45% of US older Millennials sold a handmade craft online last year

The popularity of online arts and crafts communities is inspiring Americans to share and sell their own creations, especially among Millennials. New research from Mintel reveals that 45 percent of older Millennials (age 30-39) sold an art/craft project they made through an online shop in the past year* compared to 18 percent of consumers overall.

In addition to sharing and selling arts and crafts online, nearly three in five (55 percent) older Millennials use online videos to learn an art/craft skill or technique compared to one third (33 percent) of Americans overall. Two in five (39 percent) Americans use YouTube, while one third browse Pinterest (33 percent) or conduct online searches (31 percent) for crafting inspiration. While 41 percent of consumers make gifts by hand for someone else, rising to 58 percent of older Millennials, only three in 10 (27 percent) Americans consider themselves DIY-ers.

“While the majority of people who participate in arts and crafts likely do so because they enjoy the activity, following the recession consumers have found unique ways to embrace their inner-entrepreneur. We find this to be especially true among older Millennials,” said Dana Macke, Lifestyles and Leisure Analyst at Mintel. “The internet is aiding consumers from the very start to the very end of a crafting project, whether the end goal is to capitalize on their crafting skills through the online marketplace or to craft a personalized gift.”

With three in five (58 percent) consumers participating in a craft activity in the past year*, there is a large audience of crafters in the US. The most popular crafting activities among Americans are photo crafts (18 percent) and cake/dessert decorating (18 percent).

Arts and crafts are especially popular among parents, with 76 percent crafting an item in the past year. Further, two thirds (67 percent) of parents make art/craft projects with their kids, and three in 10 parents select cake/dessert decorating (29 percent) as their activity of choice.

“Culinary and photo crafts are both enjoying their time in the crafting spotlight due to elevated interest from consumers, particularly parents. The wide variety and huge popularity of cooking and food decorating television shows are encouraging cooking and baking as an art form, setting it apart from mundane everyday food preparation. Brands should look to engage parents by showcasing how they can use culinary crafts as a way to bond with their children and turn a task into a memory,” concluded Macke.

*12 months leading to October 2015

Press copies of The Arts and Crafts Consumer US 2016 and interviews with Dana Macke, Lifestyles and Leisure Analyst, are available on request from the press office.