Selling items for kids can be a bit tricky. Children aren’t the ones with the money, so an ecommerce site aimed at children actually has to sell to their parents. If Mom and Dad think a product isn’t worth the money, there goes a conversion. If you’re looking to specialize in children’s items, you’ll do well to keep these tips for selling kids’ stuff online in mind.
Be ready to respond
Some ecommerce stores want to start small. Selling gently used clothing or toys is a great way to feel out the market. Items like these can be sold on forums and message boards before a personal site is ready to go. This can help anyone who’s new to online vending get their feet wet and kick start their business at minimal expense. However, going this route means a lot of customer interaction, which entails being responsive to potential buyers. Once an item is posted, you’ll need to be ready to field questions and offers. Responding slowly hurts your chances of selling the item and it looks unprofessional. When you decide to go full boat and launch a site, you’ll find a number of providers offering free website themes with tools built in to make these tasks easier.
Win a customer for life
The best-selling toys are pretty easy to guess. Who can forget the yearly holiday craze over something that always gets replaced the following year? If you want to sell to parents and turn them into repeat customers, let them buy that red-hot item at a discount when its supply is limited, and its prices are skyrocketing everywhere else. Just be careful to leave yourself enough of a profit margin to make it worthwhile. Yes, you’ll make less in the short run, but you’ll more than make it up in return business.
Know the demographic
Advertising aimed at children must take a certain tone. Items have to look flashy, fun, and exciting. You’ll need a slightly different approach to captivate parents though. What’s more, your methods will need to vary a bit from generation to generation. Millennials respond better to advertising that hits emotionally. Meanwhile, Gen X parents appreciate pitches offering a straightforward solution to a problem. Fortunately, these groups usually have different age groups of children. Keep your focus on Millennial parents for newborns and toddlers. You’re talking to a Gen X parent for kids who are in their pre- and early teens.
Find a focus and keep to it
If you decide to pivot your focus after opening your store, be certain you’re doing so with a purpose. Pivoting is easy but doing it without a purpose will create issues. Filling a newly perceived niche in the marketplace can be a good way to narrow your focus without limiting the choices you offer. Similarly, picking and keeping with a theme can help rein things in if your business is becoming spread too thinly.
If kids had the money, they’d be the easiest demographic to sell. However, the ones who are truly in charge of spending are a bit savvier. Parents do want to make their kids happy, and they want to avoid wasting money. Convincing parents an item is worth the price is a bit more difficult than convincing a kid a toy is fun. Most rational people are averse to filling their homes with toys that get played with once and cast aside. But don’t be discouraged, these tips for selling kids’ stuff online will give you the tools you need to sway parents and children alike.
