Viewpoint
immediately asked me for my phone number, date of birth, address, mother’s maiden name, etc, and then asked what I was calling about. The conversation went a little bit like this: Me: “Well, my internet was not working and I was promised a refund, so who do I speak with as I have not been credited with it.” Call centre: “Oh my goodness. I am so sorry you
have been so inconvenienced, can I have your account number please?” Me: “No, I am sorry, I don’t have it and don’t
know where to find it.” Call centre: “It’s on your phone bill.” Me: “My phone bills get submitted to my company and I am at home. Won’t all the information I have given you do?” Call centre: “No, I’m sorry, Sir. We need your account number.” Me: “Why?”
Call centre: “It’s the rule?” Me: “Can I make it clear I am only asking for the rebate to be credited to my phone bill and not asking for a wire transfer of a million pounds. Why won’t my phone number, name, post code, etc, do?” Call centre: “Sir, I understand your frustration, but please can I have your account number?” Me: “No, you idiot, I don’t have it.” Call centre: “Sir, please calm down and give me
your account number so I can help you further.” Me: “How many ways can I say ‘I don’t have it’?” Call centre: “I am sorry, Sir. Without your account number I have to end this discussion.” Click, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. So there I am with my phone in my hand and all sorts of thoughts entered my mind as to what I would like to do with it. But even better than BT are the clever new ones
who have done away with button pushing. They ask you verbally to explain the nature of your call. Sadly, “I want to tie you against a wall and shove this phone where the sun doesn’t shine”, is not a recognisable response to their robotic voice. But do you know what annoys me the most? The ones who ask you to enter your account number, your date of birth and your phone number, then ask you to select from many options. But when the phone is answered by a person, the first question is always, “Can I have your name and account number?”! However, it’s still easier to talk to them than some of the major toy
buyers...mentioning no names. A very Happy New Year to you all.
David
Ripley Former Tesco and Woolworth executive
The TRACE Awards 2012
In my December column I highlighted the levels of deep discounting some retailers were undertaking on key lines in a bid to stimulate toy sales in November. It was encouraging to see that when Cyber Monday, the peak online trading day, arrived on the 10th December that many of the key lines had reverted close their RRP, including Furby at £59.99, thus ensuring that the volume of trade on the key lines went through at close to full margin. Even the much- publicised deep discounting Black Friday price event failed to match its anticipated hype and was just another very average sale event. The financial winners and losers from UK retail in 2012 will become more apparent from the limited information to be gleaned from this month’s round of Christmas updates and full-year trading statements. As a customer and industry observer I have my own view on who I believe the Toy retail winners of the main season 2012 were. These are based on a mix of factors including range, channel consistency, pricing, promotions and utilisation of all media strands, social or otherwise. Therefore, it give me great pleasure to announce that the inaugural 2012 Gold, Silver and Bronze TRACE awards (Toy Retail Awards Celebrating Excellence) go to...drum roll, please... Bronze: The bronze medal is awarded to online toys and entertainment pure-play e-tailer
Play.com
60 Toyworld
for their user-friendly website and well thought out toy store. The
Play.com team have done a great job in building a credible and extensive range of toys, which is well segmented for search and ease of use. In the main season their persistence in seeking purchase was unparalleled; they spammed me daily throughout December with their latest tailored hot product offers and voucher codes. Silver: The silver medal goes to a very feisty Smyths in a close call for the gold. The sure sign of a good retail operation is one that punches well above its weight, and Smyths are certainly doing that with their UK operation. The weekly rotation of new promotions and keen pricing was second to none, all supported with good product availability and a simple well- executed press advertising campaign. Gold: The gold medal is deservedly awarded to a
resurgent Toys R Us who, in my opinion, stepped up this year on deals to take the lead on pricing and promotion back from the grocers. Toys R Us were relentless in their media campaign attempting to saturate the press and multitude of satellite and terrestrial TV channels throughout Q4; so much so that they had me humming ‘I wanna be a Toys R Us kid’ on the way to work. I am sure that the NPD results for retailer market
share in the New Year will show a well-deserved, year on year increase for all three of these retailers for 2012.
These awards are totally unbiased and non-political, and will therefore bear no resemblance to the official TRA awards later this year. The main toy-selling grocers will no doubt regroup
this year, and may take a different view on Hi-Lo pricing versus Every Day Low Price. Hi-Lo pricing has traditionally been the favoured grocery strategy taken on impulse non-food items, such as Toys versus EDLP for everyday core staple products. On reflection, the toy industry had some great exposure in 2012, and generated plenty of positive PR in the key season with higher-than-average press coverage and notable TV appearances against previous years. This is testament to the high quality of product and brands available, with the Tesco Furby and Visa toy adverts being the highlights for me. Here’s to an even better 2013, see you all at Toy Fair.
Dan
Salem Prism Digital
Solutions
Multi-platform promotions
It’s 2013, and can you believe that it is already almost February? Where does the time go? With the first media plans already presented and translated for the retail buyers, to persuade them to stock up with your featured toys for Christmas, version two of the plan is already being considered. And whilst that may seem somewhat rash, the beauty of the industry is that whilst we all have a pretty good idea of the relevant media platforms to use in order to reach them, Kids don’t give too much away in advance of their desired product choices which makes the guessing game more interesting. Kids TV will continue to be the driving
force of most media budgets, but driving kids online, and targeting mums through PR and social media should now be an integrated aspect of any marketing plan. The commercial opportunities that Kids TV
delivers hasn’t really changed a huge amount over the past 10 years. Sponsorships and competitions which drive kids online have been around for over 15 years, originally led by Cartoon Network, but now is the main stable of all the channels. So is it time for another shake up in 2013? The team at Turner will have their uncertainty resolved, which will hopefully lead to a renewed vigour and excitement
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