SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS |ASTRA’S INSIGHTS
KEEPING UP WITH THE SPEED OF BUSINESS Have You Checked Out ASTRA Lately?
by KIMBERLY MOSLEY, president, American Specialty Toy Retailing Association BUSINESS MOVES FAST. BUILDING AGILITY
and innovation into day-to-day operations is a constant challenge, especially for small business owners like specialty toy retailers. When the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) was founded less than 25 years ago, there was no e-commerce or Amazon to compete with, no concerns about showrooming, no buzz about omni-channel marketing, and no Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). A dozen years ago, small business owners asked if they even needed a website if they did not sell products online. Facebook pages for brands have been around less than 10 years, and in 2007 Twitter was a new company that was posting only 400,000 tweets per quarter, compared to today’s 500 million tweets per day. Strengthening Members’ Businesses Fast forward to 2016, and one thing is constant: ASTRA’s focus on strengthening its members’ businesses. Our programs continue to evolve, just like your business does. Have you checked out ASTRA lately? Thanks to our board and committee leadership, retailers, manufacturers, and sales representatives, we are grounded in the day-in, day-out challenges of running a business in the competitive toy industry. You will see their strategic thinking and creativity in these key ASTRA initiatives:
• ASTRA Exclusives: One strategy for making ASTRA stores a destination is to offer top-quality products with exceptional play value that their customers cannot find anywhere else. This creates a meaningful competitive edge for specialty toys, and removes price as the main issue in the competition with mass-market products. The ASTRA Exclusives program launched last year in response to member requests for products that could be found only in ASTRA stores for
a set period of time. Manufacturers submit proposals for an exclusive line in a specified category, such as preschool products, active play, or arts and crafts. A committee of ASTRA retailers select manufacturers based on the uniqueness of the products and their fit with a “typical” specialty toy store brand. This review process ensures that these products are high-quality toys that align with the values of creative play that consumers expect when they walk into an ASTRA retail store. • ASTRA Connect: We hear over and over again that ASTRA is more than a trade association. It’s a community of professionals who care about children, healthy play, quality products, shopping locally, creating jobs, and supporting communities. ASTRA connects members so they can share that extra something—information, advice, and even emotional support—when days are long or business conditions are tough. ASTRA made a big leap forward in supporting this communication with the launch of its new ASTRA Connect platform this past December. It’s user friendly, easy to access on mobile devices, and searchable. This new generation took ASTRA’s member-connecting function from a discussion board to an online community. • ASTRA Academy: Another way ASTRA evolved to support the health and growth of the specialty toy industry is with its certification program. The Certified Master Retailer (CMR) was first offered in 2015, and a second ASTRA credential, the Certified Play Expert (CPE), became available this year. These courses are available online or through in-person workshops. ASTRA retailers guided the development of the curriculum for the CMR credential, which provides hours of instruction in seven areas: business and finance, merchandising, marketing, personnel management and coaching, children and play, customer and vendor relations, and technology. The CPE program consists of 10 modules
36 THE TOY BOOK | MARCH/APRIL 2016 | TOYBOOK.COM
that address theories of child development, characteristics of major developmental stages, play for children with disabilities, types of play and their benefits, toy safety, choosing toys and play activities, advocating for play, and making sense of play. Ideas and Insights Welcome Owners of independent retail stores constantly adjust their strategies and operations to respond to the demanding retail environment. ASTRA, with the guidance of the members you elect as your leaders, does the same. Check out www.astratoy.org or visit the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy (www. astramarketplace.org) in Denver from June 6 to 8 to share your insights. » 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.