.
  • Custom Presentation Tool: Easily incorporate selected research data and analysis into a tailor-made presentation to win over clients and stakeholders.

Take a look at a sample PDF report below:

Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 3,695 (Excl.Tax)
  • Instant access when you pay by credit card
  • Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Buy now

Is this report right for you?

From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.

Find out more

Popular Related Reports

Global Outlook on Sustainability: A Consumer Study 2024-25

£ 5,000£ 21,600

Mintel’s 2024-25 Global Outlook on Sustainability: A Consumer Study is designed to help you understand what brands and companies should prioritise in order to educate consumers and ensure...

Find out more

US Black Consumers: Shopping for Groceries Consumer Report 2024

£ 3,695

For as much as shoppers want to find great value while grocery shopping, it's important to remember that they won't sacrifice on quality. Black grocery shoppers will find...

Find out more

US Jewelry Market Report 2024

£ 3,695

The jewelry market is expected to grow by 4.5% in 2024, demonstrating recovery following a downturn driven by economic pressures and inflation. The strength of the jewelry category...

Find out more

US Gaming Franchises: Brand Opportunities Report 2024

£ 3,695

More than 60% of US adults who play video games have purchased gaming-branded or partnered products, indicating strong consumer interest in gaming merchandise. The growing influence of gaming...

Find out more

US Subscription Services Market Report 2024

£ 3,695

The adoption of subscription services has surged in the past year, increasing from 65% in 2023 to 73% in 2024. Notably, the industry is not only gaining new...

Find out more

US Hispanic Consumers: Shopping for Groceries Consumer Report 2025

£ 3,695

Hispanic shoppers prioritize price/deals when grocery shopping, and they are confident in their knowledge of which stores have the best prices. As budget pressures force tighter trade-offs, consumers...

Find out more

Trusted by global industry leaders

We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.

As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.

We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.

 

Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink

We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.

By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.

For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.

Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon

We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.

Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.

Marie Stafford, European Director, The Innovation Group, Wunderman Thompson

There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.

However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.

Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus

When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.

They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.

So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.

Rebecca Green, Market Insight Manager, Wincanton

Is this report right for you?

From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.

Find out more