by Nigel Hilton

The market for children is huge. There’s all sorts of products and companies out there that offer something to the younger generation - toys, experiences, days out etc. And they market them in a way that gets the kids excited, and proves to the parent that they’re worth the time and money that goes into purchasing from them. It’s quite a trick process when it comes down to it, and there’s quite a few small businesses out there that forget the amount of effort it takes to advertise to an audience that has a very short attention span!

So if you’re out to come up with a child friendly product, you’ve got to keep a few things in mind. The pointers below might just help you with getting the right idea.

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Focus On the Children You Know

It’s a little bit liking holding a focus group - you get a bunch of people from your target market into a room, show them a product or service you offer, and then ask what they think and if they would buy it. Except this time, you’re doing this with kids - maybe some from a local school or two, or your nephews and nieces etc.

And if you have kids of your own, they would be a great place to start. Ask them what kind of toys they would like to see on the TV, and even get them to sketch some ideas straight out of their own imagination. Do a bit of content analysis afterwards: what do these drawings all have in common? For example, are they all action figures, or are they soft play monster toys? Do they talk and make sounds? Can they be customised in any way?

Know Your Manufacturing Standards

Once you’ve got the idea for a toy down, you need to get it made. You need a supplier to supply the materials, and you need a factory to put them altogether. But before you go on to do any of that, you need to read through the standards handbook first.

For example, getting to grips with iso 8124 is the first step in making sure you have the right manufacturing processes to your business name. You want a supplier who gives you the right, safe materials, and you want a manufacturer who puts it all together to correct and exact specifications. You have to be as strict as possible when it comes to selling a product for kids - it’s a controversial market, and you need to know who you’re dealing with before you throw any of your funds around.

Design Your Packaging Properly
A quick and final point to finish up - the packaging your product comes in needs to look good. It needs to be flashy and fun, to show off to kids the kind of energy they look for in the toys they play with. You need to know what designs young people tend to respond to, so get researching.

So, have you got a child friendly product?