Besides considering the age groups, suitable toys can
also be added for themed lines. For example, a shelf
with baby books might also feature toys that help the
very young learn how to grip, listen and observe the
world around them. Travel guides might be arranged
side-by-side with travel games for the car, train or
plane. Alphabet and number games are perfect when
targeting preschool children. erence to play might even be included in the name of
the store. Depending on the size of the sales floor, a
store may boast a table or entire department of toys.
In any case, it is worth avoiding having exclusively
books in one area and toys by themselves in another.
Likewise, goods should be grouped according to
target age and theme to spark emotion among cus-
tomers and give them ideas for good gifts.
Similar to book recommendations, board and other
tabletop games can be displayed prominently at par-
ticular times of the year, such as the start of the
summer holidays and Christmas, as recommenda-
tions of the retailer. Games addressing aspects of his-
tory might be positioned beside history books or
mythical beings from the toy world on the fantasy
shelf. CHECKLIST: HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCE
TOYS IN A BOOK STORE
KEEPING AN EYE ON TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS
Just like novelties and bestsellers, products in the toy
sector surrounded by a great deal of hype, such as
loom bands in 2016 and fidget spinners in 2017, have
good potential to generate additional sales in the
book trade as well. These products also “entice”
young customers into the book store. It is important
that such products show up on booksellers’ radars in
good time.
RANGE: Don’t try to cater to all needs. Focus from the
start on toys for a specific age group, for example.
STAFF: Make sure that somebody is in charge. There
should be one employee with overall responsibility for
the toy range, from planning and purchasing through
to presentation at the POS. Just like with books, your
employees are best placed to sell games they have
played with and enjoyed themselves. So let your staff
try them out. Some toy and game manufacturers offer
games training.
PURCHASING: Trade fair visits are essential to discov-
ering play worlds with a link to books and finding the
hidden gems. Please take into consideration that
there is usually no right to return toys bought directly
from the manufacturer. However, it may be possible to
purchase toys from wholesalers, depending on the
product.
PRICING: There are no price controls on toys. The
manufacturer recommends a retail price. It is worth
using the online pri ce as your guide when pricing
mainstream goods. For “hidden gems”, meanwhile,
there tend to be markups of two times the purchase
price and more.
Trend products like the Fidget Spinner have potential
for additional sales
The smaller the available space, the more important it
is to uncover the hidden gems by visiting trade fairs
and finding special toy products that will suit and
strengthen the book range. Not least, this is also rele-
vant in terms of sales price and margin.
PREPARE CUSTOMERS FOR THE NEW KINDS OF
PRODUCTS ON OFFER
Customers should notice that the store also sells toys
before they ever set foot inside. Reading and play
could already be linked in the shop window. Some ref-
SALES PROMOTION: Let your customers play in the
store; set up a game station (e.g. near the checkout).
Games evenings or combined reading/game events
can also get customers buzzing about games ranges.
Especially when first introducing toys, customers
must be actively led to them. Therefore, promote your
toys in all advertising media and channels, just like
your book range, in order to raise awareness.
Author: Britta Meyer
Kids India Mag Issue IV : June 2018 | Page 05