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What we had to do was strip away our industry understanding and really start to craft the space as it related to our customers’ experience.”—Kathleen Campisano, vice president of toys and games, Barnes & Noble
crafts, Barnes & Noble also carries certain dolls from major toy manufacturers, as well as a wide range of outdoor toys. While these might seem more recreational than educational, to Campisano, they are all part of the same mission, which is fostering children’s intellectual development. In the case of dolls, such as Mattel’s Monster High line, she points out that it started as a book property, so the dolls are considered a physical manifestation of an existing literary franchise. “We are a unique toy retail experience, because we are also a bookstore,” she says, citing the company’s “basket report,” which tells her what kids are reading at different age groups—and serves as an invaluable tool for deciphering trends and topics that are most interesting to children. This inevitably helps inform and shape which toys to stock. With outdoor toys, Barnes & Noble’s official stance is that physical development is an important part of educational development. As such, the retailer intends to be present in anything that offers an opportunity to digest rules and learn cooperative play. “Mom would tell you that’s an important part of being a kid,” says Campisano. “The reality is, I have to ask mom, I have to ask gift-givers, I have to ask educators what they
Barnes & Noble, Cherry Hill, N.J.
66 • THE TOY BOOK
think constitutes an educational toy. They are what fuels the business.”
The Future Is Tech-ing Shape
Along with growing its Science Centers, the retailer is keeping its eye on such cutting-edge educational trends as coding and programming, 3-D printing, and the maker movement. According to Campisano, Barnes & Noble sees tremendous opportunity to expand on these categories—either in-store, or online via full presentations at barnesandnoble.com. “We’re going to be careful and curate it,” she says. “But I love the idea that some of these toys, in purposeful and playful ways, can really intellectually catapult a child into thinking about different possibilities.” Among new partners for this year, Campisano pointed to Orange Tree for boutique arts and crafts, littleBits for electronics, Makery for do-it-yourself projects aimed at tweens and teens, among others. She credited Barnes & Noble’s buying team—which brings back an offering that, by design, is between 60 to 65 percent specialty and nonmass—for the unique mix. “[This is] so we can still bring something special, though curated through our educational filter,” she says. “We are constantly on the lookout for new content, as well as new educational partners and new category development.” Indeed, Campisano described Barnes & Noble’s toy departments as being on a significant growth trajectory, and her own role as being in constant pursuit of bettering the space she occupies. “As long as the interest of our customers is there, Barnes & Noble is very committed to serving it,” she says. “Our customers’ insights are intrinsic to how we define and mature the space. We’re five years old and growing, and we believe we haven’t even scratched the surface of all we can become.” ■
MAY/JUNE 2015