Talking Wheeled
Bradley Appel left, with Warren Appel right – Joint CEO’s at iCandy
Why should you stock pushchairs…? It’s a good question and as one of leading and firmly established brands within the wheeled goods sector, iCandy’s Joint CEO Bradley Appel takes the time to air his view on this evolving and growing product category. With various surveys estimating that the wheeled goods category accounts for anywhere between 40% to 50% of the overall initial spend for new parents, it is easy to see why stocking prams and pushchairs is a prerequisite for any nursery retailer. Most importantly though, for a retailer’s success and sometimes even viability, it will depend on which products are selected and how these products are communicated to consumers. Particularly given the current unprecedented business environment, it is imperative that retailers are giving thought to the product range and price point. Don’t rush to set up this category, but invest in researching the brands that stand out, with quality and innovative offerings – certainly don’t be looking to “race to the bottom”, which in this, our 90th year as a British family business, we at iCandy have seen all too often. A race to the bottom brings with it not only the automatic slashing of your gross profit on purchase. it will also frequently be further compromised with the far greater potential for expensive costs to your business. It can also result in high return rates and, even more damaging to the long-term success of your business, customer dissatisfaction and negative communication to peers.
We first created our iCandy range almost 20 years ago now to achieve precisely the reverse of a race to the bottom, namely a race to the top. Since then, neither we nor our iCandy Family of Stockists have looked back with our commitment to reinvestment in launching groundbreaking British innovation and design of the very highest quality each and every year. The brilliance of a bundle and how to upsell them: The emergence of “bundles,” where pushchairs are bundled with various accessories, brings greatly appreciated benefits to our iCandy Family of Stockists, iCandy Consumers, and to the iCandy range in its entirety – it’s truly a Win-WinWin, and promoting the bundles should certainly be a key selling strategy. Our striking iCandy freestanding display totems are gracing retail floors globally and have proven to be a simple yet effective sales tool, they clearly communicate to parents and support retailers to sell. In fact, we are often told that they not only make selling much easier, but by clearly displaying the bundle deal prices, together with the savings, that consumers rarely ask the dreaded “Can I have a discount” question. By ensuring they are fully informed that they are already
The emergence of “bundles,” where pushchairs are bundled with various accessories, brings greatly appreciated benefits to our iCandy Family of Stockists, iCandy Consumers, and to the iCandy range in its entirety – it’s truly a Win-Win-Win, and promoting the bundles should certainly be a key selling strategy.
enjoying a discount by buying into a bundle deal, they have confidence to purchase! I must admit that personally as a consumer, particularly if there is a wide choice available, the psychology of a printed and clear explanation on the cost (and savings!) will work on me every time. It can even eradicate the hassle often associated with making a choice. We all, to a certain extent, need that “reason to buy” and iCandy’s totems deftly provides it. www.icandyworld.com
How to support the consumer: In one word, listen and learn… What are they looking for, what is their lifestyle and what requirements do they have for their pushchair? Always keep front of mind that this is not only one of the most exciting purchases they will make for their new baby, but one of the most expensive - understanding they want to get it right is essential when selling parents-to-be a pushchair. Yes, they will want a fair price and will appreciate getting a bargain, but more importantly they want to be sure they are getting the right pushchair for them! Also, it is imperative you know about the products and brands you are talking about – it will, without a shadow of a doubt, help you make a sale. In addition to frequent focus groups, we offer University Days at iCandy HQ to ensure we consistently deliver support to our Family of Stockists. We are also told that our Account Managers make regular visits to retailers across the industry, and I personally am committed to visiting as many of our iCandy Family of Stockists as I humanly can whilst still running the business with my brother Warren. I have yet to visit one of our wonderful stockists and not benefitted from listening to the huge wealth of their front-line experience. Wheeled Goods 27
