retailer opinion

Nursery Today had the pleasure to catch up with Jolly Tots Managing Director, Lorretta Owen to find out her thoughts on strollers.

Why are strollers so popular with parents?

Every parent ends up with a stroller. It’s doesn’t matter what travel system you start with there is room for a stroller in your life.

Strollers undeniably make day to day activities easier. From a quick shop in the supermarket or the school run. You can’t ignore the ease and simplicity of a stroller. Not to mention how much lighter they are than a travel system or pushchair. Some makes and models have many of the features of a larger pushchair now too and have a real luxury feel.

Are these seen by your customers as a value item?

Most definitely. Customers will often use their travel system for 6-12 months then a stroller for the next 1-3 years. It is definitely a valued item. Once they get used to the weight, easy of fold and small size it is often hard for them to go back to the chunky travel system or pushchair.

There is a massive demand for “cabin friendly” strollers too. For those parents venturing on a plane with little ones. We have seen a huge increase in parents asking for these. They allow them to have access to a pushchair at any point in the airport. Which prove invaluable with a tired baby.

With the continued cost-ofliving crisis do you feel we might experience an increase in the demand for more value ranges in the stroller category?

I think that there is a great demand in both sections of the market. Customers often want something “cheap and cheerful” for a holiday abroad that they perhaps think will get damaged so are very budget conscious.

The most popular model for this type of customer for us is the Joie Nitro - amazing value and great quality.

Then there is the other end of the market where customers look to the more luxury brands and models like the Nuna Trvl with a magnetic harness and leatherette handle or the amazing tiny fold of the Baby Jogger City Tour 2.

I think that some overlook the stroller market and do miss out with sales. For us as a store the stroller market is very strong.

Do you feel social media helps to assist drive awareness to this particular product sector?

100 percent yes! Tiktok and Facebook are amazing advertising portals for such exposure. Folding stroller videos perform exceptionally well for Tiktok as it’s something that looks impressive and can be done very quickly. We recently had a stroller video “Dad’s on Tour” that reached over 2 million people.... The gravity fold strollers are brilliant for social media as they literally fold themselves. They are effortless. A really popular model is the Miniuno Touchfold. For value and ease of use it is very difficult to beat. It comes with travel bag, raincover and footmuff. With a fantastic choice of colours too.

Have you noticed a particular time in the year when you see a growth in your sales with regards to strollers?

June onwards up to October we call stroller season. Every second person walking through the door is looking for a stroller. Cabin friendly, compact folding or something cheap and cheerful. This is due to these months being popular holiday seasons. Where parents begin to need something more compact that what they already have. A lot of customers choose to upgrade existing strollers during this time too depending the colour of the season. The most amazing colour and designs are usually introduced around this time.

What are your customers looking for with regards to features when considering which stroller to purchase?

Compact fold: Everyone is looking at the size of the fold when purchasing a stroller.

Cabin friendly: We remind customers that different airlines have different measurement requirement so to always check with the airline before purchasing.

Extending hoods: Customers love this feature as it helps shade babies in the warmer climates and protects them from the sun. Also useful for those afternoon snoozes.

Travel bags: Customers like this features as it can help keep the stroller dry and clean during transit.

Ease of use: They want a stroller that is easy to use. They don’t want to fight with features.

Shopping baskets: Although these are smaller than in bigger pushchairs customer still like to see one to store small items.

Lie back option: Every baby needs the ability to have a little snooze. All parents are looking for the option to lie back.

Weight: The lighter the better when it comes to a stroller.

By stocking strollers, what type of benefits do you as a retailer gain?

The stroller market is huge. Especially during the summer months. We see every travel system customer as a potential customer for a stroller. As 99 percent of them return to purchase one at some point.

We stock a huge range of strollers to suit every budget. Ranging from the revamped nitro for £32.99 upto the Nuna Trvl for £350. We have around 50 different designs on display.

We often see customer returning again and again for a new set of wheels. We have one particular customer who buys a new stroller every 2-3 months. Always wanting the latest design or brand. In her own words she “gets bored easily”.

We also see stroller sales as a great way to also sell other “extras”. Customers often add a UV parasol and battery operated fan to the purchase.