Retail Interview - with Ideal World toy buyer Lesley Williams

Ideal World

comes of age

TnP chats to Lesley Williams, toy buyer of Ideal World: the fl agship free-to-view TV shopping channel owned by Ideal Shopping Direct

What’s your background?

I’ve spent the past 11 years with Ideal World as a buyer for the toys and homes & interiors categories. Before joining Ideal World, I had a variety of roles with FMCG and discount retail brands.

Tell us about Ideal World.

Ideal World launched in 2000 and this year is our 21st birthday! Based in Peterborough, Ideal World combines a live TV model with a strong online presence designed to bring customers a truly dynamic, entertaining and engaging shopping experience.

We sell into millions of homes in the UK via our shopping channels which broadcast 24/7 across Sky, Virgin, Freeview and Freesat, delivering more than 18 live hours of live TV shopping every day. Additionally, we have an arrangement with ITV for Ideal World whereby we broadcast from midnight until 3am, and we broadcast additional hours on our sister channel, Ideal Extra.

Online we have thousands of followers across our dynamic platforms who enjoy our inspirational features, access-all-areas YouTube channel, and Facebook and Instagram communities, while the Ideal World website enables live viewing for customers around the globe.

We’re constantly “ extending our supplier and brand portfolio in the toy category ”

Did you know?

Ideal Shopping Direct is one of the UK’s leading multichannel home shopping retailers, selling via its TV channels and the internet. The company sells a range of general merchandise from products for the home and garden to health, beauty and craft buys.

Its fl agship TV channel is Ideal World (Sky, Virgin, Freeview, Freesat), which is supported by three sister channels: Create and Craft (Sky, Freeview and Freesat), Ideal Extra and Create and Craft Extra (Sky/Freesat) When did Ideal World move into toy retailing?

We entered the toy market more than 10 years ago when we trialled a range of demonstrable toys on air.

This was a big hit with customers, who would have only seen toys demonstrated this way if they visited a large London toy store. Over the years we have built on this success, extending our range of exciting, demonstrable toys and games and bringing the fun of the big toy stores into our customers’ homes.

While it’s currently one of our smaller categories, it’s growing - and we’re seeing double-digit growth year on year. As you would expect, the percentage is highest in Q4 as we approach Christmas.

How would you describe your range?

Dynamic, demonstrable, unique and excellent value for money. Our key categories are drones, remote control toys such as cars, and animated and interactive toys. We deal with suppliers such as Lexibook, Marvin’s Magic, Bladez Toys, The Source, Peak Developments, A.B.Gee, Wow! Stuff, PlayShifu, RDM Creations, and Coastal Products - plus we have extensive own-label ranges.

But our brand selection is ever

evolving and we’re constantly extending our supplier and brand portfolio in the toy category. New items include animated and interactive plush toys, musical toys, board and card games, and ride-on cars.

How do you find products?

Via rep visits, trade press, and trade shows - plus we research the market and approach brands directly. As well as pre-planning seasonal ranges, we have the capability to react quickly to market trends and purchase stock offers in season.

How is trading compared with this time last year?

Despite the challenges in the market, we have continued to trade very positively versus last year and against our forecasts. Outdoor products have been particularly successful for us.

We’ve seen an overall increase in toy sales, partly driven by lockdown and the increased time customers have spent engaging with our on-air and online platforms. But growth has also come from our extended product ranges, which we’ve developed significantly year on year.

Our goal is to become a one-stop shop for all our “ customers’ toys and games needs ”

our QA team and complies with all UK standards.

Remote control, interactive and animated toys continue to be big sellers for us too. But our best sellers have to be drones! We started selling our drone range earlier this year and have seen good traction, particularly in half term time.

What sets you apart from other online retailers?

We combine the power of television retail with a strong online presence to deliver a unique multi-platform offering that brings products to life. Our platforms explain the products in detail, with every aspect of the product explored, enabling customers to make a considered purchase.

What’s hot?

Animatronics has been and continues to be a big trend right now, with the Baby Yoda Animatronic doing really well. One of the challenges consumers face in this market is selecting quality products from the myriad of animatronic toys available on the web. Our customers can rest assured that anything they purchase from Ideal World has been tried and tested by Where are you taking the business next?

Our goal is to become a one-stop shop for all our customers’ toys and games needs. We’re doing this by extending our online offer with a host of new brands, categories and exclusive products to excite and engage audiences. We’re also maximising seasonal opportunities for outdoor toys.

Profits soar in challenging year

The multi-channel home shopping giant Ideal Shopping Direct achieved record sales in 2020 of £150.6 million, up 16% yearon-year, with pre-tax profits of £8 million, up £2.2 million on the previous year.

In addition, the company - which sells into more than 31 million homes in the UK via its shopping channels plus 35 million homes in the

US and on its own websites CEO Jamie Martin

- has reactivated nearly 22,000 previous customers and acquired more than 36,000 new customers in the past year alone.

CEO Jamie Martin and COO Martin Purcell attribute this performance to ‘agility throughout the pandemic, flexible supply chain agreements in the face of Brexit and a reduced dependence on private-label brands’.

Jamie says: “It would be too easy to point to changing consumer habits, increased time at home, and lockdowns as the secret to our success and simply say we were in the right place at the right time.

“Before the pandemic we were already well on the way with our digital transformation, which laid the foundations to navigate these choppy waters. And while we may have seen organic growth on our Ideal World TV shopping channel of around 30 to 40% in some weeks during the pandemic, the reality is that our business is now more effective and cost-efficient.

“We’ve done this by identifying and making the right strategic changes, whether trimming cost efficiency, margin efficiency or enhancing overall consumer appeal. It’s these small, but essential, tweaks that all add up at the same time to make the business more profitable.

“By continuing to build on our solid foundations, innovate and tweak our business in new ways, our evolution and growth is continuing apace.”

Create and Craft launches exclusive die collections

Create and Craft, part of the Ideal Shopping Direct Group, is an award-winning multichannel craft retailer. It broadcasts live on TV and online in the UK and US to more than 70 million homes.

In May Create and Craft teamed up with Bulldog Licensing to launch two exclusive die craft collections for Care Bears and Popeye.

The Care Bears collection of licensed products centres on a Care Bear Die with switchable belly badges, which allow crafters to customise their Care Bear to their chosen character. The collection also includes a range of colourful paper products suitable for card making including cacking papers, and cardstock that match the Care Bears, along with stamps that can add sentiments and icons.

The Popeye collection is focused on the much-loved comic strip character, who recently celebrated his 90th anniversary, and his friends Olive Oyl and Bluto. Again, there is a range of colourful paper products including backing papers, cardstock and stamps.

In both cases, as a bonus for crafters keen to sell or share their makes, the licensed collections have an ‘angel policy’, which lets them sell up to 100 items per project annually rather than restricting them to gifted sharing only.

Create and Craft managing director Frances Busby said: “We’re so excited to once again be working with Bulldog Licensing on this exclusive new Popeye collection. The iconic characters and designs are perfect for a host of projects and occasions.''

Bulldog Licensing managing director Rob Corney added: “We’re thrilled to again be working with the team at Create and Craft, developing high-quality crafting ranges to bring the fun and enjoyment of our brands into people’s homes.

“With so many challenges facing people in the current world, we think Popeye’s reputation for resilience, strength and a willingness to stand up and be counted in the face of adversity are themes that will really resonate with Create and Craft’s customers.”