Let’s Talk: Seeing ourselves as other see us

The other day I asked myself this question:  When the children, moms, dads, grandparents and others who use our products look at our industry, the toy industry, what do they see? How do we look to them? ,
 
What made me think of this was a question from a friend who asked me how I thought other people saw her. She said she thought it was really hard for a person to get beyond their own ego and defenses to really think about how the rest of the world viewed them. I am dating her so as you can imagine I was v-e-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-y careful in my response.

I did, however, consider her question a long time after that evening was over and thought about how right she was. That one of the hardest things for anyone to do is to try to see him or herself as others see them; not just their physical appearance or their personality but the whole package. 

So, what do we, as an industry, look like to the public.  In order to answer the question, I decided to get out of my own head and into that of a consumer. The first question I asked myself was: “Where do most of them get their experience of the toy industry?” Well, for starters, that would be the retail store.  

If that is the case, then what retail stores do most people visit? According to a JP Morgan research piece issued December 22, 2008 and entitled, “Not as much Fun and Games this Holiday Season,”more than 55% of toys are purchased at discount stores.  That means that most people’s opinion of our industry is based upon a limited selection of toys that are, to a high percentage, advertised on television and sold at very low prices.

What do consumers see when they walk into a discount store? In my opinion, they see…exactly what they expected to see. There is no element of surprise; there is no moment of delight; there is, however, a high degree of functionality. At a discount store, the toy shopping experience is one of saving time and money. That is good if you are selling paper clips but not if you are selling magic in a bottle.

There was a time when Toys R Us was the major purveyor of toys. The belief was, whether it was true or not, that they carried every toy. That meant that walking into a Toys R Us store used to be a transcendent moment. 

Back then, the child or the child in the adult would stand just outside the front door of their local Toys R Us and feel that sense of excitement that comes from believing that something exciting was about to happen.   Over time, Toys R Us went from being the world’s greatest toy store to the world’s greatest toy department and as a result stopped providing that transcendent moment. 

There are a few, very special retail stores that still provide that experience. They are, however, at least in the United States, few and far between.  

So, after looking at our industry from the consumer’s point of view, I came to the conclusion that it is that stomach-flip of anticipation; that rising sense of excitement; that expectation of surprise that is missing from today’s toy retail experience. In short, there is no longer a wow factor in going shopping for toys. 

What can be done? How can the wow factor be restored? I have my ideas. First, I want to hear from you.