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GIVING RETAILERS THE 360 PERSPECTIVE
IN BUYING AND SELLING
ABC KIDS EXPO MUST-SEE EXHIBITORS!
trends
fore
casts
new &
noteworthy
products
plus
marketing to moms
business matters
pr diva
connections
SPRING|SUMMER 2015 BUYING MARKET
SUBSCRIPTIONS
FROM THE PUBLISHER
This print publication gives readers insight into the major buying
markets before they begin, offering
retailers a complete perspective of
the market—before the market.
PUBLISHER
Scott Whitley
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Kelly Brock
EDITORIAL
Premiere Vision
Pantone
Leatrice Eiseman
GIVING RETAILERS THE 360 PERSPECTIVE
IN BUYING AND SELLING
ABC KIDS EXPO MUST-SEE EXHIBITORS!
trends
fore
casts
new &
noteworthy
products
plus
marketing to moms
business matters
pr diva
connections
SPRING|SUMMER 2015 BUYING MARKET
ISSUES
Fall/Winter Buying Wholesale
Preview arrives every March 1
Spring/Summer Buying Wholesale
Preview arrives every October 1
SUBSCRIBERS
Retail Maternity Buyers who purchase
$563 Million in wholesale products annually
Retail Baby Buyers who purchase
$898 Million in wholesale products annually
2
maternity&newborn
Design Options
Fran Sude
Maternity For Two
Tara Stafford
BSM Media
Maria Bailey
Retail Smart Guys
Dan Jablons
KB Consulting
Kerry Banz
Rachel Florio PR
Rachel Florio
ABC Kids Expo
Eric Seemann
keekoo.com
Scott Whitley
Maternity & Newborn, the retailer’s resource
for buying and selling maternity and newborn products, is published twice a year right before the major
whole sale buying markets of Fall/Winter (March)
and Spring/Summer (October). It is published by
QuickWhit Publishing LLC, 505 Elm St, Moorestown
NJ 08057. Every effort has been made to include
correct and current information; however publisher
cannot accept any responsibility for inaccuracies or
omissions. Publisher does not assume responsibility
for statements made by their advertisers in business
competition. Mention or editorial inclusion of any
organization or business does not constitute endorsement. Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited
manuscripts or photos. Any photographs, art work,
manuscripts, editorial samples or merchandise sent
for editorial consideration are sent at the sole risk of
the sender. QuickWhit will assume no responsibility
for loss or damage. No portion of this issue may be
reproduced without the written permission of the
publisher. Printed in the USA.
Maternity & Newborn is mailed free of charge
to qualified individuals in the maternity &
newborn industry in the USA (retailers, buyers, manufactures, PR, etc). Electronically it is emailed to any
subscriber in the world.
To subscribe go to www.maternitynewborn.com.
To cancel or update your subscription, email
support@maternitynewborn.com.
Buy smarter for
Spring/Summer
2015, sell more this
Fall/Winter!
Maternity & Newborn magazine is a collaborative effort
from the maternity to newborn trade marketplace for the
maternity trade marketplace.
Each issue will arrive right before the major wholesale buying markets. Buying SPRING/SUMMER (in your
hands NOW) and Buying FALL/WINTER (arrives first
week of March).
Our goal is to be the RETAILER’S RESOURCE in buying and selling MORE maternity and newborn products,
giving retailers and buyers a 360-degree view of the upcoming wholesale buying market—before it even begins.
In reading this issue, you’ll discover why manufacturers are selecting specific colors in their line, what
products are on trend and why, and you will discover
many designers’ sources of inspiration, hear what’s hot
and new in your marketplace, gain insight into the retail
business, find sales and marketing tactics that really
work, and much, much more.
Please be supportive of all of the businesses in our
trade that made this issue possible, from the contributing
editors in the masthead to the left to the advertisers below. A New View Maternity...........................................58
Air Buggy .............................................................42
All Baby & Child Show............................................51
Baby Merlins’ Magic Sleepsuit.................................31
Babymoon............................................................41
Back Buddy...........................................................41
Belly Bangle..........................................................35
Bottle Pets.............................................................41
Cake Lingerie........................................................42
SCOTT WHITLEY
PUBLISHER
Carseat Canopy.....................................................37
Conception Showroom.................................. 59 (IBC)
Cool Carats...........................................................40
Creative Baby........................................................42
Doodle Pants.........................................................29
Earth Mama Angel Baby..........................................27
Hotslings..............................................................33
It’s You Babe.........................................................19
Karibu................................................................... 9
keekoo.com....................................................22, BC
Leota-Made in New York.........................................15
Loopy Gear...........................................................25
Lullaby Earth.......................................................... 7
Manhattan Toy Company........................................40
Maternalove Nursing Wear.....................................11
Maternity for Two..................................................21
Milk Nursingwear ..................................................30
Moonlight Slumber................................................43
Olie ....................................................................40
Pali Design............................................................40
Pink Lining............................................................. 5
Poncho Baby.........................................................43
Primo Baby...........................................................26
Snuza...................................................................43
tidy tots................................................................42
Toofeze by Oh, That Baby!......................................41
WubbaNub...........................................................43
Have an idea for a story that will help retailers sell
more maternity and newborn products? Contact me
at scott@maternitynewborn.com
www.maternitynewborn.com
BUYING SPRING/SUMMER 2015
maternity&newborn 3
what’s inside
8
LEARNING CURVES
The Mom Market By the Numbers
by BSM Media
on the cover | trends & forecasts
trends
10
FORECAST:
PANTONE® VIEW 2015
Spontaneity Aplenty
by Pantone Color Institute
FASHION INFO:
SPRING/SUMMER 2015
Highlights of the Season
by PREMIERE VISION
SPRING/SUMMER
2015 COLOR
by Fran Sude
Design Options
DESIGNING
FOR THE TIMES
by Tara Stafford
Maternity for Two
12
16
20
continued on page 6
4
maternity&newborn
www.pinklining.com
For wholesale enquiries: rufus@pinklining.com
what’s inside
marketing to moms
24
MOM ENGAGEMENT BY THE NUMBERS
by Maria Bailey
BSM Media
pr diva
28
FINDING SOCIAL LOVE
by Rachel Florio
Rachel Florio PR and Celebrity Baby Trends
business matters
32
continued from page 4
new & noteworthy
by
TM
46-57
maternity & nursing
baby beauty & bath
baby gifts & accessories
nursery
diapers & accessories
baby on the go
baby apparel
Lullaby Earth is expecting …
two adorable new additions to the family!
HOW TO SELL AND STILL
LIKE YOURSELF
by Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
They’ll bring new personalities with all the benefits parents
already love about Lullaby Earth crib mattresses.
36
GAINING THE COMPETITIVE EDGE
by Kerry Banz
KB Retail Consulting
connections
38
IT’S TIME TO CONNECTWORK!
by Eric V. Seemann
All Baby & Child, Inc.
6
maternity&newborn
•Easysheetchanging-7lbsandseamlessedges
•Wipecleanwaterproofingand
built-industmiteandbedbugcover
Stop in to see our new additions at
ABC Kids Expo Booth 5923.
ABC KIDS EXPO EXHIBITOR MUST-SEE!
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
Expanding your Retail or
Manufacturing Business Presence
by Scott Whitley
keekoo.com
•Safermaterialswithoutflameretardants
andotherquestionablechemicals
Our “due date” is rapidly approaching!
40
44
calendar of events
& markets
58
lullabyearth.com
WHERE YOU NEED TO BE IN 2014 & 2015
1-855-4LULLABY
c
LEARNING
URVES
The Mom Market
By the Numbers
$2.4 trillion
Moms control 80% of US household spending
Single mothers account for $174 billion in annual spending
The mom market represents
65% of mothers ask another mom for advice before a large purchase
90% of millennial moms say they text a picture of an item for approval
44% of millennial moms will make a purchase on their smartphone each week
58% of moms say they use their phones to look up store hours and locations.
About 55% check their social media accounts at least twice each day
Moms reported a total of 17 hours each week on social media
YouTube is the second-largest search engine behind Google.
55% of moms watch company-produced videos
80% of women have viewed at least one video in the last week
60% seek out video product reviews
Moms rank topics of Entertainment, How-To’s and Comedy
as their most sought-after videos.
Sources: BSM Media Mom Shopping Survey; Maria Bailey, Power Moms, The New Rules for Engaging with
Mom Influencers Who Drive Brand Choice; BabyCenter.com 2014 Millennial Mom Report
Maria T. Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, is the foremost authority on marketing to moms with a series of articles and books, including the
newest book, “Power Moms: The New Rules for Engaging Mom Influencers Who Drive Brand Choice,” “The Ultimate Mom Book” (HCI,
2009), “Mom 3.0: Marketing With Moms By Leveraging New Media and Technology,” “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the
Trillion Dollar Market” and “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers.” Maria is host of Mom Talk Radio, the
#1-downloaded parenting podcast, and co-host of Good Day with Doug Stephan, the #7 morning drive time radio show. A busy mother
of four children, Maria is co-founder of BlueSuitMom.com, MomTV.com and Newbaby.com and has been featured in U.S. News and
World Report, Wall Street Journal and on CNN, Lifetime TV and various local affiliates.
8
maternity&newborn
t rends
Spontaneity
Aplenty
FORECAST: PANTONE® VIEW 2015
Irrepressible fun is what this palette called Spontaneity delivers. Just
as the name implies, it is the stuff that spur of the moment, impulse
buying is all about, with whimsical design and a unique “mash-up”
of color mixtures a large part of the attraction. Happy hues of Sunkist
Coral, Marigold and delicious Cantaloupe are complemented by the
exuberance of Kelly Green and/or “quieted down” with floral accents
of Hyacinth, Violet Quartz, Winsome Orchid or Misty Jade. Consumer preferences,
behaviors and lifestyles
are constantly evolving spawning a desire for fresh color palettes. While
rigid color rules have been replaced by more creative guidelines, style and
coordination remain a consistent goal. The color forecast for 2015 can
validate some pre-conceived color choices, while also giving new color
inspiration and direction.
With whimsical design and unique color mixtures the Spontaneity palette
from the PANTONE VIEW 2015 forecast delivers irrepressible fun – perfect for the maternity and newborn market. Happy hues of Sunkist Coral,
Marigold and delicious Cantaloupe are complemented by the exuberance
of Kelly Green and floral accents of Hyacinth, Violet Quartz, Winsome
Orchid or Misty Jade.
Leatrice Eiseman
Executive Director of the
Pantone Color Institute®
10 maternity&newborn
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air currents
Building with air, enveloping in emptiness, thickening
transparency and elaborating simple, full and airy clothing.
Constructing without any hardness, taking the edge off
rigidity, and folding to softly articulate garments.
Rounding-out angles and precisely blurring shapes.
Lightening weights in tailoring and casual pieces with a floaty
fineness. Structuring all in lightness, with everyday synthetics
and silkies, freshened-up and airy shirts. Filtering with fantasy,
attenuating harshness through transparencies and paleness.
in touch
Welcome to a joyously iconoclastic spring summer,
masterfully infused with the beauty of handles
and convergences of light and colour.
A fashion season where
softness stimulates,
senses invigorate,
emotion fortifies
and cheerfulness provokes.
A season where freedom
overturns rigour,
harnesses teeming ideas,
propagates fantasy,
dictates delicacy,
imposes refinement,
unfurls volumes
and gives rise to thrillingly juxtaposed silhouettes
Drawing inspiration from materials and fabrics to sculpt
body-skimming volumes. Yielding to the charms of the new
natural/artificial hybrids. Following the form of the body,
closely or at a distance, with fabrics with a fresh thickness
or a bubble-gum fluidity. Wrapping and draping the body in
stretch with a skin-like fineness, for fashion with a glamorous
and sporty edge. Pleasing the senses to perfection with
textures that come alive to the touch, with crêpe grains, tactile
jacquards and embroideries. Shaping with fabrics with anything
but bland reflections and handles, stickily matt or plasticized
with a strange aquatic gleam.
gently provocative
Inventing fashion as spontaneous as a delicate sketch
or rough draft. Brandishing kindness and poetry like
surprisingly dissident elements. Electrifying softness,
choosing unruliness over order, asymmetry over balance,
scribbles over perfect executions. Integrating, in
gracefully drawn silhouettes, a well-groomed elegance
and unfinished elements, the clean and the washed,
smoothness and pleats. Tenderly moving silhouettes
from shade to full sunlight, with sparkling or pallid
decorations.
Highlights of the season from
PREMIERE VISION
Sylvia Whitman, “Green Hands”, Sonnabend Gallery, 1977
© Babette Mangolte courtesy BROADWAY 1602, New York
© Martin Klimas, Untitled, 2012.
continued on page 14
maternity&newborn 13
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knitwear solutions
tops & shirts
KNIT’AIR
BLOUSE / DRESS
To freshen up the spring summer 15 silhouette, flatbed knits take
to the open air. Sweaters, dresses and tank tops grow finer, lighter,
and let the air in.
Ethereal fineness: plains and micro-figureds flirt with
transparency. Creamy silkies, softened crêpes, delicate cottons
and voile knits, for blouses and shirts with an evanescent
femininity. Petal-like knits, translucent wools and linens,
for finely multi-layered dresses.
Openwork variations: daring openworking for wrapped looks,
feminine tops, and dresses to layer. Men’s sweaters and tanks with
sporty mesh effects. Fancy airy stitches, ribbon leading, in all-over
or engineered, open mesh-style knits.
Air currents: sweaters, tanks, dresses and backless looks are airy
and partially reveal the body, lending fullness. Garment openings,
with engineered vents, slits and cut-outs.
Light transparencies: Partially transparent garments, with invisible
sleeves, hoods, collars, ribbing or the busts of dresses. Veiled/
unveiled effects, contrasting opaque and transparent knits, in
stripes, intarsias or jacquards.
Clouds of fibres: ethereal pieces architecturally structured by
finishing details, with a transparent body and opaque seams
and ribbing. Extra light fabrics, vaporous wools and cashmeres,
polyamide blends with a pearly sparkle, extra-fine linens
and cottons.
outer & over
CASUALWEAR AND JEANSWEAR: SKIRT AND PANT
Pallid colours: end-on-ends and micro-patterns vibrate
with paleness, cottony and linen-blend plains play on whitened,
salt-bleached finishings.
Boldly openworked: weaves, knits and laces open up, clearly
letting air through, for tops to layer. Graphic gauzes, sport
mesh and hole-y knits. Burnt-out graphic decoration, in eyelet
embroidery or laser cut-outs.
Light rippling: softly shivering surfaces, for tops and dresses
with a lightly nonchalant air. Fine and opaque crepons, delicate
cloqués and lightened seersuckers. Poorly ironed decorations,
colourful relaxed embroideries and guipure.
Energised chic: a sparkling cheeriness rejuvenates elegant poplins.
Ginghams, handkerchief checks in fresh multicolour harmonies,
bold variated stripes transformed by rainbow colourways.
Brightly vivid semi-plains, chambrays, end-and-ends and dobbies.
Enlarged softness: patterns explore generous dimensions,
for lightweight casual shirtings with a high dose of fantasy.
Large scale madras or indigo checks and ginghams, broad stripes
in harmonious colourways.
Miniature prints: print motifs get down to details, with patterns
to examine close up. Extra-tidy microscopic graphics.
Small figurative designs, mini-fish, teacups, or micro portraits.
Finishing details to quietly loosen up formal shirts.
TEE-SHIRT AND POLO
Urban mimicry: cottons and denims step out in diffuse
washing-outs, in colourful smoky looks, and crackled, plaster-y
or granular prints and coatings, with a streetwear accent.
Elegantly translucent: a chic fineness interpreted in a masculine
vein in mercerised cottons, silk blends, or combed wool.
Quite simply noble knits, in extra fine jersey versions,
or in gauze-like airy piqués.
Fantasy at ease: pants in cotton or denim stake out decoration
for every day. With jacquards, floral prints or pale exotics, but also
pearly or softly metallic coatings. Fantasy to wash or wash out.
Ethno chic: fancy polo knits take on a slightly ethnic accent.
Mini micro jacquards with boldly striped motifs, extra fine ikats
and astrodye yarns.
DRESS AND WOMEN’S SUIT
Round suppleness: to chicly enrobe without constraint, fluidity
takes on weight and compacts grow supple. Woven piqués inspired
by the visuals and malleability of polo knits. Dense and smooth
knits with the look of wovens.
Textured stripes: the graphic spirit of tee-shirt knits set off with
fancy textured effects. Wide, rippling, pleated nautical stripes.
Alternating jerseys and piqués, contrasts of transparency and opacity.
Body fitting: thickened, bi-stretch knits and wovens are
an invitation to sketch out sheathing and elegant dresses
and ensembles. Hyper-stretch blends, for pieces to structure
in « chewing-gum » fabrics.
Lively lightness: summer cottons, linens and wools grow
lighter for silhouettes with a fresh fullness. Cottons, silks and
barely-wrinkled linen blends, springy suitings with crêpe handles.
14 Birds and the Bees
P/F (800) 761-2850
maternity&newborn
www.leota.com
sales@leota.com
t rends
Design Options
Color Trends
by Fran Sude
GREEN SCENE
GRAPHIC UNDERGROUND
Blossoming and burgeoning with practical panache…Green
Scene. Jade and malachite shades of earthy environment and
precious gem accentuate mercerized geometric shapes. Structured and tailored elements exude a lush and lavish appearance
on a backdrop of emerald saturations. Yellow and sky blue hues
of unrefined landscape and vivid viridian mingle graciously with
an unrelenting sense of abandonment. Cultivated and sophisticated…Green Scene
Sub-terrestrial treasures discovered far beneath the surface…
Graphic Underground. Fire engine red shades of siren emphasize
streetwise nuances while accentuating artistic elements. Vivid
street art comes to life on a backdrop of distressed denim. Pacific
blue and passionate plum tones of secretive and subversive imply
inventive expertise on cotton double knit jersey. Malachite and
darkest indigo saturations allow surreptitious ideals unfold with
ease. Expressive and distinct…Graphic Underground
CELEBRITY BABY BUMPS STYLE
Here at Design Options we adore celebrity “baby bump” style! It’s always exciting to hear
that our favorite stars pregnant and this spring and they’re looking more beautiful than
ever. These stars prove that you don’t need to sacrifice style for comfort. Some of our
favorite looks are Alyssa Milano’s color blocked body con dress and Savannah Guthrie’s
cute floral print frock, Kelly Rowland looks amazing in her bikini and mesh cover up and
Zoe Saldana is a version in red. We can’t wait to see what else these ladies will be wearing
and see their new babies in the months to come.
Spring/Summer 2015
Women’s Color
>
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Spring/Summer 2015
Kid’s Color
Our kids color palettes continue to be both whimiscal and sophiscated. The younger
generation loves animal prints and fun loving colors. They enjoy celebrating their own
personal style while still taking cues from their older family members. Here are a few of
our strongest Kids color palettes for Spring/Summer 2015.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Ferocious style paired with unending
playfulness…Animal Kingdom. Taupe and
chocolate brown tones of untamed creature and gentle contender add intrigue to a
canvas of crepe de chine. Lime green and
charcoal hues fuse melodically to create
picturesque notions of safari landscapes.
Light beige and faded yellow shades accentuate leopard prints while adding the
perfect touch of youthful vitality. Prancing
and prowling…Animal Kingdom
YOUNG AT HEART
A place and time when everything is a matter of the heart…Young at Heart. Banana
yellow and Caribbean green shades of
limitless hope and precocious uncertainty
illuminate a canvas of imaginative nuances.
Cornflower blue and deep lilac tones
intermingle unreservedly with lavender
magenta saturations. Silken floral embellishments add charm while enhancing an
essential magical essence. Youthful and
inquisitive…Young at Heart
With an extensive background in Retail, Design, Merchandising, and Manufacturing, Fran Sude is an international authority on color and trend forecasting. She
is the creative force behind Design Options, Inc., the only Color and Lifestyle
forecasting company in Los Angeles.
CONNECT WITH ME
We would be happy to set up an office appointment for you to review our products or help you with your color needs and questions.
DONow@design-options.com | www.design-options.com
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Designing for
the Times
by Tara Stafford
When I set out in my career in NYC,
the year was 1997. The industry was
transitioning from sketching/fashion illustration (à la sharpie markers and reams
of paper) to drawing flats utilizing computer
programs such as Adobe Illustrator. At that
time, we considered how the products
would coordinate simply on specific store
fixtures and how the chosen color palette
would translate within the total floor set.
The fashion industry has changed and
evolved into this Omni channel point of
view, and along with that our approach to
design has evolved. Designers still consider
the space in which the product will be
housed and how the consumer will respond
to the product, however, that space is not
always a “physical” space. When we present products, there are different variables
which translate in store and not online and
vice versa.
We must first consider the design challenges that have always been there, such
as: point of inspiration, color palette, trend
research, fabric development, and price
point objectives/value, all while coming up
with the next great idea and/or product that
is going to sell through and pique your customer’s interest. So, how do you navigate
these design challenges, and then on top of
all those considerations, design for a “virtual
selling space?”
You first must remember that not everything that translates in store can translate
online. Often, subtle details, color and
sometimes fabric choice gets lost online.
Items that may have sold well in your physical storefront sometimes just do not have
the same appeal in your virtual storefront
no matter how many close-up shots and
great photography you provide.
There are some simple things I consider
when designing for online sales. The
“wow” factor and the perceived value of
the items are the most critical. The product
needs to sell itself on the first image. If
you cannot translate the product properly
from the get-go, your goose is cooked.
Think obvious, impactful color and bolder
details. I sometimes think in terms of
costume design for onstage presentation.
The products and company’s point of view
need to come through in an obvious way,
along with the value of each item (sometimes that is in the branding and other
times it’s in the price point).
A stunning keyhole cutout in the back of a
simple dress will mean nothing unless the
customer is hooked by the first image. You
need to provide that wow factor from the
front shot first. Sometime this does compromise your initial design and color choice. It
is all a delicate and strategic balancing act;
one both the designer and merchant must
make when selecting the final “wow” factor
and point of view they want to provide to
their customers. •
Tara Stafford worked
as a senior designer
in New York’s fashion district for fifteen
years prior to founding Maternity for
Two in 2008. Maternity for Two designs
and manufactures
collections for established retailers.
CONNECT WITH ME
tara@maternityfortwo.com
www.maternityfortwo.com
22
™
MATERNITY · NURSING · BELLY BANGLEtm · ESSENTIALS
www.maternityfortwo.com | sales@maternityfortwo.com | t. 866.586.3270
© Stara USA, LLC All rights Reserved
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m arketing to moms
Mom Engagement
By The Numbers
By Maria Bailey
Trillions, billions, millions and thousands. This is not a basic math lesson,
but it is mom spending by the numbers.
Worldwide, moms spend an estimated $2.4
trillion on products and services every year.
The global baby care market is expected
to exceed $66 billion in US dollars by 2017
and close to 4 million babies are born in the
US each year, with a low average range of
$10,00 - $12,000 spent on items prior to
baby’s arrival. My often-quoted and rarely
attributed number of a $2.4 trillion mom
market is the golden egg for marketers.
How to tap in to this very lucrative market
is what has filled six of my books (number
seven is in draft) and establish effective
relationships with moms for my clients.
Offline and Online Influencers. Take a
stroll through any shopping plaza, in any
large store or small boutique and you’ll find
moms pushing strollers with one hand,
juggling phones in the other, with designer
water in the stroller cup holders. While
shopping, they are using their phones to
text pictures to other moms, ask advice,
compare prices and search for product
reviews online. Once they leave a store or
complete their online purchases, moms still
love to share with other moms in an informal
setting. If you eavesdrop on a conversation
on the playground at parks or play dates,
plenty of talk will revolve around products
and brand purchases. Marketing efforts
in offline and online settings, online mom
meetups and offline MommyParties (www.
mommyparties.com) for instance, engage
moms in their favorite places and spaces.
Know Your Millennials. Millennial moms
are all the buzz right now and with good
reason. This generation of women represents 83% of new moms; each wanting a
unique, customized experience from the
moment the pregnancy test stick shows
a positive. These moms believe there are
better ways to do things and are tenacious
in their search for baby gear, furniture,
clothing, health products and more. As
gender reveal parties and babymoons tell
us, these moms are all about making every
phase of pregnancy a unique, customized experience. Engaging with Millennial
Moms, gaining their loyalty and winning
their business means using dramatically
different tactics compared to prior generations of moms. Keep up with Millennials
as early adopters of new social media and
technology (witness Instagram and Vine) by
keeping an eye on what’s new and hot and
making sure your brand is playing in moms’
virtual playgrounds.
Know Your “Older” Target Markets.
While Millennials are certainly a group
to focus on first, there are categories of
moms and moms-to-be that should not
be overlooked. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
pregnancy rates for women aged 30 and
over increased while other age categories
declined. The trend for having babies in
later years is still relevant, and these parents
usually boast more disposable income.
These moms, mostly Gen X women, are still
very tech-savvy like their Millennial counterparts. However, due to their age and
experiences, these moms see themselves
as “mavens” who have strong opinions and
more influence (real and perceived) with
large groups of moms.
Moms-To-Be Focus on the Green. Not
the money. Even if there isn’t much interest
pre-pregnancy, many moms-to-be become
focused on green baby products. Cloth
diaper companies like Bum Genius, started
by a mom of four, is just one example of
a company that is making cloth diapering
a popular option. Another company, Premama, offers a prenatal vitamin in powder
form, to mix in to the Millennial generation’s ever-popular smoothies and bottles
of vitamin water, after the founders held a
m arketing to moms
busy day will go far in building brand loyalty. Products that offer
simplification usually give back time. Value rates high for moms of all
ages, not to be confused with price. Moms don’t necessarily want
the cheapest product but one that comes with a competitive price
combined with good quality and customer service. Child Enrichment speaks to the desire to raise and nurture superior offspring. To
be better mothers and provide more than they had as children is the
main motivation behind this value. These core values should be the
starting point for any programs or engagement with moms.
focus group in 2010 where young women begged for an alternative to difficult-to-take prenatal horse pills. The company boasts
vegetarian, non-GMO, non-allergen formulas that resonate with
young women.
Only the Best for Baby. Despite a downward trend in the US
birthrate, total sales in the baby care market are projected to reach
$66 billion dollars by 2017. That is billions, not a typo. New parents
want the best products available and are willing to disregard high
costs to get the best for baby. A quick search through Pinterest, for
example, supports this trend; ultra chic, designer-looking nurseries tempt even the most frugal mom to create a magazine-worthy
room. When it comes to safety (a core value detailed below), moms
and dads are also more than willing to disregard a budget when
purchasing baby gear like car seats, strollers and cribs.
Sharing Information. Social media, websites, forums and blogs
make it easier than ever for moms and moms-to-be to share information, resources and products. From preconception on, women
are seeking information that, in turn, they love to share with other
moms. From prenatal vitamins to car seats and strollers, moms will
seek and share information on sites like TheBump.com, WhatToExpect.com and many more.
Remember The Core Values. Despite rapid changes in social media, mobile technology and a natural progression in personal buying
styles as mom’s and baby’s needs change, what hasn’t changed are
moms’ five core values. Regardless of generation, moms’ priorities
stay constant: Health and Safety, Saving Time, Simplicity, Value and
Child Enrichment. The health and safety of their children is the number one value that motivates moms. They want to feel that companies sincerely care about family health and well-being. Saving Time
and Simplicity go hand in hand. Moms value time, and any product
or service that can help save even a few minutes in an otherwise
Technology In the Stroller. Moms rely on their phones for everything, including keeping baby safe and entertained. An award-winning product called SnuggWugg is a pillow that holds a cell phone
to keep babies from kicking and squirming on the changing table
and even entertained in the stroller. Apps and games on tablets
and phones keep the stroller crowd busy while moms shop. In a
BSM Media survey, moms say they have at least 10 apps on their
phones, five of which are child-friendly.
Look at Niche Markets. Multiple births are more common than ever
at approximately one third of all births in the US, leading to the
inevitable niche groups for moms who want to share their unique
experiences. Multiples groups like Twiniversity boast large, active
audiences where moms engage and share on a daily basis.
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As I’ve researched and studied behaviors and trends in marketing
to moms, one constant remains: the mom market is fluid and ever
changing. Social media contributes to rapid change and growth in
how brands should engage with moms, however, the core values
above serve as a valuable baseline that crosses generational lines.
Many factors affect how and why moms shop, from background
and personal experiences to current socioeconomic factors. Knowing moms’ motivations and values (and how they change) are critical to meaningful engagement, which leads to loyalty and powerful
“word of mom,” ultimately very rewarding to the bottom line. •
Maria T. Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, a full service firm
specializing in marketing with moms. Maria reaches
over millions of moms every month through social
media, print and online channels. Maria’s popular
weekly show, Mom Talk Radio, is the #1-downloaded
parenting podcast on iTunes. Maria is founder of
MomTV.com, MommyParties.com and several mom
engagement sites. She has also written several books.
CONNECT WITH ME
maria@bsmmedia.com | www.bsmmedia.com
pr diva
Finding Social Love
By Rachel Florio
Want to know what to do in order to
let your five neighboring towns know
you exist?
As the CEO of Rachel Florio PR, founder
of Celebrity Baby Trends, and the former
buyer of two brick and mortars, I can toot
my own horn over my 15 years of successful manufacturer interactions and retail
experience.
I’m known in the maternity, baby, and
parenting world because I forecast trends,
build brand awareness, and drive traffic to
the end consumer. From talking about the
Royal retail madness on CNN to dishing out
celebrity baby scoop on the TODAY show,
one thing is for certain... I’m passionate
with a capital “P” in all things related to family. Did I mention I’m a mother of six? Life
is full of pink, blue, and rubber duckies for
me, and now I want life to be full of social
love and repeat business for you!
You’re “old school,” so why in the world
would you listen to a fast-talking social
guru? Hmmm... because your sales are
down and your town is becoming a ghost
town of empty storefronts with “Rent Me”
signs screaming from the windows!
Listen up! Start with...
Getting social. That’s right. Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram are only a few
channels to help you start engaging with
your neighboring town’s people. I know—
technology is bittersweet and seems
complicated, but you need new foot traffic,
so bring on the buzz! Tip: Create one
mini bio, profile picture, cover image, and
#hashtag(s) that stay consistent across the
social outlets, keeping the mission message
clear and repetitive branding strong.
Keep em’ coming back for more.
Customer service is key and if your little
Susie isn’t so sweet, you are losing annual
revenue. Step it up with team meetings
and serving smiles! Start mandatory weekly
meetings, it always works for me and my
team. You need to have a powerhouse,
not a one-woman or one-man show. If you
hired a “Negative Nelly” you must do a
Donald and tell her “You’re fired.” That is after three strikes of course. I’m not as harsh
as I seem here. You have to remember that
you are the boss and this is your baby—the
baby that keeps you up at night. It’s time to
clean house, if that’s what it takes. This is
business, not personal.
Allocate your dollars wisely. Negotiate
better minimum opening orders and ask to
“test” the brand before signing a P.O. If a
sample sells, you pay the manufacturer and
order on as promised. If it doesn’t, you send
pr diva
it back with a gracious note letting the brand know you pushed it,
but no sale. Do not lock into products you “think” may sell or that
you “love.” You are not the consumer. You need a good buying eye
and a solid business plan. Not everyone wants your country roosters for the kitchen counter! If I stocked my stores with my style
solely, it would be one big pink and green bubble gum machine!
Think seasonal. Plan your delivery dates two to four months
in advance of an upcoming holiday. A big mistake I learned was
ordering Halloween baby and pet costumes with a ship date of
October 1st. I always look back and laugh at that. Good thing the
costumes were traditional and not trendy; they sold the following
year at the right time (before consumers already bought one).
Carry big-ticket items, too. The higher the SRP, the higher the
profit margin. You cannot stay afloat if your average price point
is $35.00. The overhead will swallow you. Of course, you need
eye candy as well, so place your point-of-purchase goodies at the
checkout area. You will be surprised how fast a $3.99 item adds up
after 50 sales. That additional pocket change just paid the store’s
monthly phone bill.
a 12-month period. Did you ever notice how the organizations
you donate to are the same group of ladies and/or men who never
stepped in your store to buy a two dollar item?! When you do step
up proudly to make a product or monetary donation, be sure to
write it off with your tax accountant. Ask if they are federally approved 501(c)(3) organizations when they approach you.
Give back, but don’t give the shirt off your back. As a
humanitarian who gives her time and a philanthropist who gives to
all, there were many times when I had to finally tell the local ladies
to slow down on asking for free product for their 97th event within
Stay organized and secure it. I am an OCD list-making fool,
but guess what?! It works! Keep clean books and records. Have a
file for receipts, another for corporation documents, another for
employees, and so on... Create a “what is expected of employees”
list. Write a “what I need to reorder” list and an “epic fail” list of the
items you tested and need to blacklist.
Keep it clean and color themed. Mark pulls up for a quick purchase on his way to mom’s house. He notices the dim light, hodgepodge of mix and match, the messy unfolded piles, and unswept
floors. He grabs and goes and never comes back. More importantly, he tells his mom and Aunt Ann not to bother going to have
a first visit to your store. Repeat business and referrals can make
or break a retailer. Think light and airy, and clean and straightened.
Use a flow of bright colors that pop or subdued tones that work
for your targeted audience and the current season’s trends. You
don’t get a second chance at a first impression. Passé I know, but it
is what it is. •
®
nursingwear
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breastfeeding mothers. Our nursing tops, nursing
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and conveniently wherever they go.
Rachel Florio-Urso is truly “in the know” and her
clients, press coverage, and unsolicited recommendations prove it! People Magazine says, “Celebrity
Trend Expert Rachel Florio-Urso knows a thing or
two about which products celeb parents love” and
that’s why we tapped into her world, too.
For wholesale opportunities contact us today
at wholesale@milknursingwear.com.
CONNECT WITH ME
@CelebrityBabyTrends | celebritybabytrends.com
www.RachelFloriopr.com
www.milknursingwear.com 888-344-MILK(6455)
The freshest nursingwear on the planet!
b usiness matters
How to Sell and Still
Like Yourself
By Dan Jablons
Since I am a retail consultant, I am in
a different retail store nearly every
day of my life. When I visit stores, I am
always amazed by the huge variation in
selling ability I see on the sales floor. There
are stores that suffer unnecessarily due to
poor sales performance, as well as a good
understanding of how to sell, and how to
motivate staff.
Selling sometimes has a bad connotation.
When you say “salesman” to some people,
they immediately picture a sleazy guy with
a bad hairpiece in a loud plaid jacket who
smiles too much and will say anything to get
you to buy what he is selling. This is unfortunate, because good salespeople are nothing
at all like this. A good salesperson simply
helps the customer to find what he or she is
already looking for. If someone has entered
your store, then that person is most likely
interested in what you are offering. He or
she can, and should, be sold your products.
Your sales staff may worry about this. They
may be thinking that they don’t want to be
pushy or uncool. However, they must sell to
keep you in business. Here are some simple
ways to help them sell, maintain their cool,
and bring you the revenue you deserve.
Often when customers first enter the store,
they come in with their guard up. They
have been conditioned to say, “I am just
looking,” even if they aren’t. Your salespeople need to understand how to get past
that. This is done by applying a series of
techniques that I will describe below. The
goal of these techniques is to establish a
solid rapport with the customer: a great
connection so that the customer feels like
the salesperson is shopping with her, not
pushing her into something she doesn’t
need or want.
In the case of baby and maternity product,
I’m not sure there is such a thing as extraneous product. Customers who enter your
stores need what you are selling. They are
typically buying gifts for someone or need
the products themselves. In the case of
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b usiness matters
those buying gifts, these customers need
your help to navigate the product choices
and find the right item. If the customer is a
new mother, she may need help finding the
right products to care for herself and her
baby. She needs—and wants—your help
to understand the products available and to
choose the ones that are right for her.
It starts with the greeting. How your
salespeople greet the customer is a critical
step in selling. This is, by far, the biggest
mistake I see in retail. Sure, you have to say,
“How are you?” but what you say after that
is key. First of all, your salespeople must
never ask questions that can be answered
with either “yes” or “no”—they must ask
open-ended questions that require a longer
answer. Here are the questions to avoid:
“Can I help you find anything?” “Are you
looking for something special?” “Do you
need my help?” You can see how all of these
can quickly be dismissed with a quick, “no,”
leaving the salesperson with nowhere to go.
It is far better to begin the conversation
with something that has little or nothing to
do with what you are selling. A great choice
is to admire something the customer is
wearing or carrying. “Wow, those are great
earrings! Where did you get them?” is a far
better opener. Why? Because it has nothing
to do with baby or maternity, and it is a
completely natural way to get the customer
talking. Having said that, make sure you
really DO like those earrings, or else you
immediately transform yourself into that
awful salesperson. Another great greeting
is to survey them. “We just got in these
onesies. Which one do you like best?”
Again, you can get into great conversations
with the customer because you are asking
their opinion. From there, you can easily
lead into “What can I help you find?”
It is also an excellent idea to offer a tour of
the store. “Let me show you around. We
have new stuff that just arrived, and I want
to make sure you don’t miss it.” It’s wrong
to generalize, but good maternity and baby
salespeople tell me that many times men
enter the store without a clue as to what they
are looking for, or what would be appropriate for a gift. Good salespeople recognize
this and help those lost souls find great gifts.
Get them naked. The key to apparel sales
is to get the customer into the dressing
room. Once there, you can continue to
feed them product, add on to what they
selected, and generate a great sale. Good
salespeople will watch a customer select
items and after a little while offer to start
a room for her while taking what the customer pulled out for herself. I was once told
by an excellent salesperson, “If I can get
them naked, I can get them to buy.” Your
salespeople must encourage customers to
try on product. If you are selling more baby
than maternity, you want to get the product
into the customer’s hands. Toys are best
sold when a customer can pick it up, feel
how soft the plush is, or see how much fun
the baby will have playing with the toy. Put
it in their hands, let them “own it” for a little
while, and your salespeople will have an
easier time of it.
I was once told
by an excellent
salesperson, “If
I can get them
naked, I can get
them to buy.”
One is the loneliest number. Your sales
staff needs to be thinking constantly about
adding more to what the customer selected. The salesperson who constantly sells
only one item to each customer is not being
successful. He or she needs to get the
customer to purchase multiple units. This
is done by simply putting more products in
front of the customer, so he or she can see
all of the great merchandise in your store.
There is an old saying in retail sales: “You
show, show, show until they say ‘no, no,
no’!” Don’t push product on your customers, but do keep showing it to them. They’ll
tell you when they have had enough.
Measure the results. If you give this article
to your sales staff to read (and I hope you
do) then you must also determine if they are
doing these steps. The best measurements
for salespeople are units per transaction
(how many units are they selling each time
they ring someone up) and average dollars
per transaction (take the total dollars sold,
divided by the number of receipts that they
generated). Measure each salesperson
against the store average (note: NOT against
each other! You will create jealousy and
animosity if you do it that way!), and coach
the staff to improve their numbers. This
should be done every week, and you need
to give your sales staff goals for each week.
Make it a game, and hire staff who want to
play it. I am a big advocate of commission,
as I believe it helps drive good salespeople
to be great salespeople.
Final thoughts. Good selling is like any
other skill. It is something that must be
practiced, and the fundamentals need to
be reviewed over and over. This is what the
successful people do in every profession.
Pro golfers practice their putting for hours
at a time. Pro musicians practice scales.
Many medical and financial professionals recertify to keep their skills sharp. So
should great salespeople. They should
review their greetings and constantly find
more ways to connect to customers. They
should know their products well and study
the features and functions of all that is on
the floor. They should visit other stores to
see what those stores do and don’t do well.
This is what the pros do.
If you get your sales staff to focus on these
skills, you will generate more income than
the most clever marketing idea you’ve ever
had. Please contact me if you would like
some personal guidance. I love talking to
independent retailers. •
Dan Jablons is President of Retail Smart
Guys and brings many
years of retail experience to stores of any
size to improve their
operations, revitalize
their marketing, and
maximize their profits.
CONNECT WITH ME
dan@retailsmartguys.com
www.retailsmartguys.com
CRISSCROSS SUPPORT EMBRACES YOUR BUMP IN STYLE
•
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b usiness matters
Gaining the
Competitive Edge
By Kerry Banz
How many times have you walked into
a store, ready to buy, only to find no
one there to help you or even available to
take your money when you want to make a
purchase? Who knows, maybe the associates are too busy with menial tasks to even
acknowledge you.
In some cases, you may even start working
with an associate who wants to help but
lacks knowledge about the store’s products,
resulting in frustration and causing you to
walk out of the store. Lastly, there is the
over-ambitious aggressive associate who
wants to sell you everything in the store,
but does not listen to what you REALLY
need or want.
When looking at your store, ask yourself
this: ”What kind of customer service are my
customers experiencing when they come to
my store?”
Before you answer that question with “my
staff offers exceptional customer service,”
consider these results from recent surveys
and see if your customer retention numbers
and experience coincide.
According to RightNow Technologies’
annual Customer Experience Impact (CEI)
Report, 86% of U.S. adults are willing to pay
more for a better customer experience. The
report also states 89% of U.S. adults who
switched to a competitor did so as a result
of a bad customer experience. And 73% of
U.S. adults said a friendly customer experience made them fall in love with a brand. It
is no wonder that 81% of companies with a
strong excellence in customer experience
are outperforming their competition.
Accenture’s survey found that when it
comes to competing against online competitors, 25% of U.S. shoppers plan to increase
their in-store purchases in the future, up
from only 9% in 2013. An outstanding 89%
of consumers are willing to travel to a store
or buy online if retailers offered real-time
product availability. In the past 12 months,
consumers claim to do more webrooming
then showrooming, with 78% of the surveyors claiming to have bought in-store after
browsing online.
Unfortunately, shoppers feel that 40% of
brick and mortars need to improve customer service versus 16% for online. What
are consumers telling us through the results
of these surveys…consumers want to shop
and plan to shop in brick and mortar stores,
but retailers need to make one big improvement, the experience they offer customers.
So how do companies achieve excellence
when it comes to customer service? They
do the following three things very well.
First, their teams are integrated and work
together to create a consistent brand.
Second, they invest in their sales associates,
teaching them to engage the customer, ask
the right questions, and listen. Third, they
analyze the information their POS system
gathers to learn more about their custom-
ers, translating into better merchandising
mix, better marketing and more sales.
Customer service should be interlaced
with marketing and buying. By keeping
your teams in silos, you miss important
insight into your brand and business
operations. Consider the example of the
Lululemon’s see-through pants debacle.
The inundation of customer complaints
and returns meant marketing, sales, and
buyers showed the need for alignment
with one another to deliver a unified, consistent message to customers.
This example shows the importance of
stores being prepared to respond at the
first sign of an issue or legitimate customer
complaint. Furthermore, teams should
work together not just to head off negative
experiences, but also to create, develop
and execute experiences that can have a
positive impact on their customers.
For instance, when buyers purchase items
they see as impacting the quality of life for
a new parent, they need to communicate
the features and benefits to marketing
and sales so that the teams can align and
communicate the benefits to the new parents. These alliances
between the teams are crucial to maintaining your brand’s consistency and integrity.
listening to those statements to analyze assortment, predict needs,
develop strategy, and implement action to ensure their customers
have the ultimate customer experience.
The second thing to consider is that your sales team is the face of
your business to the customer, therefore investing in their success
leads to your success as an owner. Incredible customer service
is a magical elixir that makes customers feel good about making
a purchase long after they leave the store. Stores focused on this
customer experience don’t use their sales team as the first “line of
defense” but as a team designed to build long-term relationships
with customers through proactivity.
At the beginning of the article, I asked you to ask yourself, “What
kind of customer service are my customers experiencing when
they come to my store?” In order to answer that question honestly,
you have to determine how strong teamwork is throughout your
company. Also, your sales associates should be engaging your
customers on the premise of wanting to know them, and project a
genuine interest in their lifestyle, likes, dislikes, needs and wants.
Finally, an effective team will use their POS system as a listening
device by collecting the right data, analyzing the data to formulate
a plan, and then proceed to put that plan into action. All of these
activities will ensure a competitive edge in your market today, and
long into the future. •
These exceptional stores empower their sales associates and
invest in them. They train their associates not only on the store’s
philosophy, but also on your expectations. You should expect each
customer to be greeted warmly, with sincerity, and with a genuine
interest to know the customer. You will not hear “Can I help you” in
a store with a high-level customer focus. This question spawns the
automatic phrase “I’m just looking.” A sincere greeting that is warm
and engaging will be based on the individual customer’s body language. For instance, a customer entering and making a beeline to
an area in your store might be greeted with a “Hello, I see you are
looking for something in particular, how may I help you find it?” Or
to the customer who just leisurely strolls in a “Welcome to (store’s
name)! What brings you in on this beautiful day?” We get to know
our customers when we ask questions, but more importantly we
LISTEN to what the customers are saying about who they are and
what their needs are today.
Kerry Banz is the President of KB Retail Consulting.
She has made a career of helping high potential,
underperforming retail stores reach their potential,
making their retail dreams a profitable reality.
CONNECT WITH ME
kerryb@kbretail.com | www.kbretail.com
The right questions encourage associates to get a sense of the
customer’s lifestyle, interests and needs. However, exceptional
customer service does not stop there. An outstanding associate
will also think of what the customer will need tomorrow. In the
maternity industry, knowing what a new mom or even an experienced mom is going to need not just at this stage of her life but at
what is about to come in her immediate future is crucial in today’s
competitive market. Once you have invested in training your team,
reinvest on a regular basis in retraining, educating on new products and company/designer bios so associates can converse with
authority on product knowledge. The two most costly investments
you make in your business are the inventories and your people!
And your business relies on your people knowing not just your
inventories, but also your customers!
Your POS system is your teams’ vital resource to creating the ultimate customer experience. Most stores utilize their POS systems
as a glorified register that also happens to store customers’ names
and addresses. But your POS system is the best listening device
you have when it comes to your customers. What a customer purchases tells you a lot about her wants and needs. Customers will
often tell us what they think we want to hear, but what she really
likes, needs, and/or wants, she tells you by what she is willing to
purchase with her hard-earned money. This action is actually your
customer’s most accurate statement. Sophisticated retailers are
c onnections
line that allowed me to “surf the internet.”
Good-bye encyclopedias, hello global
resources! Fewer than four years later, I
remember sitting at a restaurant, looking at
some doctor who had a phone and a pager
and thinking: “I hope I never get so important that I have to carry a pager and a phone
on my hip and can’t enjoy some downtime.”
How naïve was I?
In 1994, the IT director for the company that
I worked for talked to me about setting up
email for our business. He wanted my support with pushing this agenda at company
staff meetings. I can tell you I was not thrilled
with the idea. I liked to talk to people either
face to face or by phone. Within six months
of that conversation, about half of my work
day was spent reading and answering
emails. How had I gotten here?
It’s time to
ConnectWork!
38 By Eric V. Seemann
•
•
•
•
•
iMac Computer
Dell XPS desktop Computer
Sony Viao laptop computer
iPad 64g Tablet (Phone and
Wi-Fi enabled)
iPhone 5 32g Smart Phone (Phone
and Wi-Fi enabled)
Technology, that we now take for granted,
has allowed us to “connect” with family,
friends, colleagues, and people we may
not even know. This has created what
some refer to as the Global Community.
What I find interesting is how being connected has caused us to “disconnect” and
even “disengage.”
for an organization called CERN (Conseil
European pour la Recherche Nucleaire or
the European Council for Nuclear Research)
in Geneva Switzerland, he created the
foundations of electronic communications
in 1980 with electronic mail to allow for
faster communications between researchers. By 1990 (not so long ago) he launched
the World Wide Web, HTML (HyperText
Markup Language) and a text browser.
Fast forward a short 24 years and we have
something “we can’t live without,” and
something that was envisioned to be free to
everyone has become a multi-trillion-dollar
money maker.
I’m connected multiple times over and have
gone through my fair share of “yestertech.”
I keep a device charged, ready and at my
side 24 hours a day seven days a week.
How many of us PANIC when we can’t find
our phone or its charging cord? I know that
just reading this some of you went “OMG,
yes!” My granddaughter (11 years old)
always does a final sweep of the house
when we pick her up for an overnight, to
make sure she has her charger, regardless
of whether she is coming or going.
Before I go on, I must tip my hat (virtually)
to a man named Tim Berners-Lee. Despite
the claims of a past Vice President and his
assertion that he created the internet, the
actual individual who gets to claim that
distinction is the gentlemen named above.
While working as a software engineer
When I moved to San Antonio, in 1992
following a four year active duty career with
the US Army, I made it a priority to get a
computer for my first house. This antiquated device was connected to the internet
by AOL (America On Line) and, like every
device at that time, was tied to a phone
I’m confident that most of you reading are
members of the over-one-billion-member
FaceBook (FB) community. This means that
the number of FB users today is equivalent
to the entire world population in the early
1800’s. Statistics also show that the median
FB user has 100 connections, but that
Snap It, KCK It, Pin It, Gram It, Tumblr
It, Share It, Tweet It, Blog it, Link It
or simply Post It. We are a society that
relishes sharing the sublime, the exciting,
the annoying, and, hopefully in some cases,
the inspiring.
to improve communications and connect.
President Eisenhower, in his proposal of
the national Interstate Highway System,
envisioned a “high speed” series of roads
that would facilitate transport, commerce
and connection across the United States.
The desire to connect isn’t anything new.
Our ancient ancestors developed communities because it provided a means
to connect and protect, moving from
individual rural lifestyles to villages and
towns. The United States Post Office was
formed in 1775, predating the Declaration
of Independence by a year, because establishing and having a means of communication (connection) was important to our
founding fathers. While we followed our
manifest destiny across this country moving by foot, then horses and carriages, to
autos, we also stepped up our communications from Pony Express to the telegraph
to telephone. We have continued to work
maternity&newborn
This was followed by website launches,
ordering portals, and video conferencing,
and the rest, as they say, is history. I am
now at a point, where I personally have
the following:
because some have substantially more than
100, that the statistics are skewed to show
that the mean average number of connections in 190. Of those we have all have a
“core” group with which we interact with
on a regular basis. Go ahead and check this
out. Scan your page and see which posts
pop up and then search your full friends list.
You may be surprised how many “connections” you haven’t connected with recently.
While we connect globally, 84% of our
connections are from the same country and
most will be in the same demographic that
we are in, such as age and beliefs.
It is certainly OK to be connected, but striking a balance is important. Social media is
a lot like TEAM dynamics, which includes
four key steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Think back to when you joined a social
media platform. After creating your account, your behavior can almost be likened
to a feeding frenzy. A couple of clicks and
searches and suddenly old friends, business
associates, alumni groups, etc., all pop up.
You clicked and invited at a frantic pace
“forming” your own personal community.
In turn, they invited and accepted and
everything was moving at a hectic maybe
even hyperactive pace of “storming.” Then
things begin to cool down. Weeks, months,
maybe years later, you look over that list
and begin to slowly un-friend and drop connections, thereby moving into “norming” of
your social media connections. Finally, you
reach that comfortable “performing” stage
with a balance of connections, sincere interest in interaction, and planned maintenance
of these relationships.
So the key with being connected in social
media, as I see it is: Establish new connections appropriately and nurture the connections we have. And this is where the WORK
in networking comes in.
For many of us, we connect socially and
professionally. We allocate time in the day
to manage and maintain our professional
network while we spend time after work to
connect and manage our personal connections. I’m not going to try and tell you the
appropriate amount of time to spend, that is
up to you. I would suggest that if you spend
more time on the device and on the web,
while sacrificing talking face to face with
your family and friends, that it may be time
for a little self evaluation.
I heard once “where we invest our time and
money is where our heart is.” Our time is
an investment that we make to grow and
maintain connections. How many of us
have thought “I don’t have time for this!”
Why? Because we recognize that our time
is valuable. Valuable to our business, to our
family and to our friends.
After all of the connecting, posting, pinning
and tweeting, the final step is affirming
the relationship through connection and
engagement. With family and friends, we
come together for dinners, parties and
reunions. In the business world, we get
together for meetings, conferences and
trade shows.
Take a look at your calendar and check out
the days ahead. Commit to setting aside
time to put down the device, and personally
engage with your colleagues, friends and
family. Affirm and validate the connections.
Put in the work necessary to drive value to
your network and relationships.
You’ll find that “connectworking” is worth
the effort. •
Eric V. Seemann CEM,
CMP has worked directly in the trade show
industry for 10 years and
in party, meeting, and
conference planning for
over 20 years. He has
earned the professional
certifications of Certified
in Exhibition Management (CEM) and Certified
Meeting Professional (CMP). He is President of
Innoventions Alliance Inc. and is the Promotion and
Production Manager for All Baby & Child, Inc.
CONNECT WITH ME
eric65@innallinc.com | Twitter - @EricVSeemann
STOP BY TO SEE THESE EXHIBITORS!
maternitynewborn_2014-07-24 copy.pdf 1 2014-07-24 16:57:31
93 years of Design, Quality
and Customer Service
Award-Winning Support for Moms and Moms-To-Be
C
M
Hat, scarf, and gloves
all in one product!
Y
CM
MY
CY
K
www.pali-design.com
www.theolie.com
email: info@theolie.com
Toys that inspire,
nurture and
bring pure joy.
Come visit us at the ABC Kids Expo, Booth #4134
Call your sales representative to learn more
1.800.541.1345
D
IE
IF
IB
FLEX LE PO
LY
U
CertiPUR-US®
W
WW
.CERTIPUR.U
S
www.back-buddy.com|visit us at booth #5225
NE FOAM
HA
ET
R
COME SEE US AT BOOTH #6637
TAINS
CON
CE
RT
The Minkey is a completely new generation of children’s winter
wear. The Minkey is a clever solution to the separate hat, scarf, and
gloves by combining hat, scarf, and gloves into one single product,
so no more searching for lost gloves or only finding one glove.
The Minkey was created by a stay at home mom who got tired of
constantly losing hats and gloves during the winter.
CMY
STOP BY TO SEE THESE EXHIBITORS!
Crib mattresses so pretty
we’ve wrapped them
in ribbon.
NEW for FALL 2014
WubbaNub© Reindeer
VISIT US AT THE ABC SHOW!
Visit Moonlight Slumber at the
ABC Expo: Booth #1847 to learn more.
BOOTH # 5315 | South Hall,Level 2
www.moonlightslumber.com
sales@wubbanub.com
maternity & newborn.indd 1
8/5/14 8:28 PM
Snuza Hero
Booth 4431
Come See What’s New! www.snuza.com
c onnections
The Company
You Keep
Expanding your Retail or
Manufacturing Business Presence
By Scott Whitley
Did you know that the company you
keep will affect and influence the
opportunities you meet? In fact,
the company you keep reflects the
character and quality that’s within you.
items and Etsy members are seeking these
unique products in a gamut of categories.
Since the company you keep defines you,
it makes good business sense to surround
yourself with like-minded brands that
inspire you, lift you higher and bring forth
the best in you!
On Etsy and Amazon, retailers and
manufacturers can set up “shop” and sell
their goods to consumers who visit these
sites. Both Etsy and Amazon market and
and drive traffic to the “shops” and when
a sale is made, the credit card transactions
are completed and the “shop” owner only
needs to worry about fulfilling the order.
That’s why keekoo.com is very excited
to offer Retailers, e-Tailers and
Manufacturers 100% free access to
the new keekoo Marketplace.
It’s very simple, but, if you are selling Bump
to Baby products, both venues are a shot in
the dark. Currently there is no manufacturer
or retailer branding made on either site.
Have you ever heard of etsy.com? If not
maybe, Amazon? Both are examples of
eCommerce “marketplaces.”
keekoo’s Marketplace is no different in
functionality than Amazon or Etsy.
Amazon doesn’t just sell products they
have in stock. Retailers and manufacturers
tap their membership to showcase, sell and
fulfill their own items, however, Amazon
offers the world of product to the world so
guaranteed you will easily get lost in the
millions of marketplace stores.
The defining difference in
keekoo’s marketplace is the
audience: keekoo shoppers
are 100% expectant or new
moms. You can’t get a more
highly targeted online marketplace for your goods!
Etsy.com is more targeted to manufacturers
and retailers who are selling hand-crafted
Marketplaces are suitable for retailers or
manufacturers who have existing websites
with eCommerce capabilities, or for those
who don’t have any website at all. It’s a great
opportunity for both retailers and manufacturers to set up “shop” on keekoo and expose their brand, products and point of view
to a very targeted audience of expectant and
new, young first-time moms.
The customer for a bump to baby manufacturer or retailer is constantly changing every
three months. If you have a multi-million
dollar advertising budget, it is not a problem
finding expecting or new moms. For those
who don’t have a huge advertising budget,
keekoo’s Marketplace is a GREAT opportunity. The results are FREE and will be:
•
•
•
•
Name Recognition and Branding
Increase in Sales
Growth in your Customer Base
Free Marketing of your Brand/Store
and Products
Who subscribes to keekoo?
keekoo.com is a membership-based
eCommerce website. Shoppers have to
register to shop, and we collect some
incredibly valuable data during this process.
Almost 90% of our members are under 34
years old. 68% are currently pregnant. And
72% are first-time moms in the U.S.
If approved, you will gain access to log-in
and set up your shop by uploading products, photos, company logo, description
and more. You set the pricing, you control
the message. That’s it! All you have to do
now is turn it on!
It’s on, now let’s get the word out.
keekoo markets your shop, your brand and
your products to hundreds of thousands of
expectant and new moms, both online and
in our daily emails. keekoo also markets your
brand by category, which is great for brandname identity (Maternity, Nursing, Beauty,
Baby Apparel, Nursery, Baby Gear, Baby
Essentials, Hand-Made, etc.). Not only does
keekoo market your brand, but it also reinforces what your brand is and its audience.
A sale, a sale! So what’s next?
•
•
•
•
Your keekoo shop is fully equipped
with eCommerce capabilities.
You are notified of orders, whereby
you login to your account to print
pack-slips (or download the order file.)
You fulfill the orders, then upload the
tracking numbers in your account.
The sale of your product plus
shipping fees collected is deposited
into your Paypal account (less a
modest keekoo marketing fee, which
is ONLY charged on sold items).
maternity&newborn
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
keekoo and their focus groups comprising over 362,000 expectant and new moms
beauty
MYLUCYSLOFT
EARTH MAMA ANGEL BABY
Graphic Baby Bodysuit Collection
When it comes to baby style, nothing beats the classics- except maybe classics
sporting goofy graphics. With a mix of beautiful basics and humorous pieces, this
bodysuit collection finds the perfect balance of fun and function. Whether a little
one is showing off a silly streak, snuggling with a cuddle buddy or just kicking
back, these everyday bodysuits couldn’t be cuter. www.mylucysloft.com
A Little Something for Baby from Earth Mama Angel Baby
A perfect little gift for a perfect little baby! Soothes top
to bottom, cheeks to cheeks with adorable on-the-go
sized versions of Earth Mama’s organic, worry-free baby
essentials. www.earthmamaangelbaby.com
REDSNAPPER BABY
TOOSH
Soothing balm with antibacterial properties
At Toosh, baby’s skin care comes first nature. Toosh products
provide exceptional all-natural options for nurturing and
protecting new skin.Created with minimal ingredients that are
affordable and packaging that is adorable! www.tooshbaby.com
360 PERSPECTIVE
GIVING RETAILERS THE G
IN BUYING AND SELLIN
So how does it work for you?
Email vendors@keekoo.com to express
your interest in being featured in the
keekoo Marketplace. keekoo will review
your brand and products to see if they
would be a good fit for our customers and
will notify you if approved.
Let’s not forget…
In addition to growing your brand with
expectant and new moms, the products
in the keekoo Marketplace that have a
positive member engagement are invited
to be featured in this magazine’s “New
44 n ew & noteworthy
It’s a snap!
Redsnapper Baby & Toddler offer an adorable collection of creepers,
rompers and tees that make a great gift for any occasion. Their signature
center red snap on all of their one piece and rompers ensure that you
never snap your babies’ one piece crooked again! What’s more, the red
snap only snaps to itself! Fool-proof! www.redsnapperbaby.com
MY TRUE NATURE
LITTLE ITALY KIDS
Smooth and Soothe Weary Wintertime Skin
My True Nature’s all natural & organic Wintertime Smooth and Soothe
Set is the perfect antidote to those cold & windy days. Dewey’s “Breathe
Better” Bubble Bath combines eucalyptus, elderberry & mint to help
soothe common cold and flu symptoms naturally while Clio’s “Beary”
Soft Lotion smooths away dry, wind blown skin. www.mytruenature.net
baby
apparel
Boys Pima Tunic
Enjoy dressing your babies with trendy and high-end products elaborated with 100% peruvian pima cottons, the best
fabric for your baby. Enjoy its unique softness, warm sensation and one-of-a-kind quality! www.littleitalykids.com
SHUPEAS
DOODLE PANTS
The most versatile baby shoes in the world! Shupeas’ one-size, adjustable and expandable design offers a
customized fit for babies up to 18 months. These podiatrist
and pediatrician recommended shoes guarantee to never leave
elastic marks around delicate ankles. www.shupeas.com
Tops and Bottoms
Little ones (3Months to 2T) can squiggle and wiggle with ease
thanks to a roomy seat, stretchy ribbed cuffs and a comfortable
elastic waistband. They’re made with soft, flexible material that
holds up and is easy to wash.www.doodlepants.com
TUMBLEWALLA
RILEYROOS
Stylish apparel that feels good for baby and is easy on the environment An eco-friendly, mission-oriented brand for babies and toddlers made from
100% super soft organic cotton—for maximum coziness. No itchy or stiff
fabrics, just great clothes to help kids get the most out of playtime. The best
part: with every purchase, you help to raise funds and awareness for non-profits
working to make play possible for kids globally. www.tumblewalla.com
44
maternity&newborn
Trends&
Forecasts
BUYING FALL 2014/WINTER 2015
Chukka Boot in Eclipse Looking for that rugged yet polished look for your
little man? Look no further, you have found it.
Rileyroos Chukka boot is perfect to dress up or
down. www.rileyroos.com
BUYING FALL 2014/WINTER 2015
baby
apparel
maternity&newborn
45
N OPTIONS & STYLESIGHT
FROM PANTONE, DESIG
plus
S
MARKETING TO MOM
BUSINESS MATTERS
PRODUCTS
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
ET
4 -1 5 B U Y I N G M A R K
FA L L | W I N T E R 2 0 1
& Noteworthy” listings on the following
pages. Positive engagement is measured
by how many times the expectant and new
moms buy and also share your products on
their social media channels.
New & Noteworthy listings suggest retail
buyers look to purchase these products for
their store or chain. If expectant and new
moms bought and engaged with these
products on keekoo.com, chances are they
will also buy and engage in the retailer’s
store, both online and brick & mortar.
So what are you waiting for?
Email vendors@keekoo.com to express
your interest in being featured in the
keekoo Marketplace and boost your
company today. •
Scott Whitley is Publisher of
Maternity&Newborn as well
as co-founder of keekoo.com
CONNECT WITH ME
scott@keekoo.com
www.keekoo.com
Partner with keekoo
Marketplace and improve
Brand Awareness, grow
Retail Distribution, grow
Customer Base, and grow
Consumer Sales!
n ew & noteworthy
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
maternity & nursing
SERAPHINE
BUMPED BY BLANQI
keekoo.com hosts Promotional Events for various manufacturers of bump to baby products. These Promotional Events
act as online focus groups that gauge interest from a highly
targeted demographic: moms-to-be to new mommies, located
primarily in the U.S.
•
During a Promotional Event, keekoo is able to capture data on
expectant and new moms’ perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and
attitudes towards a brand and its products. We see and track,
in real time, consumer engagement by:
These online focus groups attracted over 487,000
expectant and new moms.
•
•
•
•
•
Sell throughs
Facebook shares
Twiiter comments
Pinterest pins
Email to friends
Here is how it works:
•
Keekoo buyers work with brands to find specific
products to feature in special Promotional Events
on keekoo.com.
•
Keekoo carefully inspects these items and if
approved, product receives the keekoo KISS,
which stands for Keekoo Inspected Seal
of Support!
Once items are selected and inspected,
keekoo features the brand and products in a
Promotional Event where thousands of expectant
moms and new moms to attend, view, read and
grab limited samples.
A selection of top-performing brands
and products are featured in the
following New & Noteworthy section.
This is a great guide to stocking your
store with our most popular brands
and products, providing your customers with what they need and want...and
your business with increased sales.
MEV MOTHERS EN VOGUE
maternity&newborn
ROSEWATER
Swimwear for Mothers
Rosewater has been flatteringly designed
for pregnant and breastfeeding women in
a beautiful, versatile color palette. SPF50+
and chlorine-resistant, these versatile
pieces are sure to impress.
www.seraphine.com
www.cakematernity.com
BUMPED BY BLANQI
Support and Style in One!
BLANQI has taken the maternity support
world by storm! Their signature Bodystyler
under-bust belly support tank eases aches
and pains of pregnancy with a patented
design that lifts and supports the belly,
yet stylishly on-trend to wear daily dressed
up or down.
MATERNITY FOR TWO
On Trend Maternity and Nursing
Apparel, Twice as Nice
Maternity for Two specializes in private
line development for major retailers and
their customers. They create, build and
manufacture brands and various product
categories that speak to mother and child
while meeting pricing objectives.
www.BLANQI.com
www.maternityfortwo.com
MEV® MOTHERS EN VOGUE
Beyond fashionable, comfortable and
organic apparels for moms & babies
MEV is a leading specialist in nursing and
maternity lifestyle fashion. Their SpringSummer 2015 collection features bright
pop of colours from Raspberry to Brilliant
Teals and prints are widely applied throughout the collection to keep a high dial on
exciting color stories. Mom & Tots matching outfits are great head-turners for moms
looking to show off their little ones.
MADELEINE MATERNITY
The Perfect Trench for Spring
Attention to detail is what Madeleine
Maternity is all about. Introducing the
perfect Trench for Spring: 8 front horn
button closures, wrap tie belt, cotton lined
(Cotton, Poly, Spandex Mix).
www.mothersenvogue.com
ROSEWATER
www.madeleinematernity.com
MATERNALOVE
Stylish Nursing Wear for
Yummy Mummies
Breastfeed on the go with Maternalove’s
range of stylish and contemporary nursing
wear! Mixing fashion with function,
nursing openings are cleverly hidden so
that you can nurse discreetly with ease
and confidence.
www.maternalove.com
Make sure you find these brands during the Spring/Summer
2015 wholesale buying market!
MATERNITY FOR TWO
46 SERAPHINE
The Art of Being Fashionably Pregnant
Seraphine is a celebrity favourite and world
renowned producer of stylish maternity
and nursing clothes. Taking a Parisian chic
approach to fashion, they offer beautiful
pieces for pregnancy and beyond.
MADELEINE MATERNITY
MATERNALOVE
n ew & noteworthy
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
maternity & nursing
IT’S YOU BABE
CAKE LINGERIE
BELLA MATERNA
maternity & nursing
IT’S YOU BABE
V2 Supporter with Breathable
Compression Bridge
Discreet and effective, the V2 Supporter
provides clinically proven compression
therapy for relief from painful vulvar varicosities, pubic swelling or the feeling that
“everything’s going to fall out the bottom.”
GLAMOURMOM®
Nursing Bra Tanks and Tops
Glamourmom is the revolutionary company
who introduced the original Built-in
Nursing Bra Tanks and Tops for today’s
trend-setting moms. Glamourmom offer a
variety of options to accommodate all body
types through innovation, quality and style.
www.itsyoubabe.com
www.glamourmom.com
CAKE LINGERIE
Luxurious Maternity & Nursing Bras
Cake Lingerie announces its SS2015
collection “Ice Cream Bar.” Inspired
by an assortment of ice cream flavors,
designer Katie Brooker uses textures,
color and prints to create an indulgent
range that satisfies.
MILK NURSINGWEAR
Chic Nursing Tops & Nursing Dresses
Featuring hidden openings so moms can
breastfeed discreetly and conveniently,
anytime, anywhere. Milk Nursingwear is
the freshest nursingwear on the planet!
www.cakelingerie.com
SAVI MOM MATERNITY
AND NURSING WEAR
Savi Mom for Every Mom
Their goal is to make every mom feel comfortable to nurse anywhere, anytime. Their
best-selling nursing nightgown, made out
of natural fibers with its easy no-snap slits, is
perfect for lounging and nighttime feedings.
www.milknursingwear.com
BELLA MATERNA
Sweet yet Functional, the
Sexy T-Shirt Nursing Bra
Bella Materna: the premier source of
quality for pregnancy and breastfeeding.
This nursing bra lifts more than just spirits!
Flexy-wire, extender and plush elastics,
for the best! Sizes 32-38 B-H
NUZZLE
COVERMYHEART
MILK NURSINGWEAR
PRIMO
KIINDE
www.kiinde.com
NUZZLE
Nurturing Mom so She Can Nourish Baby
Painful nursing discomfort, slow let-down
or low milk flow? Goodbye frozen cabbage
leaves and hot dripping washcloths! Hello
NuzzleHUG, the hands-free, microwaveable and freezable breast, neck and body
therapy designed just for mom.
THE BREASTFEEDING DEN
Breastfeeding Class from Your Home
The Breastfeeding Den is bringing breastfeeding education and support right into
your living room. Everything you need to
get breastfeeding started off on the right
foot on one easy DVD.
www.nuzzlemom.com
www.CoverMyHeart.com
www.bfden.com/shop/nursing/
breastfeeding-class
THE BOPPY COMPANY
Boppy Feeding & Infant Support Pillow
The award-winning Boppy® Pillow
celebrates 25 years of supporting moms
and babies! This versatile pillow lifts baby
to a more ergonomic position for
comfortable feedings, then transitions
to the perfect spot for propping, tummy
time and learning to sit.
www.boppy.com
CUPCAKE NURSING PADS
SAVI MOM MATERNITY
www.nizowear.com
CUPCAKE NURSING PADS
All-in-one, Washable, Contour
Organic Nursing Pads
The CupCake organic, washable nursing
pad epitomizes the bond between mother
and baby. It transforms a typically utilitarian
product by utilizing beautiful fabrics and
imagery that celebrates breastfeeding.
www.primobaby.com
GLAMOURMOM
KIINDE
A Revolution in Breastmilk Storage
Pump, store, organize, warm, and feed
using the same pouch! The Kiinde TwistTM
feeding system completely eliminates the
need to transfer precious milk from bottles
to bags and back again.
COVERMYHEART
Breastfeeding Made Fashionable
When it comes to breastfeeding fashion,
nothing beats CoverMyHeart! Every mom
should feel beautiful and confident when
breastfeeding in public, and this collection
does it all! With over 17 ways to wear their
nursing scarf, it is perfect for any occasion.
www.thesavimom.com
PRIMO
Breastfeeding with Style & Sophistication
PRIMO’s Bebitza shawl-inspired breastfeeding covers are iconic statements of
femininity. Designed to fit mothers of
all sizes with complete privacy. Luxurious
modal fabric or 100% cotton with
antibacterial and UV properties.
www.bellamaterna.com
NIZO WEAR
NIZO WEAR NURSING BRAS
Infinity Scarf & Breastfeeding Cover-up
Fashionable, everyday 2-in-1 infinity scarf
that is convenient to wear and easy to
unwrap and use as a breastfeeding cover.
Made in the USA with soft, breathable,
stylish fabric.
www.cakematernity.com
THE BREASTFEEDING DEN
THE BOPPY COMPANY
n ew & noteworthy
SAVE THE DATE!
maternity & nursing
BACK BUDDY
MY BREST FRIEND
BACK BUDDY®
Maternity and Feeding Support Pillow
Designed by a chiropractor and a nursing
mother, this award-winning support pillow
alleviates common back pain during pregnancy and nursing. Ultra plush removable
slipcovers are machine-washable. Made in
the USA.
Angel Baby Lotion, Two New Ways!
The worry-free Angel Baby Lotion you
trust, now in natural Calming Lavender
and unscented Natural Non-Scents. Baby
safe, no artificial fragrance, blended with
organic herbal ingredients for sensitive,
delicate skin.
www.back-buddy.com
www.earthmamaangelbaby.com
MY BREST FRIEND
# 1 Choice of Lactation Consultants
My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow was
designed with a patented back support
system so that mothers could be successful
at breastfeeding. It has helped millions of
nursing moms worldwide.
TOOSH
Smooch Stick-Lip balm for Little Lips
At Toosh, baby’s skin care comes first
nature. Toosh products provide exceptional all-natural options for nurturing and
protecting new skin. Created with minimal
ingredients that are affordable and packaging that is adorable!
www.mybrestfriend.com
7th ANNUAL
Spring Educational
Conference & Trade Show
www.tooshbaby.com
baby beauty
& bath
BABY BUTZ
BABY BUTZ
Sunblocz All-Natural Sunblock
SunBlocz is made with only 7 natural
ingredients. It is FDA-registered and
certified 100% natural by Health Canada.
This new sunblock surpasses all broadspectrum UVA + UVB with SPF 50+ and is
extremely water resistant to 80 minutes,
using only 7 natural ingredients! Safe for
all ages, baby to adult.
www.babybutz.com
www.bathtimebabyandkids.com
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND THE ONLY ANNUAL EVENT
EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE
JUVENILE SPECIALTY STORE MARKET.
APRIL 29 – MAY 1, 2015
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino • Las Vegas
NEW VENUE FOR 2015!
Rio All-Suite
Hotel & Casino
RUBBER DUCKIE & FRIENDS®
Good Clean Fun!
Rubber Duckie & Friends are versatile,
moveable bath and shower wands that
can be placed and used anywhere in the
tub or shower. They provide a soft, 1.5gpm
spray pattern.
www.rubberduckieandfriends.com
TOOSH
BATHTIME BABY & BATHTIME KIDS
Safe, Gentle and Natural Peace
of Mind for Your Little One!
Indulge your senses with this luxurious
2-in-1 hair & body wash scented with
organic essential oils and botanical extracts.
100% safe and natural. Mommy inspired
and physician formulated.
BATHTIME BABY
Contact: Sarah Kokernot
sarah@theabcshow.com • 210.691.4848, Ext. 111
www.allbabyandchildsec.com
RUBBER DUCKIE & FRIENDS
Educational sessions
hosted by
n ew & noteworthy
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
baby beauty & bath
KARIBU BABY
Folding Bath for Baby
The fold-away design makes storage easy
and it features a heat-sensitive bath plug
that indicates the water’s termperature for
your baby’s safety.
KARIBU BABY
www.karibubaby.com
BLOOMING BATH
Blooming Bath Baby Bath
Blooming Bath is the cute, cuddly and convenient way to bathe babies. Handmade
from antimicrobial foam, just toss in washer
and dryer or hang to dry via tag on back.
BABY ASPEN
KOZYBABY
The Kozybaby Bath Towel Apron
Stay dry and comfortable during, and after,
bath time with the Kozybaby! Featuring
hand pockets, hoody, and strap with a
three-button snap for the ultimate messfree experience.
TOOFEZE
TOOFEZE®
Coolest Teether Ever!
Like a teaspoon with a baby-safe handle,
Toofeze is simply a new twist on an age-old
teething remedy. Chills instantly for fast relief but is never too cold to hold. All natural
& pediatrician recommended.
www.thekozybaby.com
www.toofeze.com
baby gifts &
accessories
WRISTY BUDDY
Green Scene Mom Award
Winner for 2014!
Wristy Buddy is a one-piece teething
wristband designed for babies that are
teething but haven’t yet developed the
motor skills to hold traditional teething
devices. Invented by a mother and teacher.
Patent Pending.
BABY ASPEN®
Squeaky Clean Mouse Robe
Baby Aspen, designer of boutique quality
baby gifts, showcases an adorable robe.
From the pink pompom nose to the lovably
large ears, it reminds everyone who’s “the
big cheese.” Products are sized for newborns through 12 months and many come
with personalization options.
THE GRANDPARENT GIFT CO.
Thoughtful Gifts for Baby & Family
The Grandparent Gift Co. is your source
for thoughtful gifts for baby and everyone
“born” because of baby. From popular
“Little Grandbaby” ultrasound frames
grandmas cry over, to baptism gifts for godparents, to gifts that tug at a new daddy’s
heartstrings, to adorable sibling handprint
frames, you will find something for every
member of the family.
www.babyaspen.com
www.grandparentgiftco.com
AM PM KIDS!
Soft Absorbent Cotton Terry
Hooded Towels
Perfect for the bathtub, pool and beach,
these hooded towels will keep your kiddos dry and warm. With over 20 styles
to choose from, these hooded towels are
perfect for newborns up to 6 years in age.
CHILD PLAY
Child’s Play Baby Gym Books
Touch is a baby’s first language. These
books are designed to stimulate the
senses and create a bonding experience,
encouraging interaction, cuddling,
exercise and movement.
www.bloomingbath.com
BLOOMING BATH
baby gifts & accessories
WRISTY BUDDY
www.wristybuddy.com
WORKMAN PUBLISHING
The Bunny Rabbit Show
You’ve got front-row seats to the cutest
revue in town! The latest in Sandra Boynton’s phenomenal bestselling series, this
book stars a cast of high-kicking bunnies
performing a lively song.
WORKMAN PUBLISHING
THE MANHATTAN TOY COMPANY®
Savanna Fill & Spill
Engage and delight baby with the Savanna
Fill & Spill—one of several new toys for
baby. Discover playful patterns and colors
on all nine items in the Savanna collection.
www.manhattantoy.com
JAMMY JAMS
Hip-Hop, Pop & Rock Lullabies
Jammy Jams is a fun, modern twist on lullabies for parents who strive to create memories with their little ones while teaching
them a thing or two about their own style.
www.jammyjams.net
BABYMOON
Babymoon Pod—Head & Neck Support
Babymoon Pod is designed for multiple
uses. With its unique functionality you can
use it as a head support or neck support.
Designed and approved by Moms! Made
in USA.
www.babymoonllc.com
www.workman.com
MAISON CHIC
Fun & Unique Gifts for Babies & Children
Known for their combination of great
colors and textures, exclusive prints and
art-driven designs, Maison Chic’s products
are created in collections with coordinating
toys, apparel, and gift items!
www.childsplayusa.com
www.ampmkids.com
www.maisonchiconline.com
AM PM KIDS!
KOZYBABY
MAISON CHIC
GRANDPARENT GIFT CO.
CHILD PLAY
THE MANHATTAN TOY CO
JAMMY JAMS
BABYMOON
n ew & noteworthy
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
nursery
PALI DESIGN
MOONLIGHT SLUMBER
diapers & accessories
PALI DESIGN
Cortina Forever Crib by Pali
The brand-new Cortina convertible crib is
the perfect marriage of modern design and
rich elegance. Its outstanding headboard
can feature white wood panels or grey
fabric ones (offered with the crib).
ZCUSH BABY NAP MAT
Naptime Goes Mobile
Whether used for holding, nursing, changing or as a special place to nap, zCush is a
lightweight cushiony mat that will cuddle
your baby in cozy comfort. Perfect for
Moms on the go!
www.pali-design.com
www.zcush.com
www.tidytotsdiapers.com
MOONLIGHT SLUMBER
Introducing the Starlight Simplicity
Crib Mattress
Simply Pure. Simply Natural. The Simplicity
from Moonlight Slumber is an all-natural
mattress for eco-conscious parents. Natural
latex. Dual firmness. Organic cotton cover.
Natural fire barrier. Simply perfect.
TREND LAB
New Trend Lab Flannel Swaddle Blankets
Keep baby cozy in a printed flannel
Swaddle Blanket by Trend Lab. This 48inch square 100% cotton flannel blanket
provides the perfect amount of breathable
warmth and softness.
HAPPY HEINY
A diaper true to its name: Onederful!
Happy Heiny diapers are Made in the USA.
We offer quality cloth diapers that you can
depend on. Everything you need from
Birth to Potty Training under one roof!
www.trend-lab.com
www.moonlightslumber.com
HALO INNOVATIONS
Bassinest® Swivel Sleeper
Safe for Baby. Easier for Mom.
The HALO® Bassinest® Swivel Sleeper is
the only bassinet that moves. And the more
it moves, the less mom has to, which makes
taking care of baby a lot easier.
DAYDREAMER SLEEPER
New Infant Sleeper Now Available
The DayDreamer Sleeper’s 28-degree
angle helps babies sleep better and more
comfortably—perfect for both daytime and
nighttime sleeping. It’s doctor endorsed,
and exceeds the newest safety requirements. Lifetime Warranty.
www.halobassinest.com
www.daydreamersleeper.com
HALO INNOVATIONS
TIDY TOTS
www.happyheiny.com
HAPPY HEINY
ME CUTE, LLC
Mom’s New Favorite Diaper Clutch
The Wipe Me Cute® is a diaper clutch that
can be used alone or as a convenient accessory to a diaper bag or handbag. The clutch
has an opening in the front pocket that
allows for easy access to your baby wipes.
It will fit any size travel wipes (Huggies,
Pampers, Target, etc), holds two to four
diapers and is made of wipe-clean fabric.
www.me-cute.com
PINK LINING
Designer Diaper Bags
Pink Lining is an award-winning family
lifestyle label specialising in the Mother and
Baby market. Practically perfect & perfectly
practical changing bags. Beautiful bags
inside and out! Pink Lining baby changing
bags are designed to be as practical as they
are stylish.
BABY MERLIN COMPANY
maternity&newborn
www.babyktan.com
www.thediaperclutch.com
www.magicsleepsuit.com
54 THE DIAPER CLUTCH
Where fashion and convenience meet!
The Diaper Clutch is a mom-invented diapers and wipes carrying case that is the first
and only to feature a unique easy-access
window to your wipes! The Diaper Clutch
is a new mommy “must-have” and makes
the perfect gift! The Diaper Clutch is available in over 20 stylish designs.
BABY K’TAN®
Unique SmartGear Diaper Bag
The SmartGear Diaper Bag is a one-of-akind bag featuring a built-in anti-bacterial
and water resistant pocket! Lined with a
unique anti-microbial medical-grade nylon,
the pocket is resistant against the growth
of germs and odor-causing bacteria, and is
totally washable. Includes straps that can
be worn crossbody, over the shoulder or
connect to stroller’s handle bars.
THE DIAPER CLUTCH
BABY MERLIN COMPANY
Magic Sleepsuit–Innovative Swaddle
Transition Product
The Magic Sleepsuit, created by a mother
of four and pediatric PT, is designed to
provide babies with a cozy, secure feeling,
and it helps muffle reflexive startles to aid in
their sleep.
ZCUSH BABY NAP MAT
TIDY TOTS
Hassle Free Cloth Diapering
Tidy Tots specially designed diapers take
the stress out of diapering. Addictively cute
leak proof covers, super absorbent snuggly
soft diapers, and silky liners that stay put
and flush away.
PINK LINING
TREND LAB
DAYDREAMER SLEEPER
BABY K’TAN
www.pinklining.com
ME CUTE
n ew & noteworthy
BABY K’TAN
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
baby on the go
baby on the go
BABY K’TAN®
Baby K’tan introduces the
Active Baby Carrier!
The same great ready-to-wear carrier is
made from new hi-tech performance fabric.
The soft moisture-wicking fabric provides a
unique cooling effect and moisture control
for baby and caregiver. The Baby K’tan
Active performance fabric also blocks over
90% of harmful UVA and UVB rays, protecting baby’s delicate skin. Available in two
great new colors: coral and ocean blue.
MY LITTLE SEAT
The Ultimate Travel High Chair
My Little Seat is an ultra-portable and
machine washable travel high chair.
It can be used for babies who can sit
unassisted, approximately 6 months up
to 35 pounds. Features a 5-point harness
for extra security.
EZ SOX
Make Putting on Socks Fun and
Easy for Your Little One
A patented design helps your child
put their socks on with ease. Reinforced
loops give little fingers a strong grip for
pulling up their socks.Seamless toe and
non-skid grippers.
www.mylittleseat.com
www.ezsox.com
baby apparel
BABYSOY
Comfy Soft & Eco-friendly Babysoy
Short Sleeve Kimono Bodysuit
Babysoy products are made with
sustainable and organic fabrics to bring the
softest layette of comfort and style, while
leaving soft imprints on our planet. Bundle
your babies in Babysoy that’s loved by
parents, approved by babies, and sealed
with awards.
www.babyktan.com
COOL CARATS
COOL CARATS
Car Seat Cooler with CoolTech™
Designed to keep kids cool and safe!
These self-insulated cooler bags have an
easy on-the-go handle and a convenient
pack and store design. Easy to use, in three
vibrant patterns.
www.coolcarats.com
TIVOLI COUTURE
TIVOLI COUTURE
Smart & Chic Protection from
Germs, Insects and Sun
Protect your baby in style and comfort with
Tivoli Couture original breathable canopy
covers. A practical and versatile necessity
for babies and parents-on-the go. Doubles
as a nursing cover, carrier cover and blanket. Available in luscious ruffles or luxurious
rosette. Girl and boys styles. Beautifully
packaged and ready to give.
www.TivoliCouture.com
SQUISH & A SQUEEZE
Seatbelt Holder for Car Seats
No more digging around for seat belt
straps, keep your baby asleep! Thanks
to Buggy Buttons, here’s your solution for
hassle-free traveling!
www.squishandasqueeze.com
MY LITTLE SEAT
WESTERN CHIEF KIDS
Rain Drops Won’t be Falling
on Their Heads!
The way kids look at raindrops and
puddles, the wetter the better! Fortunately,
the selection of raingear available from
Western Chief Kids will keep kids dry
and happy.
www.westernchiefkids.com
TUFFO
WIGGLEBIB BY LOOPY GEAR
Helping to Keep Kids seated Safely
Wigglebibs are shopping cart and restaurant high chair harnesses designed to keep
kids safe in their seats giving parents peace
of mind. Stylishly designed, practical and
made in the USA.
www.tuffo.com
www.loopygear.com
I PLAY
Glass Sip ‘n Straw Cup, Safe
from the Inside Out
Liquids only touch silicone and glass, which
will not absorb odors or tastes. Plastic outer
shell and rubber base help prevent breaks.
Includes two interchangeable tops for
transitioning through drinking stages.
TUFFO
Muddy Buddy Waterproof Rain Suit
The Muddy Buddy provides kids with
full-body protection from the elements.
Constructed with durable, lightweight,
waterproof fabric and dual-front zippers
for quick, on-the-go changes. Generous fit
for easy movement.
CELEGRITY
CELEGRITY
Footless Tights with Ruffles & Bows
Celegrity is an innovative legwear brand
where kids can express their own style
through fashion and fun. Each package
includes a pair of ruffled footless tights and
three interchangeable ruffles and bow
accessories, to be designed and worn in
over 10 different varieties.
www.babysoyusa.com
OLIE
Hat, Scarf and Gloves All in One Product!
The Minkey is a new generation of
children’s winter wear combining hat,
scarf, and gloves in one product!
www.theolie.com
www.celegritykids.com/product/
hugs-and-kisses
www.greensproutsbaby.com
SQUISH & A SQUEEZE
WESTERN CHIEF KIDS
EZ SOX
WIGGLEBIB
I PLAY
BABYSOY
OLIE
maternity | newborn
calendar
spring/summer 2015
buying market
fall 2015
buying market
NEW YORK APPAREL
MARKET SPRING
October 1 – Nov 18
(call to book appointments with
showrooms)
NEW YORK APPAREL MARKET FALL
March 1 – April 22
(call to book appointments
with showrooms)
L.A. MATERNITY &
CHILDRENS MARKET SPRING
October 12 – October 15
www.californiamarketcenter.com
L.A. MATERNITY &
CHILDRENS MARKET FALL
March 15 – March 18 at
ATLANTA APPAREL MARKET SPRING
www.AmericasMart.com
DALLAS KIDSWORLD AND APPAREL
& ACCESSORIES MARKET FALL
March 23 – March 28 at
www.dallasmarketcenter.com
CHICAGO MATERNITY &
CHILDRENS MARKET SPRING
www.kidzatstylemax.com
CHICAGO MATERNITY & CHILDRENS
MARKET FALL
March 21 – 24
& ACCESSORIES MARKET SPRING
ATLANTA APPAREL MARKET FALL
April 9 – April 13 at
winter 2015/16
buying market
NEW YORK APPAREL
MARKET WINTER
June 1 – June 17
with showrooms)
DALLAS APPAREL & ACCESSORIES
MARKET WINTER
June 24 – 30 at
ATLANTA APPAREL MARKET WINTER
June 11 – June 14 at
L.A. MATERNITY & CHILDRENS
MARKET WINTER
June 7 – June 10 at
cruise/early spring
2016 buying market
NEW YORK APPAREL MARKET
CRUISE/EARLY SPRING
August 1 – September 30
with showrooms)
calendar
S
L.A. MATERNITY & CHILDRENS
MARKET CRUISE/EARLY SPRING
August 2 – August 5 at
ATLANTA APPAREL MARKET
CRUISE/EARLY SPRING
August 6 – August 10 at
CHICAGO MATERNITY & CHILDRENS
MARKET CRUISE/EARLY SPRING
August 9 – 11
& ACCESSORIES MARKET CRUISE/
EARLY SPRING
Mid August
7th ANNUAL
Spring Educational
Conference & Trade
ABC KIDS EXPO
September 7 – 10, 2014
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV
www.theabcshow.com
ALL BABY & CHILD
SPRING EDUCATION
CONFERENCE
April 29 – May 1, 2015
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, NV
www.allbabyandchildsec.com
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND THE ONLY ANNUAL EVENT
EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE
JUVENILE SPECIALTY STORE MARKET.
DS
N
SA BERS!
U
HO M MEM
T
OF W MO
S
ED T & NE
R
ND CTAN
U
H EXPE
ONSUMER BR
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AN
ES
T
A
D
E
R
ESS
EN
AR
AW
C
OF
D RI V
ES
CO
U
ER
SE
NS
M
SI
NT
OR
ETAILERS T
U
OP
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A no-cost marketing solution that influences both consumer
and retail buyers of pregnancy to baby products
branding • top-of-mind awareness • increased sales
www.keekoo.com | brands@keekoo.com

just pdf - maternitynewborn.com

Transcription

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