Talking Shop
Ready when you are! Rachael Simpson-Jones speaks to independent retailers to find out how they have been coping over the latest lockdown, and what plans they have been making for reopening. Dan Lovett - Beccles Toy Box, Newmarket
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t the moment, sales are mostly being driven through our social media pages, primarily Instagram and Facebook; the two pages are linked. My wife is working full time at home, and I’m homeschooling my two boys while also overseeing our two shops, Halesworth Toy Shop and Beccles Toy Box. If a customer needs gifts for a birthday or other event, or see something they just have to have, they can drop me a line and I’ll do my best to get it to them ASAP, either a collection from the shop door or dropping it off if they are local. We’ve been doing this for the past two months, and it’s been working really well for us. All the staff bar myself are furloughed, and my boss, Nigel Kemp, is caring for his parents, so the social media strategy is keeping things ticking over nicely without over-facing anyone. I’m being quite selective about the products we highlight on our social media. For example, during a recent stock take, we unearthed a few Lego Bonsai Trees, which have been wildly popular. Bill Bulstrode from Framlingham Toy Shop, with whom we have a great relationship, managed to secure me 12 more out of one of his deliveries. We help each other with stock a lot. A post about the trees went straight up on the Facebook and Instagram pages, and within an hour, I had 40 messages either wanting the Bonsai Trees, or asking whether we had other particular Lego sets. I must admit that I used to hate Facebook. I called it Faceache and could never understand the fascination with looking at pictures of other people’s dinners. But
from a business perspective, it’s been great. Before the first 2020 lockdown I already had an Instagram account for Beccles Toy Box and it was working really well, but although we had a Facebook page, we didn’t really do much with it. Then, I connected the Instagram to Facebook, so the two were linked, and that was when things really took off. The biggest thing I’ve learned about social media is that if you have something to sell, don’t post it during the day. Instead, go for 7-8pm, when the kids have gone to bed and people have more time to look at social media. I’ve had messages arrive at 1am asking for toys! For an indie, social is a great tool, and I find it can offer a more personal service than ordering through a website. I like to greet people using their names, which you can clearly see if an order has come through Facebook. Using somewhere like Amazon, you’re a number, not a person. Offering that personal interaction is something the big boys will never be able to do; it’s hard work, but it pays off. Like a lot of retailers, we’re not sitting on a vast amount of stock, so we’re going for lines that are hot at the moment, driving sales with minimal time expenditure at our end. We’d been holding onto 50 or so sledges for a long while. By the time the snow made an appearance, Bill and I had already advertised these on social media and cleared the lot, well before many other retailers in the town had even put theirs online. It’s all a case of getting onto the hot lines as fast as you can.
Toy World 33
The best seller for us at the moment is Pokémon. My launch delivery of Shining Fates product has just arrived, and I can’t wait to unpack it. Pokémon is absolutely massive for us; there’s a contingent of loyal fans in the area always keen to get their hands on new product. I’ve got a ‘little black book’ of Pokémon fans, and I’ve already pre-sold my launch delivery. None of it will even make it onto social media; it’s already spoken for. It’s the 25th anniversary of Pokémon this year, which is going to make the brand even bigger and better. I reckon it’ll be the big thing of 2021, to be honest. Character Options has some great new anniversary toys coming through, and there’s a raft of new lines on the way from Asmodee. While our shop has been closed, the enormous buzz around Pokémon and Shining Fates has been a major boon. Outdoor is a strong category for us. Swingball from Mookie is really popular, and footballs are always a best-seller. It’s a big year for football, so that will help boost sales. Kites and gliders are always in demand, and if it’s as hot as it was last year, I think every family in Britain will be after paddling pools for the back garden. If you’ve got stock of Intex paddling pools, you’ll be making a mint this year! Hot Wheels is a really strong brand for us within Action Vehicles; we’ve got a whole area dedicated to it under the stairs in our store. A lot of collectors come in looking for a particular car, but my son and I get first dibs when shipments arrive. One year we took delivery of a £1,000 order, which we unpacked across the shop floor and did a YouTube video for customers going through each and every vehicle. It was so much fun. We offer RC from Tobar, as well as Maisto and Bburgago die-cast too. We’re waiting to see what happens with reopenings. Only this morning was I talking to Bill, and he mentioned the possibility of the May bank holiday. Easter would be great though; it’s like our second Christmas. A lot of parents still buy Easter eggs of course but loads also buy toys instead of an egg (or as well as, for some lucky kids). Last summer, even though being open was sandwiched between lockdowns, we saw exceptional sales. My boss even remarked that it was better than summer 2019. We’re in quite a touristy area, right on the edge of the Norfolk broads, so we get plenty of visitors that have been out enjoying boat trips. The local caravan parks are all fully booked for this year. People want to get out and make the most of it when they can, and we’re likely to see much less foreign travel. In 2020, we saw more holidaymakers than ever renting boats and discovering the area; many that came into the shop said they’d be back the following year, and I reckon they meant it. It’s lovely here, and I think we’re in for a great summer. w
