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Selling Cloth Diapers
Sell cloth diapers in your store? Sound like a crazy idea? Think again! For the past 10 years I have owned and operated a successful brick and mortar baby store in lovely downtown Montreal. One of my most successful groups of products is cloth diapers. We sell well over 200 dozen cloth diapers a month – in our tiny 500 square foot store. They range in price from $25 a dozen to $144 a dozen. Plus we sell all the accessories – the waterproof covers, flushable liners, cleaning solutions, etc, so we have lots of repeat business! And this generates more sales of other items in the store, since customers are coming in on a regular basis. That baby carrier they have had their eye on for a while, a new nursing bra or a gift for a friend.
I have a unique perspective on this industry. For the past 18 years we have been manufacturing cloth diaper accessories. So not only am I a retailer, but I am also in constant contact with other vendors of these products across North America and in other countries like the UK, NZ, Australia, and Finland. I have seen what works for them and what doesn't. I have seen the ups and downs, and I can tell you that demand for these products has been growing steadily for the last several years, and it is not going away.
Why? Because using cloth diapers makes a lot of sense for families. They cost a fraction of what disposable diapers cost and they can be used for more than one child. So they are practical and inexpensive. Also, cloth diapers are healthy and comfortable for babies, and using them will divert one ton of garbage from landfills. But the biggest reason for using cloth diapers? Because they are so easy to use! Today's cloth diapers require no pins, no plastic pants, and no rinsing.
Let me share with you what has worked in my store and also for the other brick and mortar stores that I work with on a regular basis. Maybe you will be interested in trying it out too!
This is a two-piece system consisting of an absorbent cotton diaper and a waterproof diaper cover with Velcro closures. This is the most inexpensive system to purchase, and can be quickly and easily learned. The trick is to have a good quality, absorbent diaper and a great fitting and very effective diaper cover. If you are not selling this product with clear and detailed instructions from the manufacturer, then you and your staff will need to be able to show your clients how to fold and place the diaper inside the cover. In our retail store this is our biggest selling system by far, comprising 85% of our diaper sales. Please note that there are other types of flat diapers out there, as well as hourglass shaped diapers, etc. Pre-folds are the most widely available, and they are the type of diaper used by most diaper services. They come in at least 2 sizes, and can be of Indian or Chinese origin.
Start up kit:100-150 (approximately) Margin for retailer: 45-50%
This is another two-piece system consisting of an absorbent diaper and a waterproof diaper cover. These diapers however need no folding–they are already designed as form-fitted pants for baby with Velcro or snap closures. The waterproof cover can be a pull-on design or have a Velcro or snap closing cover. This is even easier to learn how to use, but will cost significantly more than pre-fold diapers. Selling this type of system does not require expertise or special knowledge–just a basic understanding of which cover to use with which diaper. These come in one-size-fits-all models (be careful they are not too bulky on a newborn) or in 3-4 sizes, depending on the manufacturer.
Start-up kit: 200-400 (approximately) Margin for retailer: 35-50%
These diapers are a one-piece system consisting of an absorbent inner layer and a waterproof outer cover. These are by far the easiest option available to parents, and the most like disposable diapers. They are also the easiest to sell–requiring no training of sales staff. They are fairly high priced, but still significantly less expensive for parents to buy than disposable (or single use diapers). Some all-in-one diapers consist of a flannel or other absorbent cotton inner material covered with a waterproof outer layer. The latest hot item in cloth diapering is what is called a "pocket diaper". They consist of a waterproof outer layer and an interior lining of micro-fleece with a pocket to stuff with absorbent material. Sizing is the same as fitted diapers – some are one-size-fits-all, and some come in 3-4 sizes.
Start-up kit: 350-400 (approximately Margin for retailer: 35-50%
Please note that all the above numbers are based on our own experience, are APPROXIMATE, and are in Canadian dollars.
Display:
In our store the diapers are displayed in an ordered and well lit space – with a small shelf upon which to show the different models. Customers like to touch them and marvel at how soft and pretty they are – and they love the bright colours and fun prints. If you sell diapers that are already packaged, they can hang or sit on a shelf – but it always helps to have a small spot in which to show them unpackaged. All of our diapering accessories are in the same area. The most successful stores that we work with use this type of set-up. It doesn't have to be a large area–just organized and tidy.
Starter kits:
We sell lots of starter kits in our store! A starter kit should have everything you need to start diapering; diapers, covers, flushable liners, etc. And enough diapers so that it is not necessary for new parents to wash too often. For newborns we suggest 3 dozen pre-folds or 24 fitted or all-in-one diapers – that is 2-3 days between laundry loads in the beginning.
We offer a starter kit with pre-fold diapers, a starter kit with fitted diapers, and a starter kit with a mixture of the two systems. Starter kits make it easy for new parents and work as great gifts. Grandmas love to buy cloth diapers–especially when they see how easy it is to use them, and when we make it easy for them to buy exactly what is needed.
Instructions:
Send your clients home with excellent instructions for folding, using, and washing cloth diapers. Manufacturers will gladly provide you with detailed instructions on how to use and wash their products. Make sure you include the manufacturer's toll free number as well. Encourage your clients to call them if they have questions. Personally I would only choose to work with manufacturers of cloth diapering products who go out of their way to provide great information and support for their products. As retailers we deserve lots of support from the manufacturers whose products we promote in our stores. There are also some great websites out there that promote cloth diapering and offer good advice on washing and folding, etc. We always add those links to our instruction sheets.
Staff:
No special experience is required to sell cloth diapers. My staff range in age from 18 to 48,and they all do well at selling cloth diapers. All we do in our store is suggest to customers that they take a quick look just to see how easy it is to use them. If they are interested at all we explain quickly about how inexpensive they are to use–and drop in the bit about the ton of garbage saved per baby using cloth diapers. Most people are sold on it immediately, but want a little time to think about it. Make sure parents know they can use both cloth and disposable diapers – mixing the two systems is good too, and it takes the pressure off new parents. We find that many parents start out saying that they will try using them on a limited basis, only to have them come back and stock up on accessories because it's just so easy!
As manufacturers we find that more and more people call us every day looking for stores in their area that sell cloth diapers. There are lots of online retailers selling diapering products with great success, but many parents would prefer to see and touch them before buying. They like to make a major purchase like this in person at their own local baby store! Cloth diapers are easy, effective and practical for parents. For retailers they make sense too. Reusable diapers are products that can and should be sold at proper margins. They will bring in repeat customers. Cloth diapering is a trend that is here to stay!
Betsy Thomas, President of Bummis Inc., betsy@bummis.com, 1-888-828-6647.
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