Company Profile
Wow! Stuff
The how behind
The
Wow! Stuff has enjoyed a strong first half of the year, with a raft of new appointments under its belt, multiple new licences signed, and all-encompassing marketing plans that will see more consumers than ever before discovering the ‘Wow!’ behind the company’s toys. Rachael SimpsonJones spoke to CEO Richard North about the company’s plans for the second half of 2021, and his often unorthodox approach to business.
A
s a company that doesn’t have a presence in any of the toy categories that benefited from the multiple national lockdowns, Wow! Stuff isn’t sad that the worst of the pandemic appears to be behind us. And having ended 2020 in what was a respectable position despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, the company has gone from strength to strength in recent months. “I don’t want to jinx things, but it’s going to be a very good year for Wow! Stuff,” Richard tells me. “Our performance across the North American and UK markets so far this year has been really pleasing, and we’re opening up new territories too; only the other day I was telling someone that we’re now exploring the market in countries I’d never even heard of. Brexit has made this a pain in the neck though. Before Brexit and the pandemic, we didn’t keep any stock within the business; we were FOB only, limiting our potential sales by around 50%. This changed last year when we opened our own warehousing facility to offer domestic supply, and we’re now opening a warehouse in Germany too. I’m especially pleased that we can support the indies for the first time in 10 years. There’s an underlying buzz across the whole toy industry now, and we’re pleased to be feeling that too after what has been a testing year.” Testament to its current position and plans for further expansion, Wow! Stuff recently announced five appointments in one fell swoop. Four of the new hires - Ross Coffield, Teddy Edwards, Steve Carpenter and Chris Jobson – will bolster the design side of the business, while Manmit Bansal joins as a sales operation support officer. The five hires bring the Wow! Stuff European team to a total of 34. The Hong Kong team currently numbers 17, and in the USA there are three employees, plus multiple sales reps and, of course, warehouse and distribution operatives. Wow! Stuff operates an open-door policy, and welcomes all interest from prospective candidates, but while it’s pleasing that people want to be a part of the team, ensuring hires are a good match is much more important. A lack of shared values and mutual respect creates a fundamental imbalance that Richard says will come back to haunt a company, meaning that a desire to work for Wow! Stuff isn’t enough – you have to be a ‘Wow! Stuff’er’ at heart. That’s not to say Wow! Stuff is hiring carbon copies of existing employees. The team is as diverse as it gets, from backgrounds and hobbies to gender and ethnicity, but each individual shares common values such as
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integrity, loyalty and a strong work ethic – and they want to make toys that make kids say ‘wow’. “If a person genuinely wants to help create that moment with us, it’s a big thing,” Richard says. As well as having a strong connection with the team creating Wow! Stuff products, connecting with Wow! Stuff consumers is also vital to Richard. If you don’t, he explains, companies can miss feedback and reviews that could be used to address issues, improve existing products, or help develop new ones. As businesses who forge direct relationships with consumers will be aware, those consumers speak their minds and tell the truth - sometimes to a fault. Taking the time to read comments on Facebook or reviews on the Smyths Toys and Amazon websites offers insight all too easy to miss if you’re squirrelled away behind the scenes. “I spend loads of time - maybe too much time - reading feedback,” Richard explains. “This approach has led to the development of our weekly Customer Service Meetings, in which representatives from different departments across Wow! Stuff get together to look at the latest reviews and see what we can glean from them. Maybe there’s a tiny issue with a product we hadn’t spotted - but you can be sure the customer will. Engaging in this way, and being open to feedback and constructive criticism, is one measure of our service.” One of Richard’s mantras is ‘We do wow, or not at all’, and it’s
