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The largest portion of sales in the flatware category for 2000 — nearly 70 percent — belonged to stainless steel. For specialty retailers, this category saw a 3.8 percent growth in 2000, department stores witnessed 7.5 percent growth, while mass merchants experienced a 3.6 percent sales increase over 1999, according to data from The International Housewares Association.

"Stainless is being bought by everyone, and with good reason," said National Tabletop & Giftware Association Executive Director Tony DeMasi. "Thanks to upscale designs and improved product quality, there's no longer a stigma to using stainless steel flatware at almost any meal."

Terry Monroe of Murphy's Department Store in Stillwater, Okla., and www.murphyshomestyles.com, agreed, saying, "There is a strengthening of stainless sales for us. I think stainless is viewed as something everyone needs and it's durable. Nice crystal and fine china are things that new couples find a little less necessary now, but they still need stainless, even if they do not entertain formally. We like it because it is easier to carry than either china or crystal, and it ships well — a help for our Internet customers, who account for about 30 percent of our total business."



Flatware Primer

While Darwinians might say mankind began with the apes, tabletop experts will tell you flatware began with a spoon. Spoon-like implements were used long before knives and forks and are probably as old as civilization itself.

The earliest form of the spoon is generally thought to be the shell. To make shells more convenient to use, wooden or bone handles were attached, which produced an implement very similar to the modern spoon. Even today, many decorated serving spoons employ the ancient shell motif. Early silver spoons were fig-shaped. The oval-shaped spoon in use today was developed in the 17th century and the flat handle in the 18th century.

Forks did not become a common table implement for individual use until the early 16th century when they appeared in Italy among a few members of the upper class. The fork was not taken up immediately by common people because it was regarded as effeminate. It was even condemned by some members of the clergy as being sacrilegious, wrongly replacing our God-given fingers. A few decades after the upper classes brought forks into general table use in Italy, middle class families also began to accept them.

Forks with one, two, three, and four prongs were common among the very early models, but two-pronged forks were the most common. Today, the four-pronged fork is the norm in the United States, whereas the three-pronged fork is generally found in Europe and Asia.

Materials used for making flatware have evolved along with design. Made of steel composed of iron, chromium, and nickel, common flatware varieties are 18/8 and 18/10. These combinations refer to the ratio of chromium and nickel, with 18/10 having a mirror-like sheen as the result of higher levels of nickel.

Several qualities make stainless steel an ideal metal for flatware. These include its rich lustrous appearance, which is very similar to that of platinum; the ability to resist chemical corrosion; great strength and durability; low maintenance requirements; and a relatively low cost. Stainless was first introduced to the table in the early 1930s to supersede silver-plated knife blades. Later in the decade, complete sets of flatware were made of stainless, mostly for hotel and restaurant use. Because of insufficient technology at the time, these early patterns were plain and unadorned, quite unlike the stainless patterns of today.

"Stainless steel's most attractive selling points will always be easy care, relatively low price, and a wide selection of patterns. This combination allows consumers to have wardrobes of such flatware, with different designs to fit any party's or meal's theme," DeMasi said. "Evidence of this is the slow-but-steadily-growing market for stainless flatware with wooden, plastic, or other nonmetal handles. A meal of Chinese food might bring out flatware with bamboo handles, a Christmas dinner might call for flatware with red, green, or holiday-themed handles."



Today's Table

As manufacturing processes matured, so did the design qualities of stainless. Today's consumers are welcoming heavier weights, larger European sizing, and the use of 18/10 stainless. The big story for the past two years has been the matte or frosted finish. Perfect for the transitional table, this design will continue to play on the success of casual tableware.

"Trends are toward brushed stainless, away from floral stainless patterns, and toward heavier weight patterns and higher quality," Monroe said. "Our market is pretty much right in the middle of the overall market, so we don't see much interest in the plastic color-handled stainless on the low end or in the upper end."

As transitional or contemporary patterns have replaced traditionally ornate flatware styles, manufacturers are feeding the trend. Consumers are eating up forged patterns, as well as celebrating distinctive workmanship.

DeMasi noted, "Design trends continue with decorative gold touches on the otherwise 'silver' stainless steel metal, but the big news is soft contemporary; that is, soft lines with clean designs. Other design trends happening are increasing demand for 'satin' finishes, new interest in larger-sized flatware, and growing demand for 'better' stainless made of nickel chrome steel."

While it's a difficult transition for designers to make — taking a trend-setting design and applying it to a product expected to have a long home life — distinct influences can be discovered in this category.

Early stainless options were either simple tools or sterling reproductions, but today this relative newcomer is making its own statement with modern influences ranging from Art Deco to Postmodernism. The designers of the 20th century have influenced flatware, as well as fashion. From Gustav Stickley's robust and pure handmade creations to Bauhaus designs devoid of historic reference, artistic influences have trickled down to flatware designs.

Clean-cut designs and more patterned looks that can fit with either formal or casual settings are in vogue today. For example, several companies are featuring sleek Euro-styling that is casual yet has an upscale feel. Clean geometric designs and European influences from Scandinavia and Italy are also popular. One company cites the popularity of the "institutional look" that fits well into today's lifestyles.

J.J. Kosmider, owner of gift/gourmet store Urban Living in Perrysburg, Ohio, and www.UrbanLivingStore.com, said her customers appreciate new, clean designs and are more attracted to European stylings.

"My customers generally know what they are looking for. They want something that will comfortably fit in a man's hand. Too often flatware made in the U.S. is smaller; I have found European lines to be a little better," she said. "Simple is best — something that does not overpower their dishes or detract from their current design. The flatware should add to their design."

Monroe said, "I am not sure whether people are buying the brushed because they like it better or whether they are being more practical, but the brushed finishes are much more popular now."

Teresa Alexander, merchandise coordinator for gourmet kitchenware store The Cupboard in Fort Collins Colo., concurred, saying, "Probably a third of our sales are brushed. We do nothing with gold treatments."



Depth, Discounts & Display

After that history and design lesson, retailers are left to ponder how much they should carry in their stores. How do you determine which patterns and lines to carry? How deep do you go? How do you compete with the guy down the road?

Monroe explained his policy, "Discounting can be a bit of a concern with stainless, and it is our policy to be at a manufacturer's lowest allowed retail price, where a lowest allowed price exists. We are a fairly low-cost operator, so we can normally sell at the same price as major department store competitors in our area."

Determining your customers' market price is essential. Proprietors of The Cupboard know this fact all too well. Alexander is in the midst of revamping her flatware inventory, displays, and price points.

"We realized that what we are doing right now is not working," she said. "I think price is probably our biggest concern."

Alexander said she's trying to profile the Fort Collins market to better understand what price points are acceptable. While most of the store's inventory pushes the pricing structure upwards, Alexander has discovered stainless flatware selections are tolerable in the mid range only. So while stainless designs have become upscale, don't assume customers will just accept the upward movement in cost.

"Half of our five-piece settings are over $40, which I think is a little high for our area — $20 to $30 is better for our market," she said. "To be successful, you have to know your price point and have a good variety," Alexander said. "I think we're pretty competitive. We're trying to get a broader assortment and widen our mid- to lower-end selection. We need to have low end, medium, and some high."

Despite her trials, Alexander continues to be optimistic about the category. Statistically, her confidence seems well placed. Research indicates dual-income couples who have more money than time and enjoy entertaining at home have forged the upscale swing in the stainless market in terms of purchases and demand for better designs and better-quality products. The bridal market is also pushing the category. It would be rare to find a bridal registry form that does not list stainless steel or "casual/everyday" flatware/serveware, in addition to sterling or "formal/special occasion" flatware.

Spectra Marketing Research profiles the average upscale flatware consumer in the following way. Most have post-graduate degrees; hold executive positions; are married, separated, widowed, or divorced (as opposed to single); and reside in two-person households. Those households have income over $100,000, many over $150,000.

These consumers are the ones who are pushing manufacturers to create better-quality stainless. These shoppers don't want or need sterling and they aren't interested in low-quality "discount" stainless options. Their demands have moved one of the largest stainless manufacturers to drop many patterns in its low-end line in order to bring its other patterns up to a higher — yet still mid-range — rung.

"Stainless steel flatware and serveware also gained a respectability via distribution from previously upscale flatware-only manufacturers such as Reed & Barton, and retailers such as Tiffany & Co.," DeMasi said. "Ditto for upscale china manufacturers who branched out to include stainless steel flatware under the flags of their nationally known brands."

Monroe noted, "Manufacturers apparently also see an upward change in the market. However, there are now a number of manufacturers that have a selection of things in price categories below the lowest Oneida. I am talking about the series made for specialty and department stores here. We see increased buying in the non-Oneida brands, and consequently, buy and show about twice the number of patterns we did just a few years ago."

Manufacturers are even marketing stainless in a new way — targeting the specialty shopper with upscale presentation boxes once used only for sterling silver. Other marketing trends include large piece-count promotional sets, gift with purchase, and extra steak knives.

"Complete sets of stainless are being sold in flatware chests, something else that was once limited strictly for 'the good stuff,'" DeMasi explained.

Those boxed sets are striking a popular cord with customers and retailers alike. Alexander is incorporating more of the boxed patterns into her in-store displays. Her new display ideas provide for visual cross-merchandising by incorporating more flatware into dinnerware displays. The Cupboard will also be openly displaying patterns offered in boxed sets, giving customers a better impression of what's available.

"We're really successful in the boxed sets and we're seeing less interest in five-piece place settings. So now we're evaluating how we display flatware," Alexander said. "We've seen an increase in dinnerware sales and a flattening of flatware sales, but our flatware display has not been in the best location so we're moving it. We'll be setting ourselves apart from the competition by displaying our flatware and dinnerware together more. On our shelves, where we have mostly dinnerware, we're going to put out flatware to suggest it to the customer. I think that we really want to make the display as easy to handle as possible so people can touch and feel the flatware."



Consumer Testing

Flatware marketing demands more than just display. Create your own marketing materials for flatware. Design brochures (or online FAQs) which answer questions consumers might have. Even if they don't have questions, such materials are sure to spark some purchasing ideas.

Questions might include the "rules" for choosing flatware or how to match flatware with dinnerware and stemware. Explain to customers that table selections should not compete with each other, so creating a selection with a balance between ornate and simple designs is important. Additional information could explain the components which comprise stainless steel. For example, 18/8 stainless has 18 percent chrome for maximum corrosion resistance and 8 percent nickel for a soft, silver-like luster. Further information could relate care instructions, as well as tips for removing buildup caused by minerals.

Target your flatware consumers by discovering their interests. Spectra's research steers retailers toward promotional messages and events that resonate with targeted shoppers. Research indicates these shoppers read mature market, epicurean, and travel magazines; watch TV news and Spanish-language television; listen to ethnic or nostalgia radio stations; and are more apt to read the fashion or food section of the newspaper.

Create an in-store event which incorporates these interests. As part of an ethnic cooking class, hold a session discussing table-setting for entertaining. The session provides an opportunity to explain additional service pieces, recommending every host should have a 12-piece place setting consisting of: knife, fork for main course, soup spoon, shellfish fork and server, dessert knife and fork, salad or entree knife and fork, and coffee or demitasse spoon. Must-have serving utensils include sauce serving spoon, serving knife and fork, seafood serving fork and spoon, and cake server.

During class, instruct students on proper silverware order and be sure to set silverware so the bases form an invisible straight line on the bottom. Utensils nearest to plates are used lastly, those on the outer sides are to be used first. Create diagrams illustrating proper place settings and list each utensil you carry for reference. There are great tips you can add to your reference materials to spur sales, including the proper place-setting etiquette which states a table setting "should not bear more than three forks and three knives, a soup spoon, and an entree spoon or fork. If the menu requires the use of additional silverware, it should be brought out while serving," a tip which leaves your customers' minimum place setting at eight pieces.

If you want to calm their fears about overstocking their homes, include this historical tidbit in your notes: during the Victorian Age, a complete service for 12 sometimes included 300 to 500 individual pieces . . . down to the butter pick and terrapin fork.

Read more from our 2001 Tabletop Series:

2001 Tabletop Series, Part I

2001 Tabletop Series, Part II

2001 Tabletop Series, Part III

2001 Tabletop Series, Part IV