Tips for Merchandising Soft Developmental Toys

By Tali Benezer and Janet Skahill

The new millennium is approaching and soon the '90s will be behind. Many changes have been occurring over the last few years, and more are to come. Infant Developmental Toys is one category that has seen a drastic change over the last few years. Changes such as:

• Black, White and Red as a category has been developed.
• Major companies such as Fisher Price and Playskool entered the category.
• We have seen more soft fabric developmental toys and less of the hard plastic.
• More involvement in developing products by the prof- essional industry, such as child psychologists and doctors.

With high involvement in the category and many hours of researching the industry, some helpful merchandising tips for your retail outlet are proposed:

Make a statement - Merchandise in a big way. Invest in 3-4 manufacturers programs to show that you are in the business. Use floor displays, they help cross merchandise. A mom in the market for a developmental toy will have the opportunity to become familiar with other products in the same category that she was not aware of. Cross merchandising has proven to be effective, and in some instances has increased category sales as much as by 35%.

Visibility in the Store - Use signs. Because soft developmental toys are usually smaller in size, try to stay in front of the store, preferably near the cash register where most impulse purchases occur. Small changes in positioning can have a significant impact on sales.

Educate your staff - Product knowledge is needed to support merchandising. The more information and knowledge that you can offer to your customers, the happier they will be to return. This is the key to differentiating between service provided by "specialty stores" and the mass market.

Merchandise any product literature given by manufacturers - New mothers are always "thirsty" for more information. Any free handouts, information, booklets, or anything to give moms is usually appreciated and read in detail.