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More retailers say 'I do' to gay marriage marketAnne d'Innocenzio, AP from iht on line, April 17, 2004 Sales could reach more than $1 billionNEW YORK -- When Leah McElrath was shopping with her partner, Cathy Renna, for a tuxedo for their wedding last year, some of the salespeople seemed more inclined to gawk rather than help. "You could see these guys in the corner, talking to each other, watching us," McElrath, a New Yorker, said. With same-sex weddings still new, retailers are working through some issues - such as sensitizing their employees to the needs of gay customers. But many are trying new marketing approaches, hoping to profit from the gay wedding business as pressure grows for same-sex unions to be legalized in some states and with Massachusetts set to grant marriage licenses next month. The gay wedding and honeymoon market is potentially lucrative, estimated to reach $1 billion in a few years, according to Community Marketing, a San Francisco-based marketing company. Same-sex marriages could also lift the $50 billion-a-year wedding business, whose growth has been flat for the past several years, according to Condé Nast Bridal Infobank, a market research arm of Condé Nast Bridal Group, which publishes Bride's and Modern Bride. Retailers in Massachusetts expect to be big beneficiaries of gay marriages. George Montilio, part owner of Montilio's, a bakery with three locations in the Boston area, anticipates a 5 percent to 10 percent increase in business from same-sex weddings. He has already ordered same-sex cake toppers for his stores, which get a third of their business from weddings. "We are rethinking our advertising," Montilio added, noting that his company would begin including the word "partner" instead of only "bride" and "groom." Tiffany, Williams-Sonoma and Michael C. Fina were among the first pioneers, changing their wedding registries to be nongender-specific a few years ago. Meanwhile, Web sites have appeared, including Gayweddings.com, an advertising portal for wedding resources, and RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, which offers a gift registry for same-sex couples. The Rainbow registry, started three years ago, receives 23,000 hits a day and had a 50 percent jump in registries over the past six months, said its co-founder, Cindy Sproul. "Everything is so much in the beginning stages," said David Toussaint, author of "Gay and Lesbian Weddings: Planning the Perfect Same-Sex Ceremony," to be published by Ballantine Books this summer. He said gay weddings were becoming more traditional as couples sought to validate their relationships. But navigating this terrain is tricky. Merchants and online resources want to embrace new consumers without offending advertisers or other customers. Carley Roney, editor in chief of The Knot (theknot.com), a wedding resource Web site, said she had received flak from some advertisers after spotlighting a gay couple in 2000 on its site, although she acknowledged that same-sex marriage is now more accepted. The company has increased its editorial content on gay marriages and regularly features gay couples. When shopping for their wedding on the Web and in stores, McElrath and Renna said they looked for language that was inclusive. "If people say partner or spouse, we look for that," McElrath said. She and Renna spent a total of $15,000 on their ceremony, reception and honeymoon. Joshua Gann, part-owner of Joseph Gann Jewelers in Boston, has noticed an uptick in business over the past couple of months from same-sex couples looking for wedding bands. He is not yet sure what changes he might need to make in his merchandise selection. "We are watching it," he said. "It is another market, but we are not doing anything different right now." But Z. Bazarnik, marketing director and corporate manager, of Dante Zeller Tuxedo, a retailer in Linden, New Jersey, already has a good idea of gay couples' spending - she said these couples tend to spend about 8 percent more than heterosexuals, upgrading the tuxedos with jewelry and other accessories. The 30-store chain, which has enjoyed a 20 percent increase in sales from same-sex couples in the past year, just begun a radio campaign that features two men talking about where they got their tuxedos. It could be interpreted as two friends or two partners conversing. "We are going more toward generic," she said. AP from the International Harold Tribune on line. |
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