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Product & Store Displays: How to Capture the Developmental Toy Market

Product presentation should convey the depth of pride you have in your product line. An eye-catching and inviting display is crucial in selling any type of product. It may seem obvious that an attractive display helps sales, but how to incorporate the fundamentals of developmental toys into your display may be less apparent.

In general, the customer's first impression is crucial. With product display, the old adage applies, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." A plentiful, well-tended presentation will draw new customers and encourage them to buy. Displays can enhance or detract from the overall image you are trying to create, whether you are selling at a small specialty store, major retailer or other location. Ask yourself the following questions: Is this an attractive display? Do I want to buy more products than what I originally came for after viewing the display? Is it easy for me to move around? Do I want to come back again? How do I feel while visiting this establishment? The answers to these questions will help you create your own display area, and start you on your way to creating an appealing presentation.

Before you start setting up your display, consider the needs of your customers. If the majority of your customer base consists of busy parents, with young children in tow, you know they don't have a lot of time to spend shopping and browsing. Therefore, an important element of your product display must be easy access and selection. The method you use should be unique to the products you are offering. With developmental toys, having a POP (Point of Purchase) display illustrating all the features of a particular toy is vital. This placement scheme allows customers to compare and contrast similar products. For example, you might hear customers say, "Oh, I didn't know this Gymini® encourages fine motor skills or I didn't know tummy-time was so important for infants."

Similar to choosing the objects and toys that will stimulate a baby's senses, retailers should take into account the ways our own senses such as sight and touch, in particular, offer marketing opportunities. The quality and visual display of a product can convince a person to become a buyer. For instance, color has psychological appeal to adults as well as young children. The chances are, if you are attracted to a certain vibrant color scheme or multi-colored design an infant will be too. Alternating colors will assist in the appeal to the customer, and help sell a developmental product. Light also affects the appearance of product color. Fluorescent lighting, rather than incandescent bulbs, makes colors look more natural – and less harsh on the developing eyesight of young children.

Fill the environment with touchable items. One placement scheme, common in the sale of toys, is to arrange the display around the power and impulse items. A power item is a product that initially attracts customers and may be featured in advertising. Even though it can be space-consuming, especially with products aimed at infants and toddlers, it's a good selling point to have a sample of the product out of the packaging so that the customer can touch, feel and play with the features. Being able to touch and feel an item labeled developmental is very important. Because most of these products are used by infants and toddlers, customers want to know that the toy they are purchasing is a safe product that will not contain sharp edges or harsh surfaces that may harm the child.

It's also essential for the customers to have a clear view of the product. For instance, with Tiny Love's newest playmat, the ActiviTot™, the mat is twice the size of the original Gymini – this is an important feature that we want to highlight. Having the ActiviTot™ unfolded and the uniquely designed tummy-time pillow blown up helps the customer picture their child using the item. If space is an issue, consider placing the item on top of the display (see 4-sided display image) or floating from the ceiling. It's also important to note that having a day where the store sets up all of their top developmental products (power items) like playmats and activity toys, and invite parents and caregivers to play with the toys up close and personal, will help customers decide what they want to spend their hard-earned dollars on.

Equally important, as the presentation of product, the way you communicate with your customers is key to the overall feel of a store. Conduct some research and try to gain insight into the considerations and priorities parents and caregivers give to the developmental toys that fill their baby's environment. Being knowledgeable of your customers needs and having a positive attitude will help you interact well with your customers, and keep them coming back. It's important to remember that even the most stunning display cannot replace the need for good customer service skills.

Desiree Paquette is vice president of Marketing for Tiny Love, a leading manufacturer of developmental toys. For information on this and other exceptional products for Tiny Love, please visit www.tinylove.com or call (888) TINYLOV (846-9568).