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Posted August 13, 2009
A few weeks back I wrote about the power of Walmart over the toy industry, and as an industry we need to get out from under that thumb. If Walmart ever decides to get out of toys altogether, we will all get a nice long holiday on the same beach, all of us out of work. So while all are scrambling to find new avenues of distribution, new shelves to occupy and new check out lines to go through, somewhere, someone is working on a new toy retail concept ‘killer app.’ I hope. In 1979 Sears was the top retailer in the world, and all toy companies came to Chicago to see them and show their wares. Very convenient for Marvin Glass and Associates, as they all stopped in each time they were in town to see the madman and his marvelous toys. Fast forward 30 years, and Sears is the walking dead of retailers. And what was once a little known store from the deep south has eaten everyone's lunch and dinner at retail. But things change, and one day another will challenge and overtake Walmart's dominance. I hope. Did you know that Schwan's sells frozen foods door to door out of their distinctive trucks? Billions of dollars worth each year, in fact. Good Humor and others have shown that truck based sales, and going to the consumer where they live, into the neighborhoods works. I think it is time for the Door to Door Toy Store, an iconic Willy-Wonka-on-Wheels Truck with built in video monitors on the sides, that is one part entertainment, one part store, one part delivery truck and 100% marketing. Online, by phone, and everything delivered right to your door, and many smaller, lower price items available on the truck. Seasonal, sports, and other specialty trucks might round out the fleet, but I see hundreds, even thousands of trucks plying highways, byways, avenues, and cul-de-sacs, in cities and small towns across the country, bringing toys and more, saving you a trip to the big box store. We need some fresh thinking. We need some new ways to reach the consumer. It is time for a change. The Door to Door Toy Store is one way. I hope.
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