For Kid-Friendly Stores, Safety and Engagement Go Hand-in-Hand

Gen Alpha is forecast to become the largest generation in history, reaching more than 2 billion worldwide by 2025, according to GWI research. And this cohort’s spending power is only going to grow, which is why brands and retailers are focused on creating spaces designed to meet their distinct needs, behaviors and passions.

In most households, there typically is a Chief Buying Officer or Chief Family Officer — someone who oversees most (if not all) purchase decisions and manages all shopping trips. While creating experiences for this buyer is critical, brands and retailers shouldn’t overlook the power and influence of children — especially if they’re selling products (like toys and clothes) specifically for kids. That’s according to executives from design firm Nelson Worldwide, which has created spaces for brands like American Girl and Melissa & Doug.

“We’re not just thinking about the parent as the shopper but the kid as well, because they’re shopping in tandem,” said Sarah Mulle, Account Manager, Retail at Nelson Worldwide in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “What is keeping the child engaged while mom, dad or whoever is with them is shopping at the same time? There are multiple things happening at the same time.”

Mulle and her colleagues Faith Huddleston, Studio Leader of Lifestyle/Wellness, Retail, and Monica Gerhardt, Associate Principal and Senior Studio Leader, Retail, reflected on some of their most successful projects to pinpoint some of the key requirements for kid-friendly spaces:

• Respecting the brand’s foundational strategy and vision;
• Providing free play opportunities;
• Ensuring the safety and durability of the environment; and
• Creating sensory experiences that shoppers of all ages can enjoy.

Respecting a Foundational Strategy and Vision

All brands have a unique story to tell. While it’s important to stay true to that story and communicate it visually and in the store experience, brands need to develop a more robust strategy that also considers category trends and the needs of local communities.  

When Nelson Worldwide works with a brand, “there’s always a deep dive into industry trends to understand what affects them, what they care about and what their goals and objectives are,” Huddleston said. “And then you have the context of location in the community that the store is going to be in.”

For example, when Nelson Worldwide worked with Melissa & Doug for its first permanent brick-and-mortar store, the foundational goal was to move product. “Much of the store is dedicated to boxed merchandise so people can get in and out, grab and go,” Gerhardt explained. Nelson Worldwide worked with Melissa & Doug to carefully categorize and merchandise the store, so parents could easily browse and find products based on product type as well as age group.

At the same time, though, the brand knew it couldn’t overlook that in order to find the right toy, parents would want to see products in context. “They wanted to unbox key products…the more lifestyle, larger-than-life products…so that the child and, more importantly, the parent, could understand the quality,” Gerhardt added.

“[Melissa & Doug] were opening this new channel because they love and believe in their product, and they wanted to create a direct exposure to the product so they could communicate the value of the product directly to consumers,” she said.

Going All-In on Free Play

Adults are undoubtedly critical stakeholders in all purchase decisions, but the reality is that if a store isn’t fun and engaging for kids, a shopping trip can quickly fall off the rails (particularly when the kids are along on shopping trips). “There has to be a balance; you can use technology to make things quick, easy, efficient and convenient, but there still has to be fun,” Huddleston explained.

“It’s about determining what we’re trying to communicate through the child’s experience in engaging with the product and making the space compelling to them, but also simultaneously engaging the parent,” Gerhardt explained. “That was a big deal for Melissa & Doug because what they were trying to do in that store was educate parents and enforce the importance of pretend play and just being wide open with your imagination. If a child wants to wear the mixing bowl on their head, that’s OK! It was all about letting the child’s imagination run wild.”

That’s why Melissa & Doug, which positions itself as an authority on children’s development and education, included several interactive components in its store to inspire free play.

Other brands, like American Girl, go all-in on free play and product immersion. The brand recently partnered with Nelson Worldwide on its new flagship at the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles, designing the experience to include traditional retail spaces as well as a salon and café where shoppers can enjoy time with their new dolls. American Girl’s powerful storytelling was the throughline connecting all these different components.

“There are stories upon stories here,” Mulle explained. “American Girl loves their story as a brand, and then all their characters have a story and then the space is all about creating a memory out of this whole day out. That becomes a story, too, and it becomes something you share and will want to bring someone else to next time.”

Never Overlook Safety and Durability

Because these spaces are designed for kids first, brands and retailers cannot overlook the importance of safety and durability.

“We’re always conscious of making sure [these experiences] can stand up to kids playing — you want kids to be kids in these spaces if you’re trying to engage and create an experience,” Mulle explained. “There’s extra sensitivity when designing for kids because you want them to explore and make it so a parent doesn’t have to worry. We make sure we’re designing intentionally so they’re comfortable and can relax a bit, and let their kids play because then that’s a better shopping experience for everybody.”

Gerhardt added that because kids are very tactile, brands and retailers also should consider the materials they use and even interactive components they may want to feature. “For example, if a brand wants to have a sequin wall in a store, can those sequins come off and can a child ingest and choke on one? Are there pinch points where kids can get their fingers stuck or climb up something and get hurt? There is extra sensitivity around these things when you’re designing for kids.”

There are no strict guidelines or regulations for kid-friendly spaces, although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides solid guidelines to ensure spaces are safe and inclusive, according to Gerhardt. And durability should be a consideration for retailers when they think of interactive activity spaces, fixturing and other visual displays.

Creating Sensory Experiences for All

When designing these immersive, play-centric spaces, brands shouldn’t be afraid to tap into the power of visual imagination to guide tactical design decisions.

“Kids love imagination — pirates, fairy tales — so theming is a really great idea when designing a kid’s space,” said Huddleston. “How do we make kids feel like they have potential? How do we educate them about who they might want to become?”

Not to mention, “color, color, color, kids love color and they’re drawn to it,” Huddleston added. Using bright pops of color and creating highly saturated environments can lead to these “wow” moments, Mulle added.

However, Huddleston added that she is seeing heightened interest in more sensory-friendly environments, even for kids. “All designers are taking more note of more inclusive designs and materials that really enhance the space and experience, no matter where you are in your comfortability with these sensory moments,” she said. “You want to have those moments when you can choose how loud the music is or how bright the lights are. We want to really embrace and accept these differences and I think the next generation especially is going to be catering more towards these types of solutions.