Stop guessing: get a toy expert’s recommendation

After 20 years working at A.C. Nielsen/D&B Research Company, Rick opened the first Learning Express Toys franchise in the Chicago area in 1996 and then became a sub-franchiser. Although leaving the corporate environment behind, he has combined his expertise in data and numbers with a passion for the toy retail space. This month, Rick looks at how indies can get their message out to potential customers.

I was recently reflecting on my college marketing courses where I learned the basics of the 4 P’s: Price, Product, Promotion and Placement. What I realised is that online sellers like Amazon are the ones capitalising on all four of these, with the lowest prices, millions of products, promotions every day, Prime Days and placement - always there online. As an indie toy retailer, I have no message that truly capitalises on any of these four points. So, what does an indie do to get their message out and to hit home with potential customers? I have struggled to hit on one core message that resonates with today’s parents. But we must keep trying, as I believe this is our only hope of staying relevant in this time of online growth. So here goes…

The best toys are 90% child and 10% toy. Parents want playthings that grow with their children, offering new challenges and possibilities. Toy stores aren’t just selling, we are advising. The team at Learning Express are not simply cashiers, but toy experts trained in development and play stages - we know the difference between toy for a 3-year-old and a toy for a 5-year-old, and how to ensure the gift is perfectly challenging but not frustrating. We personally vet toys and ensure safety compliance and quality, and we will be honest with customers if they don’t meet our standards. That’s why we offer to open any toy and let the customer try before they buy. We are confident that, together, we can find that perfect toy and gift.

We tell our customers not to waste time scrolling through thousands of online reviews when we can offer personalised, expert advice that saves them time and money. Let’s face it, in the era of misinformation and AI, can these reviews be trusted?

This leads us to why we do what we do:

• Gift wrapping to make our customers’ lives stress free

• Personalising gifts to make them extra special by adding designs and names to toys like a piggy bank

• Gift Registries for kids - they enjoy picking out their birthday wishes, seeing them and then dreaming of what they might receive. This offers convenience for guests at the party too.

• Community connections - we support libraries, schools, church schools and charity groups by donating every week to build a stronger community.

• A curated selection of toys – not thousands to choose from, but items that we know kids want. This allows a hands-on approach, to touch and feel and see what a child will be playing with.

Parents are looking for products that counter an over-reliance on screens and create healthy bodies and minds. Too often, mass-market toys are one and done (often tied to a movie or quick trend) whereas timeless toys offer greater value as they are handed down from generation to generation.

Specialty toys offer high play value and build skills through open ended play (blocks, magnets, art supplies), skill building development (puzzles, science kits, games), higher quality materials - many manufacturers now use eco-friendly materials to help keep our planet safe for these children - and a very hands on experience to help the senses explore touch, smell, hearing, taste and light.

But let’s not kid ourselves, the online toy market is powerful. This is how new parents and young adults have been brought up - in a world of instant gratification. Our job is not to stop this tsunami of online shopping, but to lessen its appeal when shopping for toys and keep our core values and what we stand for alive. I know we can, but I am urging all indie retailers to take a hard look at what they are doing today, what their message is and what do they want to be in 5-10 years?

Perhaps start with one or two simple customer focused local benefits that can allow people to see you in a different light, a helpful light: by saving time or helping a customer with a toy expert eye towards building a skill in a child. If you help a parent with a problem, you have a customer for a long time.

Even after 30 years of retail, I am constantly searching for how to stay relevant with our audience. It’s not easy, but this is my mission.

‘Rx’ is a formal communication from physicians or healthcare professionals to a pharmacist, authorizing them to dispense a specific prescription drug for a specific patient. As a store that is trusting, caring and advising the local community, Learning Express Toys wants to be the “Rx of Toys in Lake Zurich”; the prescribed or go-to destination for toy purchases and helpful advice.