According to an article posted on December 11, 2006 on BusinessWeek.com (and now if this link expires you know how to find it), worldwide sales of Filofaxes have gone up 20% since Letts acquired the company in 2001. Growth is currently at a clip of 5% per year.
The article talks how Letts has endeavored to make Filofaxes more appealing to women customers (who now make up 60% of Filofax purchasers, as opposed to 60% men in the mid-90's), and in developing countries, where Filofaxes are desired as a status item.
Why else has the Filofax held up so well against Blackberries and PDAs? According to the article, people use electronic devices more for "wireless connectivity than as true organizers."
Another interesting statistic: 68% of Filofax users are under the age of 45.
Yes, I truly feel that electronic organizers are for wireless connectivity rather than really organizing. It's so much easier for me to jot something down quickly rather than go through several menus before I can painstakingly punch in the info on those tiny tiny keyboard.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that 60% of the users are now women :) But I hope they continue making some unisex traditional kinds. I really don't want something that looks like the Rio model (bright neon colors with flower fabric prints inside = yuck!)
I think this is very good news for Filofax, but hope they don't forget the guys as customers. Lately I've been asked more about my Filofax by men than women (I have a Classic A5). A lot of guys still need a nice paper planner.
ReplyDeleteWell I've been a Filofax user since the 1990s when I first used the format as an Officer in the British Army. I believe that there will always be room for a paper-based organiser/notebook and I really do believe that the Filofax in it's many formats has a long future ahead. I was once an avid Personal size fan but have now become a convert to the A5 size as I find it more useful for making lecture notes (I'm now training to be a teacher).
ReplyDeleteIt’s 15 years later. It seems to me the direction is to produce less leather products. However, the focus still seems to target femininity. As a female, I prefer Black, Brown, Navy, and Cognac color leather binders. Investing in affordable quality.
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