Things to Consider When Starting a Kid's Brand

9 min read

Did you know that children鈥檚 products are one of the 聽for online retailers?

It鈥檚 true. This is largely for two main reasons:

It鈥檚 convenient for busy parents who don鈥檛 have to leave home to make a purchase
People are willing to spend on their kids

And kid鈥檚 brands do indeed drive some serious business. Around $1.2 trillion is spent per year聽on products geared toward children and tweens.

You can capitalize on this by creating a kid鈥檚 brand and online store聽that caters to the audience of parents, grandparents, and caregivers who want to offer the best of everything to their little ones.

Here鈥檚 what you need to know and consider beforehand.

Who Should Start a Kid鈥檚 Brand?

There鈥檚 one demographic聽of people who seem specially suited for starting a kid鈥檚 brand: Parents.

Those who have kids of their own make sense as kid鈥檚 brand founders because鈥ell, they get it. They鈥檙e in tune with the target audience for this niche and these types of products because they know what parents need and want for their children. They understand the desires, expectations, and concerns of the core audience.

This was true for the founders of , a children鈥檚 clothing and accessory brand:

It all started during a gathering鈥e noted innovative and useful products brought back by one of the mums from overseas. We lamented that we were not able to find these products locally. It became a lightbulb moment: We shouldn鈥檛 wait for others to bring these items 颈苍鈥搘别 should make them available ourselves.

For others, kid鈥檚 brands are more of a passion project that starts as a labor of love and evolves into a business opportunity. Take Carol of , for example. She said:

I make clothes for my grandchildren and enjoy sewing. I thought it would be a great opportunity to start and share children鈥檚 clothing with others. I鈥檓 not for profit, I just enjoy sewing to fill in my time鈥ou can only sew so many things for your own.

The thing to remember is this: Whether you鈥檙e interested in launching a kid鈥檚 brand to create a career for yourself, or you鈥檙e just doing it to share your passion or hobby, you鈥檒l need to be able to relate with the buyers of kid鈥檚 products.

How to Differentiate Your Kid鈥檚 Brand

The next question then, is: How do you differentiate your kid鈥檚 brand from the rest of the competition?

Dmitry Karaush, an experienced online retailer, puts this well: “You must first analyze the market to see what鈥檚 missing for the customers who are already present in this area (and that other retailers can鈥檛 offer.)”

Consider the following when analyzing the market and looking for gaps that can make your brand special, unique, and appealing to customers:

Exclusive products

By selling one-of-a-kind or handmade creations, you can bring something completely new and unique to the audience. Because customers won鈥檛 be able to find your products anywhere else, you鈥檒l have an advantage and edge over your competition. This has been

This has been 聽baby carrier鈥檚 strategy: by creating their own custom baby slings, they can offer exclusive products only sold under their brand name.

is a brand that sells unique baby slings

Specific niche products

By niching down to a highly specific sector of the kid鈥檚 market, you can stand out from the competition (rather than trying to cater to customers of all kinds.) For example, rather than simply selling kid鈥檚 clothing, you could position your brand as one that sells eco-friendly kid鈥檚 clothing with organic fabrics. Online retailer

Online retailer 聽has taken this approach: they sell streetwear for 办颈诲蝉鈥揳苍诲 all of their products fit within this highly specific fashion niche for a cohesive look and feel.

sells streetwear for kids

Problem-solving products

By discovering and addressing pain points the buyers within this niche are facing, your kid鈥檚 products can be positioned as valuable, must-have items. Think about the hassles and frustrations you face as a parent or caregiver, and then try to come up with products and offerings that would solve those issues.

That鈥檚 what kid鈥檚 brand 聽did: they created reusable, mess-free food pouches to solve the issue of healthy, portable snacking for kids.

sells reusable mess-free food pouches

Now that we have an idea of how to stand out within the kid鈥檚 brand marketplace, let鈥檚 look at the laws and regulations to consider and be in compliance with when you鈥檙e ready to launch.

Laws and Regulations to Know

Before introducing your new kid鈥檚 brand and its products to the market, be sure you鈥檙e in compliance with the laws and regulations related to this product niche.

Within the US, children鈥檚 products are subject to a set of federal safety rules, called the 聽(CPSR). These pertain to children鈥檚 products aimed at children 12 years of age or younger. If your brand is selling toys or durable infant or toddler products, you will need to be in compliance and have your products tested before putting them on the market.
Manufacturers and importers of children鈥檚 products in the US must have a 聽to certify that their products comply with all safety rules.
Within the EU, food products聽aimed at children will need to follow specific rules for nutritional composition, as determined by .

Depending on where you live, there may also be state and/or local regulations associated with children鈥檚 products, so be sure to check with state and local government offices to see if additional permits or certifications are required.

Best Practices for Kid鈥檚 Brands

Last, but not least, let鈥檚 go over a few of the best practices聽that you should keep in mind to make your kid鈥檚 brand a success.

Service. You can have the best website, design, and prices in the market, but if your service聽is lacking, customers won鈥檛 support your brand. Especially for urgent goods (think food, diapers, etc.) you need to ensure reliable, on-time delivery and excellent customer support. Customers are sensitive about products for their kids, so delivering top-tier service to each and every customer is a must.
Convenience. Anyone caring for a child is constantly busy, so convenience is key. Offer a variety of delivery options (including , if that鈥檚 helpful) so that you can accommodate your buyers鈥� hectic schedules.
Returns. Returns聽are a 丑补蝉蝉濒别鈥揳苍诲 one more thing to add on a busy parent鈥檚 to-do list. Cut down on returns by including detailed photos听补苍诲 product descriptions, and make sure you can quickly answer questions via email or a call center.
Be emotionally involved.聽It鈥檚 important to be emotionally involved in your kid鈥檚 brand because your buyers will be, too. When customers buy, they鈥檙e buying with a child in mind, so always listen to concerns, help when you can, and show that you鈥檙e emotionally invested in every single sale.