The Toy Book - 2016 NY TOY FAIR EDITION

SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS |ASTRA’S INSIGHTS
HOW TO GET VISITORS
TO YOUR EXHIBIT BOOTH
Suggestions from Specialty Retailers
by KIMBERLY MOSLEY, president, American Specialty Toy Retailing Association
ALMOST 1,200 EXHIBITORS, HUNDREDS
of thousands of toys, games, and children’s
play materials, and nearly 425,000 square
feet of exhibit space. That’s what thousands
of toy store owners and buyers in comfortable
shoes have ahead of them when they
walk into the Javits Convention Center to
start their annual four-day sojourn at North
American International Toy Fair. Those same
retailers will have two days in June—prime
time for specialty toy stores’ buying cycle—to
check out 400 exhibitors on the show floor at
the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association
(ASTRA) Marketplace & Academy.
How can manufacturers break through all
the competition to get buyers to visit their
booths? Recently, ASTRA retailers were asked
what toy makers and sales representatives
should and should not do to get their attention.
Here is their collective advice for Toy
Fair exhibitors:
• Please don’t call: Retailers say the volume
of vendor calls they receive prior to the show
can be overwhelming. Such calls are often
disruptive and almost always ineffective.
Busy as they are, store staff does not retain
anything about booth numbers or products.
Email is a better choice, but only if it gives
the store owner a reason to read it—for example,
include links to an up-to-date website
with a featured product or a special discount
and an easy-to-access sell sheet.
• Respect our time: Toy Fair and the ASTRA
Marketplace are hectic for retailers who are
trying to see acres of products. Many have
their own system for working the show: a
quick scan on the first day—no interest in
long conversations—then return visits to
booths with products of interest on subsequent
days. Conversations that get to the
point (save the story of your company’s history
for after hours at ASTRA) are appreciated.
Don’t expect buyers to make many appointments
or stand in line.
• Make it easy to do business: Store owners
are anxious to work their plan for the show.
What can you do to help the retailer focus
on your product, and then keep moving?
Your customers suggest you make it easy to
see the cost of each product without waiting
in line to talk to a salesperson just to get
that information. Is a price list and business
card available to easily grab in your booth?
Are your specials posted in your profile on
ASTRA’s website?
• Show the flag for ASTRA: If your company
is an ASTRA member, ASTRA retailers say
they want to be able to see that when they
walk by your booth. It will make them more
likely to drop in and say hello and check out
what you’ve got. Store owners point out
that ASTRA manufacturers tend to be easier
to work with because they understand the
specialty toy industry and the challenges
brick-and-mortar stores face. ASTRA provides
manufacturer members with a packet of materials
at Toy Fair—including a “Proud ASTRA
Member” sign, so put it to good use.
• Promote by word of mouth: Retailers
want to find hot new products to refresh their
stores. Highlight your newest and most interesting
products in your pre-show email and
merchandise your booth so those products
cannot be missed by retailers walking by
your booth. Encourage visitors to your booth
to talk about those products to their fellow
ASTRA retailers and suggest they nominate
them for ASTRA’s Share the Fair list of not-tobe-missed
products.
• Make an offer: A great way to entice
buyers to visit your booth is to offer some
show specials. Enough said. Post them on the
ASTRA website and in ASTRA’s Passport to
Savings booklet for retailers.
• Feed us: For retailers on their feet (remember
the comfortable shoes) for hours,
a complimentary cup or bottle of water is a
welcome refreshment and a good reason to
come into your booth to talk with you about
your products. Toward the end of the day,
when they are hungry and tired of the lines in
the food court for overpriced snacks, a snack
available in your booth may start a mutually
beneficial business relationship.
Manufacturers: don’t miss conversations
between ASTRA retailers, sales representatives,
and manufacturers on important topics
like this. Join ASTRA and participate in the
online community ASTRA Connect, which
includes an all-members’ ongoing discussion
board. Visit www.astratoy.org to learn more. »
Kimberly Mosley, president of the
American Specialty Toy Retailing
Association, is an experienced,
award-winning, results-oriented
association executive with a long
track record of success in managing
association operations, developing
innovative programs, and growing revenue.
216 THE TOY BOOK | February 2016 | TOYBOOK.COM