Talking Shop
We’ve missed you! Rachael Simpson-Jones spoke to indies getting ready for the planned April reopening, to hear what lessons they have learned from the last year and what has been selling online over lockdown. Lisa Dyson - Games Crusade, Harrogate promoting these on Facebook and the reaction from customers has been great. One lady bought nine to give out as prizes to her school pupils, while another bought multiple vouchers for upcoming birthdays and other special events. For Mother’s Day, we even had a husband buy his wife a voucher. She’s a regular board game customer of ours and he knows she’ll enjoy spending it – and that she’s getting a little bit more for her money. It’s been a really worthwhile idea. The popularity of puzzles shows no signs of waning, so we’re ensuring we’re well stocked up ready for the day we reopen. Some puzzlers will inevitably buy new products online, but there are still plenty that like to come into the store and browse our shelves, a bit like you would in a book shop. We try to offer an eclectic mix of puzzles in terms of artwork and complexity. Whilst we have a lot of traditional scenes from the likes of Gibson and Falcon, we also offer some of the more unusual Eurographics puzzles, though these have been harder to get hold of recently because of Brexit and the issues surrounding shipping. There are a lot more younger people now enjoying puzzling, whereas before the category was very dominated by people around retirement age. As the demographic has shifted, our offering has changed to reflect it.
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hroughout the third lockdown we’ve simply continued to do what we’ve been doing throughout this whole period being as helpful as possible. When people order with us online, we’ll try and deliver it free in the local area, and we’ve carried on mailing toys and games out too. Customers have also taken to emailing us for product advice and recommendations based on a child’s age and interests. This has temporarily replaced our usual customer service while in-store; we’ve been busy replying with information that customers have hopefully found useful. To generate much-needed income now, I started offering gift vouchers which give buyers or receivers an extra 10% to spend once we reopen. We’ve been
Because we haven’t been able to run in-store board game demos, I’ve been playing two or three a week at home, usually accompanied by a glass of prosecco, and posting an overview and pictures on social media. That has been very well received; people can see that we do actually play these games and know what we’re on about, and if we explain them in a way that helps customers understand whether or not they’d be a good choice for them, we see sales increase in line with customer confidence. Asmodee remains our major supplier of board games, but the trick is to then find points of difference. I look for individual designers and quirky games you won’t find in bigger stores. I listen to a lot of podcasts and undertake a fair bit of research on board games, which often gives me a heads-up about where to sniff out more niche, unique titles. The Smart Games range is a best-seller for us in-store, as its games are very tactile. Customers like picking them up and playing with them, so I’m sure those will really benefit from the April reopening. I’ve also been looking more at pocket money toys, as this an area kids will have really missed. They will have received toys for birthdays and Christmas, but for a long time they’ve not had the opportunity to visit a store and spend their own money. In the months ahead, once we reopen, smaller items and pocket money toys should do quite well. Much like puzzles, I’m not going for mainstream collectibles you can find anywhere. Ty has been very good to me as a supplier,
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supporting my window displays, and the whole range is always popular – Mini Boos, Beanie Boos, Squisha-Boos, Teenie Tys. During lockdown, I invested in a new pocket money toys FSDU, and only the other day were we outside flying some pocket-money pocketsized kites for Facebook and TikTok videos. I think a lot of customers will be very keen to return to in-person shopping, but it will also be interesting to see whether some customers have enjoyed the ease of online shopping to the extent that they want to stick with it. There will be those that want the social interaction and conversation with other people, but also those that find online shopping convenient for their own situation. A lot depends on how things develop once lockdown is lifted, too. In Harrogate, the conference centre has been used as a Nightingale Hospital; once it reverts back to its normal use, we should see more events taking place that will increase footfall. For towns like ours, which rely on quite high numbers of visitors, a lot will hinge on how much travel is allowed. On that note, I am keen to return to toy trade shows this year. It’s so much easier to choose new lines when you’re seeing them in person, as opposed to looking through a catalogue or looking at them on Zoom. Online has been a huge learning curve for us during the pandemic. Although we did have an online presence before, it wasn’t one of my priorities. I’ve also learned to think outside the box much more. Just because one avenue is closed it doesn’t mean you can’t find other ways around them. I’ve been forced to take the initiative, and I’m glad we did.
