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Although there is a huge variety of juvenile safety products on
the market today, most of them have one thing in common: the parents
must figure out what products they need, then come to the store
and buy them.
Recently, however, a new concept has reached the marketplace. Companies
are beginning to offer complete, in-home childproofing services.
With accidents as the number one killer of children today, there
is clearly a market for these programs. This month we profile Safe
& Sound, which is now franchising these products and services.
Safe & Sound, founded in the early 90’s by CEO Richard
Shandelman, receives most of its business through referrals and
partnerships with other businesses. Shandelman describes the appeal
of Safe & Sound this way:
"When parents walk into a store, they might not understand
what they really need; a lot of safety products are just impulse
buys. When they get home they often find that the product isn’t
right for them and then apathy sets in. We design complete solutions
which can save parents time and money in the long run."
Once parents agree to its services, Safe & Sound’s work
begins with an in-home safety evaluation. According to Shandelman,
this room-by-room look at a home’s potential hazards usually
takes about one-and-a-half to two hours. During this time, the Safe
& Sound representative gets an idea of what lifestyle the parents
are trying to achieve and how a conducive flow can be created throughout
the house.
Much of the work of the visit is allotted to parent education. Of
course, Safe & Sound looks carefully at each safety hazard to
determine what products are needed and what changes need to be made,
but the ultimate goal is not to restrict the child. Rather, by creating
a safe "yes" environment the child is freed to roam more
safely.
Because this safe and open environment is the company’s main
priority, the service provided by Safe & Sound goes far beyond
selling products. In fact, Shandelman prefers to help parents design
these environments with as few restrictive products as possible.
After the visit, the required products and household changes are
agreed upon, and a second visit is arranged to install necessary
products. The typical cost of the consultations, the products and
installation is about $500, which isn’t very much considering
the extraordinary amount of discretionary spending parents are committing
to their children today. Safe & Sound also provides customers
with a complete one-year service guarantee.
The Safe & Sound program is designed to grow with the child.
Furthermore, after the two visits, Safe & Sound offers customers
periodic information on new products or products that are now appropriate
as children grow older.
Most of these products are of the familiar sort that one would expect,
such as outlet covers, cabinet safety latches, baby gates, anti-scald
water valves, etc., but Shandelman emphasizes that these products
must be designed properly or they can actually be dangerous to a
child. For instance, push-in outlet caps can be removed by industrious
toddlers, resulting in an open outlet and something that can be
choked on.
To make sure that its products work correctly, Safe & Sound
devotes extensive resources to testing items in real-home, out-of-the-lab
situations. This insures product longevity. Shandelman himself has
spent much of his life in product design. He notes: "items
are evaluated for functionality, safety, longevity, aesthetics and
price." Some Safe & Sound products are custom manufactured,
while others are standard items from leading suppliers when these
products meet the company’s rigorous standards. All products
are IPMA certified.
Safe & Sound’s rigorous product testing and overall approach
are reinforced by its own Safety Advisory Council. The council,
which consists of leading doctors and safety specialists, ongoingly
researches new home hazards, product discoveries and recent findings
that may address emerging safety issues.
The council includes experts in child psychiatry, since not only
are the physical features of a product important, but also how a
child will react to it. For instance, certain safety products such
as stove guards can cause a danger by becoming attractive to a child.
Getting around the product becomes a game. In the meantime, the
child now has a great interest in the stove.
FRANCHISING SAFETY
This year, Safe & Sound has launched an extensive franchising
program. Through the company’s Philadelphia headquarters, franchisees
are offered training, certification and marketing support. In addition,
owners receive 24-hour access to Safe & Sound’s exclusive
database of updated safety and product information, both through
its own intranet connections and its advisory council.
The franchisee training program focuses on child safety education
which includes and surpasses product knowledge. The program educates
the franchisees about the in-home hazards faced by children at different
stages of development. For instance, there are different dangers
posed to children at ages 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months,
18-24 months, 2-3 years and 4-5 years old.
Franchises require an investment from $31,000 to $43,000. The home-based
nature of the business keeps costs down. The company expects to
have sold 20 franchises during 1998 and to grow to more than 100
by the year 2000. With the strong success of the infant safety products
industry, there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight for Safe
& Sound’s growth.
SAFETY AND SERVICE – A WINNING COMBINATION
Infant safety is big business. According to the latest figures,
the juvenile safety products industry has grown to over $1 billion
a year, and this figure doesn’t even take into account the
enormous impact that safety features have on other types of juvenile
products.
In this issue, we have spotlighted two completely different companies
that share a common element: both realize the critical importance
of safety. First we feature Bellini, an upscale retailer of designer
baby and children’s furniture. Every crib it sells is JPMA
certified, a fact which is prominently displayed on each item. Bellini
points out that many customers come to the store specifically asking
for JPMA certified products. (Be sure to look for the complete 1998
JPMA certified product list in the Safety Update department of this
issue!)
We also feature Safe & Sound, a home-based, franchised juvenile
safety service and product company. Like Bellini, Safe & Sound’s
products are JPMA certified, in addition to which the company performs
its own battery of tests, including extensive in-home, out-of-the-lab
testing. The company has also established its own safety advisory
board staffed by leading medical professionals.
Another element that both of this issue’s feature companies
have in common is superior service. Today it is not enough to simply
offer a good product. Safe & Sound conducts home visits to determine
what items parents need, while delivering sound safety advice and
environment design suggestions which transcend product purchases.
Traditional retailers will need to start matching this level of
service if they are to keep pace with growing consumer expectations.
Service is also essential at Bellini. One only needs to listen to
a sales associate talk in depth with a customer about the kind of
room that they are trying to design to realize that what Bellini
sells goes beyond furniture. Bellini also offers extensive interior
decorating and design services. Like Safe & Sound, Bellini is
in the business of designing environments.
In these days of retail consolidation, people continue to ask how
smaller operators can survive and flourish in the face of price
competition from the industry giants. The answer seems to lie in
companies such as Bellini and Safe & Sound: safety, personal
service and a quality product are a formula for success in any era.
Tony Faber, Editor, Juvenile Merchandising
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