Editor's notes
Jane Kitchen, Editor -- Kids Today, 1/1/2006
To all my friends and colleagues in the industry, a very happy new year!
2006 has brought several new developments to the pages of Kids Today, and as always, we hope they continue to improve your reading experience.
The first big development is the launch of our semi-annual supplement, KidsWare, included here on pages 23 – 30, which will focus on the infant apparel and gift markets. Apparel is something new for Kids Today, but after listening to our readers, we realized many of our retail audience is involved in this market, and as such, that we should be reporting on it to you.
The thing with infant apparel is that it's irresistibly cute — both for the expecting mom and the friend looking for a perfect shower gift. And for those stores trying to build their registry business, adding apparel to the mix can mean added sales. In KidsWare, we'll take a look at some of the latest and greatest in infant apparel for boys and girls — from frilly to funny to fashion-forward — along with some other great shower gift categories, like diaper bags, bib and burp cloth sets, picture frames and more.
While we've always covered the gift market in the pages of Kids Today, and will continue to do so, we've grouped gift items in with KidsWare precisely for that reason — these are all items that can add to both your sales and your customers, as friends of the expecting parents shop for a unique and perfect gift. Don't forget, these friends are usually peers, and while they may not be in the market for other juvenile goods for themselves now, it's pretty likely they will be soon. Bringing them in early means they'll think of you first when it comes time for them to do their own shopping.
We're also including a new quarterly section in Kids Today called Market Pulse (see page 20), which will take a snapshot look at the kids retail environment throughout the year. Thanks to all the retailers who participated in our first survey, whether through fax, e-mail, or a conversation with one of our editors.
It is your willingness to share with us — through surveys, retail profiles or news items — that helps us continue to grow. We hope you enjoy our newly expanded coverage. Please drop me an e-mail anytime at jkitchen@reedbusiness.com to share your thoughts or suggestions.
