supplier snapshot This month we talk to some of the industry’s finest on their thoughts on the Car Seat sector.
Jayne Caul
GLOBAL SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER, COZY N SAFE
UK/IE COUNTRY MANAGER, AXKID Are consumers looking for any specific criteria when selecting? There will indeed be consumers looking for specific functions but ultimately this is a safety product and that will always take precedence. Comfort and ease of use are also important factors and are often considered. How do you convey your key car seat safety message to the consumer? All Axkid rear-facing car seats are Swedish Plus tested which we identify as the most rigorous crash test to pass. It is imperative our car seats pass this test as it is a further approval of the enhanced safety of our car seats. All communication we convey to the market focuses on this core message and our brand has become very well known within a key segment where safety is paramount. Do you feel that as an industry all key car seat brands are sending out the same message to the consumer on car seat legislation and requirements through the various age/height stages, or do you feel more can be done? More can be done, communication on regulation can be somewhat confusing for the consumer to understand, for example the difference between i-Size and R129. In addition, there are differing limits on child car seats, even in the same category, whether that be length or weight to which the consumer must be aware of to ensure the car seat is used to the correct limits for that seat. As we move away from group categories, the market needs to move away from this also as the combination of both can also be confusing for the end consumer. Sustainability and eco-friendly products are very much in the mind of the consumer. As a business, what type of focus do you place on sustainability? Sustainability plays a vital part in the development of our products. Axkid ONE has a long-life span of up to 7yrs resulting in fewer seats being required. The car seat comprises of reduced fossil plastic and materials with a high grade of recyclability. What type of support do you offer your retailers? We pride ourselves on our premium product, focused marketing strategy, enhanced margins and excellent customer service. Our retailers are our partners, that is incredibly important to Axkid and we will do all we can to support what we see as a very key industry. We wish for our retailers to have as much pride in our brand as we do as they are fundamental in our mission to drive awareness of safety in extended rear-facing car seats.
Luisa Svensson
ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER – GRACO UK
What do you feel is currently driving the car seat sector? Convenience, ease of use and longevity. It was apparent from the recent Baby Show that expecting and experienced parents are interested in the rotating base feature, with ability to use the same base from newborn to child stage. How do you convey your key car seat safety message to the consumer? It’s important for us to make the safety element as simple as possible, it can quickly become very technical for the consumer and so this year we launched our car seat safety campaign using real parents to convey simple messages in a relatable style. Are new parents understanding the various stages of car seats and have a clear knowledge 28
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Andrew Nicholas
of what they require at each age stage? We see both – new parents with no knowledge and in need of complete guidance and then there are the savvier parents that do extensive research and know what they want and need. The sale of R44 car seats is to cease in the UK from September 2023 – as a brand, can we expect to see new ranges being launched with R129 in mind? The R129 developments is a focus for us and we are excited to share our new products soon. Finally, do you feel we have ample innovation within this category? There is always room for more innovation. Car seat innovation takes time due to the complexity with safety standards, we should expect to see more in the next couple of years with the evolvement of standards.
What do you feel is currently driving the car seat sector? Customers are definitely savvier and more people are using the internet to find the best deals and information about the brand and seats. The way consumers interact with brands has shifted due to the pandemic, social media, aggressive viral marketing, live chat, emails, etc. Engagement between sector and consumer has more of a back and forth leading the consumer to make a more informed decision. How do you convey your key car seat safety message to the consumer? The Cozy N Safe motto is “Without Compromise”. Everything we do is without compromise from product development to comfort and this also applies to safety. Comfort and Safety are our main priorities. The company name is Cozy N Safe after all. The way we convey this is through all the regular channels such as social, email, blogs on our website, videos and more. We also focus our efforts promoting our safety message to our retailers. They are the ones talking to the customer and effectively become an extension of Cozy N Safe, so ensuring that retailers know our safety message and can accurately pass that on to customers whether that is online or face to face is very important. The sale of R44 car seats is to cease in the UK from September 2023 – as a brand, can we expect to see new ranges being launched with R129 in mind? Of course, it’s an exciting time to see what everyone in this industry can develop to the new regulations. Cozy N Safe have multiple new i-Size car seats on the horizon that we can’t wait to share with you, adding to our four i-Size models that we launched recently at the Harrogate fair, one of which the Cozy N Safe Morgan i-Size was voted Best New Product 2021 across the entire baby products industry. What type of support do you offer your retailers? We believe in building relationships with our retailers and recognise that each retailer is different. What worked for one might not suit another. We work closely with our retailers to understand their challenges, marketplace and customer to build a package bespoke to them from POS to bespoke digital assets, paid for advertising campaigns to drive traffic directly to them and more. Finally, do you feel we have ample innovation within this category? The cease of sales on R44 seats will drive everyone to innovate more, offering safer seats with more functions and features whilst staying within the i-Size regulations. I believe having a better dialogue between the car seat industry and automotive industry will help drive innovation further.
