There are business models that, regardless of the time of year, the financial crisis and personal financial problems can sell well, and one of them is baby store items. This development model is on the list of basic elements for consumption and can be a good business idea, if we want to become an entrepreneur, but it is in doubt where to invest.
A great list of businesses with local stores you can see here
It is important to know that this business model is the exact opposite of the idea that parents do not make many purchases, because children grow quickly and a store of this type must have products that include ages between zero and four on average, although the age range depends on your preferences.
What is a baby store?
A baby store is a retail outlet selling products specifically for children from birth to four or five years of age, on average. Sold in the stores are: cribs, general nursery furniture, strollers, bathtubs, and products for children’s use in their daily lives, such as bottles, diapers, clothing, pacifiers, and other accessories.
What you need to know
While this type of business allows anyone without experience and with the intention of starting a new project to undertake it, it is important that you first investigate the type of market you are thinking of launching into, that is, to start researching your product suppliers, the prices that are handled, the location of your potential customers, areas with high foot traffic, as well as knowledge of finance to get your business on the right track. Although you can do without it by hiring an accountant, the best and ideal is that as a business owner, you know how to manage money in each income and expenditure.
How do I choose my suppliers?
Choosing the suppliers of your products is one of the processes that you should pay more attention to, because the availability of items in your store and the type of customers that come in depends on it.
The first thing you must do is to make a list of the items you are going to sell, then, investigate the brands that offer them and the most requested by the public. This process will help us to segment what we are going to offer. Later, in the final choice of suppliers you have, take into account the following:
Quality of the product
Customer Service
Product Availability
Delivery times and compliance
Wholesale prices
Target audience for a baby store
Studying your potential clients is always good advice. Your target audience with this company will vary greatly according to the price range and brands available in the store. If you want to reach the upper-middle class, you should have famous branded items and furniture, even personalized. If you want to reach the middle class, offer a compromise between economy brands and more expensive brands, just above the basic level.
Baby store customers can be of any age, as not only parents are involved, but also for occasions such as events where a gift is needed for baby showers and births of children by friends and relatives. So the market for a specialty store of this type is wide.
Where to locate my store?
To open a baby store, the first element to be evaluated is the location of the property. It is recommended that you choose an area with a large circulation of local people such as shopping malls, or even in an upscale neighborhood if the items sold in the store are very refined.
The location will also influence the target audience to be reached. If you want to reach the higher layers of the city, you have to be in the places that these people frequent. It all depends on the direction you want to focus your business and how you invest this money.
How do I decorate my place?
One of the points that you should pay great attention to in time to set up a baby store is the decoration and theme of the place. As it is written at the beginning of the text, babies are cuddly, therefore, the store has to be beautiful, tender, organized and have products well distributed in an attractive showcase, which should serve as an important advice for those who want to organize a store and attract customers.
It is essential to have a window and bright exterior glass, shelves and a space to mount the elements, giving parents the possibility to access the best ideas. You can look for many ideas and even let your imagination fly with the decoration by creating rooms for children’s decorations very varied, taking into account the tastes of children.
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Get your staff
Depending on the size of the baby store, you should have at least two or three staff members so that they can report items on the shelves well. However, this will not be the only area where you should have staff so you will need to divide tasks, as you will also need to take care of other areas such as cleaning the premises, organizing products and items, cash register and suppliers.
How do I promote my baby equipment store?
You have several alternatives to start an advertising strategy with your business, even before its launch. These are divided into traditional and digital advertising strategies, let’s see the options for your baby specialty store:
Traditional advertising: Deliver flyers to your target audience with the address of your store and phone numbers for possible home orders or search for specific items. You can also have business cards to leave in areas such as gardens and related sectors. If you have the possibility, you can take advantage and promote your business in newspapers and other physical media.
Digital advertising: One of the best strategies nowadays is web presence, so you can look for someone who can create a simple website to start and profiles in social networks so that soon, you can also be offering your product at home by these means, why not?
Requirements for setting up a baby store
Having the necessary permits is an indispensable requirement, because as with all businesses that want to be established, the incorporation of the company must be organized, as well as the creation of the name, determining specifically the reason for the business and its declaration of the item that is the sale of baby items.
Therefore, you should hire an experienced lawyer if you do not have sufficient knowledge of the legal requirements for registration, so that you can establish your business correctly.
Once the bureaucratic processes are in order, it is convenient to look for an adequate space to offer the products, whose location must be accessible to potential clients who can find what they need in your business.
Advantages of having a baby store
In all societies, since ancient times, there has been procreation and breeding for the future generation, which makes this business model a vital one that every person when they have children must visit almost obligatorily, in order to acquire the necessary inputs to give good breeding and care to their baby, representing a wide level of customer acquisition in each generation that goes through this stage of life.
In addition, the merchandise is light and easy to show, it does not have an expiration date so it can last on the shelves long enough until it is sold, in addition it is a business that is not as subject to change as other models that must adapt their operations to the desirability of the client.
Tips for starting a baby store
Conducting a market study at the beginning is highly advisable, so that you can determine which products are most suitable for consumer use and thus acquire the majority of your known inventory that will sell in a short time, helping to move the economy of your business quickly.
In addition, promoting the business is vital, so it is advisable to hire radio spots and use marketing strategies on the web, publicizing the business through social networks, child care forums or dedicated to the family, so you can attract customers more often.
Problems that may arise
It must be taken into account that the birth rate has decreased considerably and that this business, like most businesses, goes through the process of connecting with the client, this process can sometimes be longer than others, so you must have perseverance and try to put yourself first by making various advertising strategies to publicize your business.
In addition, it can be difficult to satisfy the customer in a good way, so you must have in inventory a wide variety of products that manage to cover entirely the need of the mother and father for their baby, a situation that can represent a challenge of not making a correct market research before acquiring the merchandise.
Success stories
La Tienda de los Niños is a successful company because it offers a wide variety of baby furniture, strollers, cribs and other accessories, with professional customer service.
Baby Deli, is another successful and prestigious store that offers a variety of healthy, organic and environmentally friendly food, household items, personal hygiene items,
cosmetics, clothing, toys, stationery, books, videos, music and gifts.
Another very famous is Indybel Nueve Meses y Más, which has countless British, international and organic products for pregnancy and babies in Spain.
Disadvantages that can arise: A substantial factor that could define the success or failure of your business is the location you choose for your premises. A commercial area or one with a high flow of people implies the presence of clothing, shoe or other stores that are close to you to improve the visibility of the premises, but not necessarily the proximity to other specialized baby shops, which although it could serve to attract customers, the ideal is to have a space away from them to also get our own customers.
Final recommendation: Above all, if you do not have experience in this type of business, it is crucial that you start training as an entrepreneur, because soon you will have to have knowledge in all areas to take your store down a promising path. The entrepreneur is also a leader in relation to his staff, so he must be able to guide the whole team in any process. This is achieved with a lot of commitment and effort, don’t forget.