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Why Specialty Toy Retailers Have the Holiday Sales Advantage

Specialty Toy Retailers Have the Holiday Sales Advantage

Manufacturers, retailers, and industry influencers are already beginning to talk to consumers about the holiday season. It’s no secret that October, November, and December are the biggest season for toy sales, and according to cheatsheet.com, overspending is becoming a holiday tradition. Overspending on gifts is especially tempting for parents. A 2015 T. Rowe Price survey that sampled 1,000 parents across the country in January 2015 found that 62% of parents agree with the statement, “I spent more for my kids over the holidays than I should have.”

While we’re not encouraging you to trick your customers into overspending, it’s obvious that holiday shopping is an especially big deal for parents with young and school age children. So, instead of pushing your customers to overspend this holiday season, focus in on toys, gadgets, and kids’ gizmos that have tremendous value, quality, and staying power.

There’s no denying the advantages of online shopping, especially at this time of year. Customers can compare pricing on different websites, products are shipped within days of purchasing, and they don’t have to scour the aisles of some big box store or stand in those awful long lines (we’re looking at you, last minute shoppers). The best part of all? They can do this all from their warm and cozy couch or on their phone during their lunch break.

Specialty toy store retailers do have one big advantage over online retailers, though. When shopping online, decision paralysis (no matter how big or small the decision) can lead parents to making poor spending choices—only to later go back and return the product or buy another one to make up for their buyer’s remorse. As a specialty toy storeowner or manager, your customers can feel confident with their purchases when they’ve consulted an expert.

You can explain the value of one toy over another. You can help them weigh the pros and cons of two competing products. You can emphasize how you saw the product at the Fall Toy Preview and just had to have it in your store because you loved it so much. Going out to shop on a cold winter evening after a day at work, can seem like a taxing endeavor, especially for parents who aren’t well-versed in the latest toy trends.

Holiday gift shopping should not be a chore. Make gift shopping fun, satisfying, and worth the difficult trek in the cold. Your customers will thank you. And their kids will thank Santa.

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