Supplies Product for Pets

As a child, toy stores were some of our favorite places in the world. They were filled with toys in every variety we could imagine. But the toy stores we know today developed over decades. Shopping has transformed throughout the century.

Most shopping was done in cities in the 1950′s. People living outside of cities had very limited access to stores. They would either buy from small local stores or shop catalogs to gain access to popular shops. Decades later, shopping malls were created outside of the city. Then big box stores started popping up in suburban and rural areas to fill every customer need.

Lowering prices to grab customers used to be thought of as an unethical business practice. When price fixing was banned in the 70′s and 80′s, competition amongst retailers increased. Stores competed to offer customers the best price so that they would shop at their stores. Many stores paired this lower profit margin with a bigger product offering. This allowed stores to sell products at a lower price and still make a good overall profit.

Many toy stores now focus on experience rather than product offering. Because the same toys are available at many different locations, the amount of competition makes it very hard to compete on price. Because of this, experience is being used as a competitive advantage. For example, if a store has the reputation of being a high quality location, people will shop there for the status and the customer service rather than the products alone.

Another competitive advantage of many toy stores is a different product offering. Bigger stores like Wal-Mart and Toys “R” Us have huge amounts of toys. But many of these toys are similar. These retailers have to stock many stores across the country and need manufacturers that can supply a large amount of toys. This results in stocking similar brands like similar dolls, similar vehicles, and similar stuffed animals.

Small toy stores have the ability to carry unique brands and toys. You can often find rare or different toys at small specialty toy stores. Because these stores are smaller, their suppliers can change and they can change out their product offering quickly depending on their customers. Small toy stores also have the ability to stock products from small manufacturers because they are only stocking one store rather than hundreds across the country.

Toy stores that are smaller are also tied to the community. There may be products in the store that have the county name or relate to the history of the area. Toy stores that are smaller can also buy toys that specific customers want. When a customer needs a product, small toy stores can acquire it specifically for them.

Another competitive advantage that many toy stores have is a narrow focus. Some toy stores create an image of having educational toys, being eco-friendly, or even having historical or rare toys. Because of this more narrow focus, they can carry very specific or rare toys relating to that theme that may be hard to find elsewhere. Many toy retailers even contract an exclusive product from manufacturers that cannot be bought anywhere but their store. An example of this are the Virginia State Garrison toy soldiers exclusively sold at The Toymaker of Williamsburg.

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