Inside the Mind of a Specialty Buyer H
Brent Taylor, founder of specialty toy retail franchise Brilliant Sky Toys and Books, discusses what he looks for when attending trade shows. by Marissa DiBartolo
uge, ornate signs. Giant, fivebooth-long exhibits with elaborate décor. Swag bags full of product samples. Seemingly endless stacks of catalogs on thick cardstock and stand-out business cards. At trade shows such as the American International Toy Fair, toy manufacturers will do whatever they can to get buyers to purchase their products. However, according to Brent Taylor, founder of Okemos, Michigan’s Brent Taylor specialty retail franchise Brilliant Sky Toys and Books, it all comes down to the products themselves. There are three things Taylor tries to accomplish at Toy Fair: find new product lines, order from existing vendors, and negotiate terms.
Choosing New Lines
When buying a new product line, Taylor pays close attention to firsttime exhibitors, as these companies are likely to have products he’s never seen before. However, only some will make the cut. “It’s about finding something that is completely revolutionary or finding the good, new variation on an existing theme that we think is new enough to be successful,” he says. When looking at a new product, Taylor considers price point, play value, craftsmanship, and quality before making his final purchasing decision. “Does the play value correspond to the price point? That’s ultimately what’s going on in Brilliant Sky customers’ subconscious. For me, it all comes down to the question, ‘Can I sell this’?” While looking at the thousands of toys at Toy Fair, there are a few types of products that Taylor won’t consider at all. If it is a variation on something
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
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Brilliant Sky Toys and Books is a specialty retail franchise that was founded by Brent and Sonia Taylor in 2002.
he knows to be unsuccessful, Taylor says he will skip right over it. For example, cardboard playhouses don’t interest Taylor, as they have a high shipping cost, a high price point, and a low play value, which doesn’t appeal to most Brilliant Sky shoppers. Taylor says he usually skips out on tech-based items as well, as there is “not much tech in specialty.”
The Smaller Side
When looking for new product lines, it isn’t always about the larger products with a high price point. Even in the specialty sector, impulse and add-on items are important to increasing consumers’ purchases. Just like anything else, these items still need to be carefully chosen. “We are still looking for the best quality and highest value items that fall into that category. If it’s an item that retails for $1.99, we still want to make sure it’s something that is really worth the price,” he says.
MAY/JUNE 2013