The shop flr

Retail has been one of the hardest hit during the economic crisis. Not only has it faced inflation and increasing product prices, shops and websites have been hit by rising bills, while having to fight for consumer spend. PPS finds out how the situation really is from some key preschool indies.

Although car seats and pushchairs have remained resilient during the cost-ofliving crisis, indie retailers have certainly experienced adversity. Toby Gavin, cmo at Online4Baby explains: “Challenges have included increasing freight costs, exchange rate fluctuations, and uncertain market conditions. In addition, we have had to contend with the cost-of-living pressures that have affected many consumers. To add to our challenges, we have been experiencing higher digital advertising costs and have seen competitors be more aggressive with promotions.”

Although many are now finding pressures are easing. Katie Warne, owner of Little Bubba tells PPS: “Nobody could have predicted the increase in cost-of-living affecting families and it’s definitely changing shopping habits. Recently signs have been good though. I’ve been surprised at how busy I’ve been since Christmas.”

Many have had to diversify to meet needs.

Kerry Haynes, owner of Cloud 9 Baby Boutique says: “We have opened up our range to include more mid-price prams and car seats, which there wasn’t demand for last year. We are seeing more customers asking for a lower price band when it comes to the big purchases. We are offering split payments for customers, which is definitely helping.”

Indie retailers are running into a range of challenges. Sara Hubbard, owner of Whites Farm Baby Barn, comments: “We still run into issues with customers wanting premium level quality pushchairs, for entry level price points. A lot of people see these items as ‘just baby stuff’ so don’t understand why you would spend a little more in certain areas.”

Kerry continues: “I would say a there are a few challenges. Firstly the constant learning of new features and benefits and having to buy new display models. The move towards second hand is also growing. As quality improves, prams have a longer shelf life and can be sold on. Online discounting and offers at baby shows are probably the biggest challenge for physical stores.”

However, online only retailers are also facing issues. Toby outlines: “Customers want to see and feel the pushchairs, which can be difficult when selling online. Customers want to be sure the car seat will fit their vehicle, and they are always concerned about the safest option. A focus on detailed product descriptions and customer testimonials are all helping to put Online4Baby at the forefront of addressing customer needs.”

There are also areas where suppliers can help. Katie says: “Give us demonstrators. We want to showcase the latest ranges, but it’s a constant investment and it’s not easy to sell exdemo products profitably. Also, size of opening order can be prohibitive, both in terms of space and cost.”

Kerry adds: “Training is the first thing and secondly marketing support. Sometimes it can feel like we do all the hard work and the support isn’t there with marketing. Finally, and most importantly is giving independents exclusives and keeping an eye on the discounting online.”

“The more information such as copy, dimensions and image assets the supplier can provide, the better the retailer can inform the customer,” Toby says. “Additionally, fast and efficient customer service is essential to deal with queries.”

Sara’s wish is simple: “Listen to your actual customers who are parting with their hard earned cash. We also feel that suppliers need to step up and help smaller retailers when it comes to warranty and aftersales issues.”

From a consumer perspective, safety is the key factor playing into consumer buying decisions for car seats. Katie comments: “With car seats I get a lot of requests for seats with the versatility that the child won't outgrow the seat. Also, parents want the very safest seats for obvious reasons.”

Sara adds: “360 rotation is all people care about right now, and we don’t see the hype dying down any time soon.”

And for pushchairs, Katie sees a trend for those designed for varied environments: “With pushchairs and prams, being near the countryside, chassis with larger wheels seem to be more popular for dealing with mixed terrain.”

And Sara furthers: “Fashion and social media do play a huge part in what people choose, but ultimately they want something easy that fits into their lifestyle.”

Looking ahead, retailers hope the current situation will slowly improve. Kerry says: “I think like most, we are just taking each day at a time and hoping customers still support independent stores and the service they give. Whilst I would love to say we are hoping to grow and increase sales, we just need to keep our heads down, look after our customers and do the best we can until the cost of living comes down and consumers feel confident to spend more. We are staying positive though and hoping this is a short-term crisis.”

Meanwhile some are hope to grow their business. Katie says: “My hopes will be that the shop will continue to be busy and I can move into a bigger space as demand grows.”

However the next year plays out, the preschool indies are ready to find the best products and support each and every customer while overcoming the challenges faced.

Buying a car seat and pushchair can be a daunting and overwhelming decision for parents due to the ever-growing number of products available to them. This year PPS conducted an extensive survey, in conjunction with consumer magazine Project Baby, on what parents look for when buying these products and here is what we found out.

Product range 33%

Product availability 22%

Product demo 57%

Staff knowledge/expertise 42%

Chance to try before you buy 68%

In store event 2%

In store offers 16%

Were they given a demonstration of the product before purchasing?

The right fit

There was no surprise that the offer of a store being able to fit and demo the products in store is a key factor when parents decide where to make their purchases. According to our survey this year, 70% of those who responded said it was one of the top priorities. Here are some comments made about their in-store demo and fitting experiences:

It is worth noting that there were several participants in the survey who commented that they had gone into store with a specific product in mind, so product demonstrations were perhaps not so important in this instance.

Helping Hand

With the cost of living increasing in recent months, value for money and price point are more important as ever for many parents when buying these products. However, it was noted in our survey that with many stores able to offer different options to pay over the course of a few months, this was a huge incentive for some of our parents. One parent commented, ‘Going into store was fantastic – there was lots of choice and advise available, plus the chance to pay a deposit with the balance paid in installments.’

We asked participants for their overall thoughts on buying pushchairs and car seats in store and here are a few common responses: