Less than one per cent of new mums-to-be are aware of the condition ‘plagiocephaly’, more commonly known as ‘Flat Head Syndrome’, despite the fact it is estimated to affect around half of all babies under the age of one year.
Recent research from Wilkinet baby carrier shows that awareness of the condition is incredibly low and the company is now supporting a campaign to help prevent plagiocephaly.
Dawn Telfer from Plagiocephalycare, a support group set up to help those affected by the condition, said: “One of the best ways of preventing and treating plagiocephaly is by using an upright baby carrier like Wilkinet because it avoids pressure on the skull. Using the helmets, one of the iconic images of plagiocephaly is always a last resort.”
The vast majority of cases can be prevented with a little bit of information and advice. Plagiocephaly Care is campaigning for the NHS to raise awareness of the condition and, in severe cases, to fund treatment, such as a Cranio Remolding Helmet, when repositioning, the initial treatment, has not been successful.
Dawn says, “As soon as your baby comes home from hospital, you should allow your baby some time each day to play on their tummy. Tummy Time is important for normal development as well as preventing Plagiocephaly. Babies should always be placed on their backs to sleep but their heads should be moved to the side, alternating each night.”
Babies can be born with Plagiocephaly or can develop it in their first few months but repositioning techniques can often resolve it in a matter of weeks. Plagiocephaly Care has been campaigning for checks to be made both at birth and six weeks with information on repositioning given routinely to parents.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Reduce Baby's Crying: Double cuddles Halves crying
Doubling the amount of time you cuddle your new born baby halves the amount of time they will cry.
A survey of hundreds of mums and dads, by Wilkinet, shows that children who are cuddled constantly – for example while being held in a baby carrier – were more likely to be ‘confident in themselves’ and ‘sociable’ than children who were not carried.
And the cuddling is still beneficial for adults, 80 per cent of women and 75 per cent of men say that a cuddle is still the most popular option when they want to be reassured, far more effective than eating, drinking or shopping. This research backs studies from the Department of Paediatrics at the Montreal children’s hospital, which shows that in studies babies who were cuddled for five hours a day (twice the time of the average two and a half hours) cried fifty per cent less than the average baby.
The National Academy of Sciences has looked at the level of hormones in the body following a good cuddle. Oxytocin and Arginine Vasopressin, which play a role in response to stress and social bonding, rise after both adults and children, are cuddled.
Gideon Wilkins of Wilkinet says: “Scientific evidence suggests we should all cuddle more! But in particular babies really do benefit from being cuddled as much as possible. This is impossible to do for hours on end unless you really do nothing at all, but by wearing a Wilkinet you can get on with life while providing that valuable support for your baby. We even have yoga teachers teaching within weeks of giving birth because they can cuddle their babies while exercising!”
A survey of hundreds of mums and dads, by Wilkinet, shows that children who are cuddled constantly – for example while being held in a baby carrier – were more likely to be ‘confident in themselves’ and ‘sociable’ than children who were not carried.
And the cuddling is still beneficial for adults, 80 per cent of women and 75 per cent of men say that a cuddle is still the most popular option when they want to be reassured, far more effective than eating, drinking or shopping. This research backs studies from the Department of Paediatrics at the Montreal children’s hospital, which shows that in studies babies who were cuddled for five hours a day (twice the time of the average two and a half hours) cried fifty per cent less than the average baby.
The National Academy of Sciences has looked at the level of hormones in the body following a good cuddle. Oxytocin and Arginine Vasopressin, which play a role in response to stress and social bonding, rise after both adults and children, are cuddled.
Gideon Wilkins of Wilkinet says: “Scientific evidence suggests we should all cuddle more! But in particular babies really do benefit from being cuddled as much as possible. This is impossible to do for hours on end unless you really do nothing at all, but by wearing a Wilkinet you can get on with life while providing that valuable support for your baby. We even have yoga teachers teaching within weeks of giving birth because they can cuddle their babies while exercising!”
Dads prefer cuddles to beer (no really... really!)
Doubling the amount of cuddles you give or receive from dad will improve your relationship with him for life!
And when asked if he would prefer chocolate, a shopping spree or a drink at the pub to feel reassured 75 per cent of men said they would really much prefer a cuddle!!
Research shows that men, traditionally slow to cuddle, suffer from a lack of physical affection. A national cuddle campaign, from Wilkinet the baby carrier specialists, aims to double the amount of time we spend cuddling our friends and family. Also, did you know that, doubling the amount of time you cuddle your new born baby halves the amount of time they will cry.
The Wilkinet Survey shows that people really do love being cuddled, even as adults, and also love to give cuddles. It backs up research, from the Department of Paediatrics at the Montreal children’s hospital, which shows that in studies, babies who were cuddled for five hours a day (twice the time of an average of two and a half hours a day) the amount of time the baby cried was more than fifty per cent less than the average baby. The National Academy of Sciences which looked at the level of hormones in the body following a good cuddle says both Oxytocin and Arginine Vasopressin, which play a role in response to stress and social bonding, rise after both adults and children are cuddled.
And when asked if he would prefer chocolate, a shopping spree or a drink at the pub to feel reassured 75 per cent of men said they would really much prefer a cuddle!!
Research shows that men, traditionally slow to cuddle, suffer from a lack of physical affection. A national cuddle campaign, from Wilkinet the baby carrier specialists, aims to double the amount of time we spend cuddling our friends and family. Also, did you know that, doubling the amount of time you cuddle your new born baby halves the amount of time they will cry.
The Wilkinet Survey shows that people really do love being cuddled, even as adults, and also love to give cuddles. It backs up research, from the Department of Paediatrics at the Montreal children’s hospital, which shows that in studies, babies who were cuddled for five hours a day (twice the time of an average of two and a half hours a day) the amount of time the baby cried was more than fifty per cent less than the average baby. The National Academy of Sciences which looked at the level of hormones in the body following a good cuddle says both Oxytocin and Arginine Vasopressin, which play a role in response to stress and social bonding, rise after both adults and children are cuddled.
It's official – being a mum is back-breaking
A leading osteopath has confirmed what many new mums know too well - being a parent can be back breaking work!
Research into back pain both during and after pregnancy shows that more than 70 per cent of mums with children under two suffer from aches and pains. And over half of these suffer most when carrying their children in their arms.
The Wilkinet survey also shows that nearly all the mums (97%) love cuddling their children but nearly half can’t do so as often as they would like because of back ache.
Martin Grundy, a leading Osteopath from Whitley Bay, says that back ache is a natural result of pregnancy, when hormonal changes soften the joints, but that many of us make it far worse by the way we cuddle our children or carry them in slings not designed to support both baby and parent.
He says: “After a natural delivery every new mother has a slightly dodgy pelvic floor! If you use a clip fastening sling to carry baby or hold baby in a way that puts pressure on your shoulders and lower back you have a recipe for either burst stitches or numerous longer term low back problems”.
Martin also advises: “A well designed baby carrier transfers the weight directly onto the pelvic bones, your hips, and from there to the legs, so none of the baby's weight has to be carried through the spine, so there is hardly any load placed on the spinal column at all.”
Martin has been working with Wilkinet, a baby carrier celebrating its 25th anniversary. Designed by mum of eight Sally Wilkins, with the help of osteopaths, it is good for baby – making sure their weight is not carried on their tiny pelvis, simply supporting them on the thighs and bottom, and also good for mum - sitting low on the waist putting weight on the pelvic bones instead of the lower back The Wilkinet survey also showed that more than half the mums suffered from back ache at least a few times a week, with 17 per cent suffering some sort of pain all the time.
Martin and Wilkinet want mums to be more aware of the vulnerability of their backs at this crucial time in their lives and have come up with their top tips to protect both mum and baby.
Research into back pain both during and after pregnancy shows that more than 70 per cent of mums with children under two suffer from aches and pains. And over half of these suffer most when carrying their children in their arms.
The Wilkinet survey also shows that nearly all the mums (97%) love cuddling their children but nearly half can’t do so as often as they would like because of back ache.
Martin Grundy, a leading Osteopath from Whitley Bay, says that back ache is a natural result of pregnancy, when hormonal changes soften the joints, but that many of us make it far worse by the way we cuddle our children or carry them in slings not designed to support both baby and parent.
He says: “After a natural delivery every new mother has a slightly dodgy pelvic floor! If you use a clip fastening sling to carry baby or hold baby in a way that puts pressure on your shoulders and lower back you have a recipe for either burst stitches or numerous longer term low back problems”.
Martin also advises: “A well designed baby carrier transfers the weight directly onto the pelvic bones, your hips, and from there to the legs, so none of the baby's weight has to be carried through the spine, so there is hardly any load placed on the spinal column at all.”
Martin has been working with Wilkinet, a baby carrier celebrating its 25th anniversary. Designed by mum of eight Sally Wilkins, with the help of osteopaths, it is good for baby – making sure their weight is not carried on their tiny pelvis, simply supporting them on the thighs and bottom, and also good for mum - sitting low on the waist putting weight on the pelvic bones instead of the lower back The Wilkinet survey also showed that more than half the mums suffered from back ache at least a few times a week, with 17 per cent suffering some sort of pain all the time.
Martin and Wilkinet want mums to be more aware of the vulnerability of their backs at this crucial time in their lives and have come up with their top tips to protect both mum and baby.
- Ask an osteopath or physiotherapist for appropriate gentle exercises during pregnancy and the early weeks after childbirth. Or visit the ‘Love your back’ page on www.wilkinet.co.uk
- While pregnant, lying on your side in bed, place a pillow under ‘the bump’ to provide much needed support. Also put a pillow between your knees to prevent back strain.
- Seek professional help as soon as pain begins to help your body adapt to the changes and prevent future problems.
- Using an appropriate baby carrier after birth is easier on your back than carrying children in your arms – it also frees your hands for all those jobs you need to do!!
- Make sure all equipment is at a comfortable height for you – changing tables, pushchair, pram etc
- When breastfeeding use cushions to support a good posture. Avoid twisting and slouching as you may need to stay there for a while as baby gets his or her fill!
- Don’t over fill a one-shoulder baby bag – the spine starts adjusting to carry a heavy load and can cause strains.
- Take care when lifting or carrying children. Don’t carry children on one arm for too long.
- Try a sacro-iliac belt or baby sling like Wilkinet, which wraps tightly around the waist to support and realign your pelvis in the early weeks after child-birth.
What else could independent retailers do to be a more attractive proposition for new parents?
The Wilkinet Survey – The voice of the consumer
Published: 01 August, 2007 in Nursery Industry Magazine: http://www.nursery-industry.co.uk/news/search.php?_FB%5Bq%5D=wilkinet
When a first time mum discovers they are pregnant they become a customer with several thousand pounds to spend, spread over two to three years. Winning and retaining a customer right at the beginning of the buying cycle can be very lucrative. One in 4 women in the early stages of pregnancy (under 20 weeks) say they have already bought their pushchair and car seat (and one in 6 have bought a baby carrier).
In many areas of the UK parents have their second ultra-sound scan in or around their 20-week mark (this is usually the scan where you can find out the sex of the baby). For most first time parents this is when the shopping really starts in earnest.
In previous columns I've touched on the services people say would make them more likely to shop at their local independent shop. There are two statistics that are particularly relevant to retaining new customers.
Nearly 1 in 3 first time pregnant women say they would be interested in a combined package for a set fee and 51% say they would like to see loyalty discounts from their local retailer.
While you may not be able to afford a percentage discount off every purchase you could take their contact details on their first visit and offer to send them updates on product/seasonal offers.
If you take their email address at the same time this offers a simple, low cost follow-up opportunity. There are lots of tools available - my personal favourite is a company called Aweber.
You don't need a website (although if you do it's a useful way to drive repeat purchase) and you can choose to have the system send them a sequence of pre-written emails over the course of several weeks and months or 'broadcast' a message to everyone on the list about a time sensitive offer.
With many first time mums starting their baby-shopping spree immediately after discovering they're pregnant it's important you plan for customer retention by offering a great shopping experience and a plan to follow up and keep them away from your competitors.
Gideon Wilkins
Published: 01 August, 2007 in Nursery Industry Magazine: http://www.nursery-industry.co.uk/news/search.php?_FB%5Bq%5D=wilkinet
When a first time mum discovers they are pregnant they become a customer with several thousand pounds to spend, spread over two to three years. Winning and retaining a customer right at the beginning of the buying cycle can be very lucrative. One in 4 women in the early stages of pregnancy (under 20 weeks) say they have already bought their pushchair and car seat (and one in 6 have bought a baby carrier).
In many areas of the UK parents have their second ultra-sound scan in or around their 20-week mark (this is usually the scan where you can find out the sex of the baby). For most first time parents this is when the shopping really starts in earnest.
In previous columns I've touched on the services people say would make them more likely to shop at their local independent shop. There are two statistics that are particularly relevant to retaining new customers.
Nearly 1 in 3 first time pregnant women say they would be interested in a combined package for a set fee and 51% say they would like to see loyalty discounts from their local retailer.
While you may not be able to afford a percentage discount off every purchase you could take their contact details on their first visit and offer to send them updates on product/seasonal offers.
If you take their email address at the same time this offers a simple, low cost follow-up opportunity. There are lots of tools available - my personal favourite is a company called Aweber.
You don't need a website (although if you do it's a useful way to drive repeat purchase) and you can choose to have the system send them a sequence of pre-written emails over the course of several weeks and months or 'broadcast' a message to everyone on the list about a time sensitive offer.
With many first time mums starting their baby-shopping spree immediately after discovering they're pregnant it's important you plan for customer retention by offering a great shopping experience and a plan to follow up and keep them away from your competitors.
Gideon Wilkins
So why do parents buy what they buy?
Gideon Wilkins is a qualified member of the Market Research Society. He is Managing Director of Wilkinet Ltd, manufacturer of the Wilkinet baby carrier, baby carrier rain cover and the Wilkinet clothing range.
The Wilkinet Survey – The voice of the consumer
Published: 01 July, 2007 in Nursery Industry Magazine: http://www.nursery-industry.co.uk/news/search.php?_FB%5Bq%5D=wilkinet
What goes through a person's mind when they are planning a purchase? What is it that prompts them to choose one model or brand over another? Of all the questions I've been asked since setting up the Wilkinet Survey, this is the one that comes up most often.
Knowing what motivates and influences your customer's buying decision can give you a head start that could mean the difference between making the sale and seeing them walk away to the next shop.
Each nursery category will also have different priorities so this section will mostly focus on the two main 'hard goods' - pushchairs (PC) and car seats (CS).
Looking through the insight we have, it's possible to split the motivations for purchase into two separate groups - Concerns and Extras.
Concerns
Whenever I meet parents face-to-face (whether speaking to them at parenting groups or when we exhibit our baby carrier at the consumer shows) there is one question that almost always comes up… 'How safe is this for my baby.' This is particularly, and understandably, prevalent in first time parents. In our surveys, 'Safety features' is the run away top priority (77% of people say it's the most important feature on pushchairs and 84% say so for car seats).
Once the parent has established their child's well being they start to think about their own experience of using the product. Will it be easy for them to use, store, fit into a car? With baby carriers we also often find people particularly interested in how comfortable it will be for them to use.
Extras
Having allayed any fears or concerns your customer might have, you then have the opportunity to identify the extras that usually come down to personal preference.
Some of the features that are considered most important are, suiting a wide age range (PC: 41%/CS: 25%) appearance & design (PC: 19%/CS: 8%), innovations & gadgets (PC: 9%/CS: 7%) and, of course, price (PC: 26%/CS: 16%).
Certain 'Extras' sometimes become prerequisites. Before you can even talk about safety/convenience you may have to answer questions on whether you stock brand x or colour y.
We discovered the information in this article by asking (lots of) parents questions… when you've got just one of them in front of you the best policy is to take the same approach - keep asking questions to establish the concerns to resolve and the extras to offer.
Gideon Wilkins
The Wilkinet Survey – The voice of the consumer
Published: 01 July, 2007 in Nursery Industry Magazine: http://www.nursery-industry.co.uk/news/search.php?_FB%5Bq%5D=wilkinet
What goes through a person's mind when they are planning a purchase? What is it that prompts them to choose one model or brand over another? Of all the questions I've been asked since setting up the Wilkinet Survey, this is the one that comes up most often.
Knowing what motivates and influences your customer's buying decision can give you a head start that could mean the difference between making the sale and seeing them walk away to the next shop.
Each nursery category will also have different priorities so this section will mostly focus on the two main 'hard goods' - pushchairs (PC) and car seats (CS).
Looking through the insight we have, it's possible to split the motivations for purchase into two separate groups - Concerns and Extras.
Concerns
Whenever I meet parents face-to-face (whether speaking to them at parenting groups or when we exhibit our baby carrier at the consumer shows) there is one question that almost always comes up… 'How safe is this for my baby.' This is particularly, and understandably, prevalent in first time parents. In our surveys, 'Safety features' is the run away top priority (77% of people say it's the most important feature on pushchairs and 84% say so for car seats).
Once the parent has established their child's well being they start to think about their own experience of using the product. Will it be easy for them to use, store, fit into a car? With baby carriers we also often find people particularly interested in how comfortable it will be for them to use.
Extras
Having allayed any fears or concerns your customer might have, you then have the opportunity to identify the extras that usually come down to personal preference.
Some of the features that are considered most important are, suiting a wide age range (PC: 41%/CS: 25%) appearance & design (PC: 19%/CS: 8%), innovations & gadgets (PC: 9%/CS: 7%) and, of course, price (PC: 26%/CS: 16%).
Certain 'Extras' sometimes become prerequisites. Before you can even talk about safety/convenience you may have to answer questions on whether you stock brand x or colour y.
We discovered the information in this article by asking (lots of) parents questions… when you've got just one of them in front of you the best policy is to take the same approach - keep asking questions to establish the concerns to resolve and the extras to offer.
Gideon Wilkins
Baby gift buying habits
The Wilkinet Survey – The voice of the consumer
Published: 01 June, 2007 in Nursery Industry Magazine, for more information visit: http://www.nursery-industry.co.uk/news/search.php?_FB%5Bq%5D=wilkinet
The most important customer in our industry is, of course the parent. However there is another group of people with different needs - but with attractive spending power… the 'gift buyers.'
When we recruit people into our surveys we ask some qualification questions - we want to make sure we're just talking to the most relevant people: pregnant women (or their partners) and parents of young children. Anyone who doesn't fall into our key target profile gets filtered into gift buying questions. Most of the people who answer this section are women, covering a broad range of ages, incomes and family situations.
So how big is the baby gift market?
Combining a few sources of information the answer can be simply summarised as: 'Huge!'
Nearly everyone we spoke with (92%) say they buy gifts for friends or family, and on average they spend around £25 each time (a few spend a lot more than this of course). On the three main search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN) there's an estimated 115,000 searches for 'baby gift' every month in the UK. Google returns 2.25 million pages for 'baby gift' (and that's restricting it to searching for websites in the UK).
With this hive of activity online it may surprise you that less that 1 in 3 of the people (30%) we spoke to buy their baby gifts by mail order (either online of from a catalogue).
Most people go to a national retailer like Mothercare or Toys'R'Us to buy their gifts (82%) with just over a third (35%) saying Independent nursery shops are one of the places they visit when gift shopping.
There are two clear areas where most gift money gets spent:
Clothes (92%) and Toys (65%). Bedding, blankets and towelling are also an important area. The traditional priority items like pushchairs and car seats are less than 15% each.
Clothes and Toys are categories some independent shops choose to ignore. With restrictions on resources and space, this is understandable. However, with such a strong focus from the gift buyers it may be an area to reconsider if you haven't previously. Some smaller retailers choose to focus almost entirely on these areas and become a regular destination for grandparents, friends and co-workers on the hunt for a gift. If your main staple is the larger items you could instead consider what some independent shops choose to do, which is to stock just one specific brand of clothing or toy. This offers a level of exclusivity to your range and avoids the problem of too many line items.
Published: 01 June, 2007 in Nursery Industry Magazine, for more information visit: http://www.nursery-industry.co.uk/news/search.php?_FB%5Bq%5D=wilkinet
The most important customer in our industry is, of course the parent. However there is another group of people with different needs - but with attractive spending power… the 'gift buyers.'
When we recruit people into our surveys we ask some qualification questions - we want to make sure we're just talking to the most relevant people: pregnant women (or their partners) and parents of young children. Anyone who doesn't fall into our key target profile gets filtered into gift buying questions. Most of the people who answer this section are women, covering a broad range of ages, incomes and family situations.
So how big is the baby gift market?
Combining a few sources of information the answer can be simply summarised as: 'Huge!'
Nearly everyone we spoke with (92%) say they buy gifts for friends or family, and on average they spend around £25 each time (a few spend a lot more than this of course). On the three main search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN) there's an estimated 115,000 searches for 'baby gift' every month in the UK. Google returns 2.25 million pages for 'baby gift' (and that's restricting it to searching for websites in the UK).
With this hive of activity online it may surprise you that less that 1 in 3 of the people (30%) we spoke to buy their baby gifts by mail order (either online of from a catalogue).
Most people go to a national retailer like Mothercare or Toys'R'Us to buy their gifts (82%) with just over a third (35%) saying Independent nursery shops are one of the places they visit when gift shopping.
There are two clear areas where most gift money gets spent:
Clothes (92%) and Toys (65%). Bedding, blankets and towelling are also an important area. The traditional priority items like pushchairs and car seats are less than 15% each.
Clothes and Toys are categories some independent shops choose to ignore. With restrictions on resources and space, this is understandable. However, with such a strong focus from the gift buyers it may be an area to reconsider if you haven't previously. Some smaller retailers choose to focus almost entirely on these areas and become a regular destination for grandparents, friends and co-workers on the hunt for a gift. If your main staple is the larger items you could instead consider what some independent shops choose to do, which is to stock just one specific brand of clothing or toy. This offers a level of exclusivity to your range and avoids the problem of too many line items.
Why do Parents choose one shop over another?
The Wilkinet Survey – The voice of the consumer
First Published: 01 May, 2007 in Nursery Industry Magazine, for more information visit: http://www.nursery-industry.co.uk/news/search.php?_FB%5Bq%5D=wilkinet
As part of my role at Wilkinet I often have the opportunity of visiting nursery shops. Several of them mentioned the first few months of 2007 have been slower than expected (compared to this time last year or the last quarter of 2006).
What makes parents choose your shop over any other? And what can you do to convince more of them to walk through your door?
In our survey of 280 parents and pregnant women, their biggest reason for shopping at the local independent retailer was for the "chance to find something different" (42%). Other important reasons include being able to have a "Convenient shopping experience" (33%) and finding "Better prices" (32%).
This presents the independent retailer with a challenging balancing act. To help you compete with the nationals like Mothercare and Argos you need to offer something different – whether it’s a specific niche or hard-tofind products that you’ve discovered.
At the same time, the big brands sell. If possible, you may need to offer some of the well-known names and accessories to get people through the door. Some retailers chose to be a specialist for one specific brand, offering a wide range, advice, parts and accessories.
Apart from competing on product range alone – we’ve identified other methods for attracting customers.
Certain items in the list aren’t possible for some independent retailers. If you have a smaller shop that is short of space it could be a challenge to offer changing facilities or places to sit down, relax or feed baby (but if you can – mums chat with other mums, so your personal referrals would be likely to increase). Financial resources and floor space can also restrict whether you’re able to offer a wider range of products.
If you knew you were going to get more return customers could you offer parents a small loyalty discount or perhaps a rewards scheme? If that would be too difficult to administrate – then perhaps combining several baby essentials for a set fee could help entice more customers.
Home delivery and set up is also a popular option – again, if it’s something you wouldn’t have time to do, perhaps a friendly ‘man-with-van’ could work with you
With competition from national and internet retailers, setting yourself up as being known for either selling or doing something different is a way of standing out from the crowd and increasing your customer base.
Gideon Wilkins
First Published: 01 May, 2007 in Nursery Industry Magazine, for more information visit: http://www.nursery-industry.co.uk/news/search.php?_FB%5Bq%5D=wilkinet
As part of my role at Wilkinet I often have the opportunity of visiting nursery shops. Several of them mentioned the first few months of 2007 have been slower than expected (compared to this time last year or the last quarter of 2006).
What makes parents choose your shop over any other? And what can you do to convince more of them to walk through your door?
In our survey of 280 parents and pregnant women, their biggest reason for shopping at the local independent retailer was for the "chance to find something different" (42%). Other important reasons include being able to have a "Convenient shopping experience" (33%) and finding "Better prices" (32%).
This presents the independent retailer with a challenging balancing act. To help you compete with the nationals like Mothercare and Argos you need to offer something different – whether it’s a specific niche or hard-tofind products that you’ve discovered.
At the same time, the big brands sell. If possible, you may need to offer some of the well-known names and accessories to get people through the door. Some retailers chose to be a specialist for one specific brand, offering a wide range, advice, parts and accessories.
Apart from competing on product range alone – we’ve identified other methods for attracting customers.
Certain items in the list aren’t possible for some independent retailers. If you have a smaller shop that is short of space it could be a challenge to offer changing facilities or places to sit down, relax or feed baby (but if you can – mums chat with other mums, so your personal referrals would be likely to increase). Financial resources and floor space can also restrict whether you’re able to offer a wider range of products.
If you knew you were going to get more return customers could you offer parents a small loyalty discount or perhaps a rewards scheme? If that would be too difficult to administrate – then perhaps combining several baby essentials for a set fee could help entice more customers.
Home delivery and set up is also a popular option – again, if it’s something you wouldn’t have time to do, perhaps a friendly ‘man-with-van’ could work with you
With competition from national and internet retailers, setting yourself up as being known for either selling or doing something different is a way of standing out from the crowd and increasing your customer base.
Gideon Wilkins
Wilkinet Trade Research: Do shoppers want 'Private Consultations'
Originally Published: 15 April, 2007 in 'Nursery Industry Magazine' - for more information visit: http://www.nursery-industry.co.uk/news/search.php?_FB%5Bq%5D=wilkinet
Imagine for a moment you are in front of a crowd of 300 people. Many of them are pregnant; some already have babies and toddlers. There are a few new Dads in there too. All of them are your potential customers. As your audience settles down you hold a megaphone to your mouth and shout…
"So… I was thinking of stocking up on ten of the new Widget 3000s from Widgets’R’Us… what do you think of it? Would you buy it?"
After a few murmurs from the crowd and a general lack of interest you quickly cross it off your list and move on.
When I took a sideways step 12 months ago from the market research industry to take the reigns of Wilkinet (we manufacture and wholesale the Wilkinet baby carrier and Wilkinet clothing range) the first thing on my to do list was to get to know my customers better. The Wilkinet Survey was born.
Starting today the Wilkinet Survey is available to the nursery trade. Every month over 500 people complete our surveys on topics ranging from what their favourite brand or colour of pushchair is (it’s a black Mamas & Papas travel system by the way) through to whether a free cup of tea would make them more likely to shop at their local independent nursery retailer (it wouldn’t… but offering a home delivery option gets a big thumbs up).
The Monthly Quick Question: The Private Consultation
This month’s hot topic is the private consultation… a parent gets one-toone advice about baby products and then walks away with a shopping list (or in some cases the consultant will buy, deliver and build it all for them). The service is getting a lot of press attention and several people in the trade have asked me whether this is an area the independent retailer could get into (with some consultants charging up to £2,500 a go it could be a lucrative sideline). The short answer to paid consultations from nursery shops in most cases is no... but don’t rule it out entirely.
With half the respondents saying they’d be interested if it were a free service this could be a good opportunity to package and market the expert advice and customer service you give to your customers already. The free service could be a simple ten-minute chat and a printed list of recommendations and price bands. It’s still the product sales you would be making your profit on – but if it increases footfall then it’s worth considering.
There is also a smaller group of people who would be willing to pay for your time – or at least pay and then redeem on purchases. We asked how much to charge and most people thought £20 to £50 would be reasonable.
Gideon Wilkins is a qualified member of the Market Research Society. He runs Wilkinet Ltd – a manufacturer and wholesaler of the Wilkinet baby carrier, baby carrier rain cover and the Wilkinet clothing range.
Imagine for a moment you are in front of a crowd of 300 people. Many of them are pregnant; some already have babies and toddlers. There are a few new Dads in there too. All of them are your potential customers. As your audience settles down you hold a megaphone to your mouth and shout…
"So… I was thinking of stocking up on ten of the new Widget 3000s from Widgets’R’Us… what do you think of it? Would you buy it?"
After a few murmurs from the crowd and a general lack of interest you quickly cross it off your list and move on.
When I took a sideways step 12 months ago from the market research industry to take the reigns of Wilkinet (we manufacture and wholesale the Wilkinet baby carrier and Wilkinet clothing range) the first thing on my to do list was to get to know my customers better. The Wilkinet Survey was born.
Starting today the Wilkinet Survey is available to the nursery trade. Every month over 500 people complete our surveys on topics ranging from what their favourite brand or colour of pushchair is (it’s a black Mamas & Papas travel system by the way) through to whether a free cup of tea would make them more likely to shop at their local independent nursery retailer (it wouldn’t… but offering a home delivery option gets a big thumbs up).
The Monthly Quick Question: The Private Consultation
This month’s hot topic is the private consultation… a parent gets one-toone advice about baby products and then walks away with a shopping list (or in some cases the consultant will buy, deliver and build it all for them). The service is getting a lot of press attention and several people in the trade have asked me whether this is an area the independent retailer could get into (with some consultants charging up to £2,500 a go it could be a lucrative sideline). The short answer to paid consultations from nursery shops in most cases is no... but don’t rule it out entirely.
With half the respondents saying they’d be interested if it were a free service this could be a good opportunity to package and market the expert advice and customer service you give to your customers already. The free service could be a simple ten-minute chat and a printed list of recommendations and price bands. It’s still the product sales you would be making your profit on – but if it increases footfall then it’s worth considering.
There is also a smaller group of people who would be willing to pay for your time – or at least pay and then redeem on purchases. We asked how much to charge and most people thought £20 to £50 would be reasonable.
Gideon Wilkins is a qualified member of the Market Research Society. He runs Wilkinet Ltd – a manufacturer and wholesaler of the Wilkinet baby carrier, baby carrier rain cover and the Wilkinet clothing range.
hmmmm...
over a year since the last post... not very good!
Instead I thought it would be a handy place to post our latest research. Before taking over Wilkinet from my Mum I was a market research... since being involved with Wilkinet I've continued to do market research projects among parents/parents-to-be.
Some of it is rather interesting information... so I'll be putting it on here instead of my random musings... although I may still add some random musings!
Instead I thought it would be a handy place to post our latest research. Before taking over Wilkinet from my Mum I was a market research... since being involved with Wilkinet I've continued to do market research projects among parents/parents-to-be.
Some of it is rather interesting information... so I'll be putting it on here instead of my random musings... although I may still add some random musings!
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