How's Your Sentimentality?

 

How's Your Sentimentality?

Have you ever asked yourself the question: if you were in a fire, and everyone was getting out safely, what items would you grab to save?

As an adult, I'm scooping up my phone (because it houses all my photographs) and my purse (because IDs, credit, and insurance cards are unbelievably difficult to replace). If I were much older than I am now, I presume it will take me a while to get out the door. So, it's just me and my walker making the big rush. I'll have my memories!

But thinking back a good long while, when I was a child, I'd have wanted to save all of my favorite toys. And by the looks of my living room today, there would be a giant garbage bag full of stuffed animals that my two year old daughter would refuse to allow to go up in flames! From favorite TV shows to simply the fuzziest and softest she could find, her snuggly friends would literally overflow around her car seat on the way out. 

It is interesting how sentimentality looks from the eyes of age and experience in life. The things that we cherish and consider keepsakes evolve over time and become treasures from our past. 

I'm thinking about sentimentality just before Valentine's Day, Galentine's Day (whichever you prefer), and how relevant it is to work for a company that thrives in seasons where sentimental gifts are the best ones. I'm enjoying seeing items like the World's Softest Pink Koala have success because people see the intrinsic value of plush treasures. 

Where I once might have looked at a plush toy as something only children can enjoy, I now look at them as keepsakes that can hold memories in their furry paws, tangible comforts to those in pain or confusion, or loveable friends that get lined up on the couch and taught a good lesson! 

Having a little one really does remind you of the small moments and simple fortunes that can improve your life in immeasurable ways. Something so uncomplicated as a World's Softest bunny or bear can brighten someone's day and they may hold it dear for the rest of their lives. It will remind the other person of the time that you spent together and the memories you were able to make. 

I'm okay with my little girl grabbing her stuffies on our way out the door!!

Click Here to Find World's Softest!

Leave Your Worries Behind

LEAVE YOUR WORRIES BEHIND

Rolling waves of glistening water, hitting the soft sand of the beach, another summer closes and we are bombarded with pumpkin spice and autumnal hues. Front doors are suddenly covered in corn stalks and jovial scarecrows, while tank tops and flip flops are replaced with fleece jackets and rain boots. 

It’s the beginning of the holiday season and thoughts rush in of decision and anxiety. What toys to buy? What family’s house will you visit first on Christmas morning? Preparing for the holidays is a heap of difference from the perspective of a parent versus that of a new professional in the toy industry. 

My two year old daughter is obsessed with a tv show, and characters from this show are the singular subject of what seems like, all toys in my house at this point. Since the show hasn’t been around for very long, the choices are limited- though, I will admit, they do seem to take up significant space. 

On the contrary, limits aren’t a thing at Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company. We offer an abundance of options that can be found in stores nationwide, and CustomPlush.com offers endless opportunities for designing and product development. It’s like a partnership of colors that seem to have no relation, but somehow create a beautiful masterpiece. 

So the question is, how to make the colors run smoothly between parenthood and profession?

To an extent, it’s beneficial to know the happenings of the industry. Knowing that there may be shortages on the shelves this holiday season, ahead of the general public, has allowed me the opportunity to purchase early for the things my kids will “need”- I say need very sarcastically. I see toys that I know will be engaging, interactive, and will keep them busy for a while and I jump at the chance to purchase them.

Check out the Color Genie and see what I mean!

Knowing inside information may have also caused me to buy an item immediately, rather than think about it longer before purchasing. What I learned through this pandemic, and let me know if this is true for all of you, is that instant gratification has become “necessary” rather than impulsive as it once was in the act of buying. 

The difference at work falls to ensuring our customers, and to retailers, that we have products available. Whether on Amazon or StuffedAnimals.com, Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company is aware that impulsivity has become necessity for buyers and is actively working on being part of the industry solution. 

I feel blessed that I am working for a company that I would be proud and safe, having their toys in my home. The quality is impeccable, they are super cute, AND I can count on the content being wholesome. As it turns out, parenthood and profession can work together for the greater good! The colors flow seamlessly from summer brights to fall warms, brushing softly together to paint a landscape of a successful new year.

    

Color Genie is a Washable, Airbrush Plush Bear with Endless Creative Possibility! Click Here to Buy Now!

RE-DEFINING FIVE STARS

A Five Star Rating System can be defined as an expression of preferences to predict if another is likely to enjoy. While it makes sense that we should rate a product after we try it, the rating system doesn't allow a future consumer the full picture of attributes the product might have- good or bad.  

In other words, we might write a review that is scathing based on how the item was damaged in shipping, rather than the quality and usefulness of the product. 

Every day, I try to read through a different product's reviews on Amazon. As the newest member of the Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company, and to the toy industry, I want to learn about the products that I am representing. Just as when I'm shopping for myself, I read reviews to gauge how likely I am to get use out of the item I am looking at. Usually, this serves me well. 

But as I am delving into review after review of these toys, the reasons that people choose to write a review range and they don't really give an cumulative overview of the product.

Let's look at the Squeezamals Picnic Pack. It has 1,014 reviews with an average 4.8/5 stars. Stats appear good. 

As a part of the company that designs the toy, we should be proud that one customer feels the quality, aesthetics, and value of the product is exceptional. It is, however, unfortunate that another customer feels that the delivery process reflects on the product itself in this instance. 

Why aren't itemized issues such as these differentiated from the product it represents. How can we be more effective in this process so that reviews are given to the proper "departments" within a process? That's when I had a thought...

What if we, as industries, determine what a star is received for? Let us Re-define 5 Stars.

Upon submitting a product to a company for listing, such as Amazon, we should have a pre-approved list of seven attributes that we would like the customer to decide if we deserve a star, or not. It becomes a yes or no, did we meet the demand?

For the Squeezamals Wicker Picnic Pack

1. Value- Do you feel that the item purchased is worth the price listed?

2. Quality- Do you feel that the item purchased is well made?

3. Presentation- Does your child like the appearance of the item?

4. Features- Does your child enjoy the added features?

5. Likability- Does your child like to play with the item often or show it off to friends?

6. Likelihood to Purchase- Would you purchase this item again, such as a gift for another?

7. Fits the Category- Pretend/ Nurture Play

If a company is allowed to say, "This is the reason we made this product. Did we succeed?" and the customer provides the star as a yes or no, then we can glean a clearer image of where the product succeeds or where it is lacking. It also gives us the opportunity to learn from the customer, whether the intended user of the product finds it successful. 

The customer should, of course be able to leave a comment. Perhaps in a format of, "Would you like to leave a comment about the product, the ordering process, or the delivery?" This way, the comment could be directed to the company that houses the triumph, or the issue.

The current Five Star Rating system isn't completely useless. Most reviews do contain at least one reason why they love or hate the product. Additionally, it does give the customer some sense of satisfaction to provide a "score" on their experience. However, this "score" only provides a random number of stars, usually based on a feeling rather than the overall success of the product. 

I envision a Star system where a customer might leave an informative review for the next person to make an educated decision about the product. A system that tells the makers of the toys how they're doing it right, or how they could do it better.

 

BUY IT NOW!

Popped Corn Always Rises to the Top

It was 1999, and I'd missed the first two days of my senior year because I was sick. What's there to miss? It's just going over the Code of Conduct. In every class. For two days. 

I had signed up for an art class and in that first couple of days, the teacher had thrown a few pieces of popcorn on the table and told the students to sketch, no strings attached. 

When I came into the class the following day, she threw the popcorn on the table and said plainly, to sketch. Slightly confused, but a type A rule follower, I sketched. 

I thought my popcorn looked Awesome!

But there were no grades given and, I can admit, I was a bit agitated that I wasn't receiving top marks for a job well done. Young and dumb, I didn't realize the intention of the sketch until long after I'd graduated. 

I'm now three months into my new job, nay career, at Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company, and I find that I take the popcorn lessons with me down each new path I decide to take in life. You see, when I begin something new, I've learned that it's just as important what you do on the first day, as it is what you do on the last. 

I didn't think about what I was doing when I sketched that popcorn. I did what was required and turned in a complete project. But I didn't look outside of the frame of the paper. 
If I'd looked outside the lines, I could have created something Magical.

I think when you enter into a new project, job, or even a room with people who you don't know, the fear of judgement holds us back from showing our true potential. We worry if our creative ideas, out of the box logic, and wild hair-brained schemes will intimidate or confuse others. Will they make sense? Can others see our vision?

What's more, am I now working at a company that will welcome those visions, rather than give them the corporate fly-by?

The answer is YES. Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company, and with Custom Plush, a brand of BHTB, allows me to see ideas come to fruition. From product design, to development, to production,, to holding something that has come to life in your hands, it is literally, seeing ideas come to life. Working alongside the Director of Special Markets, I feel truly blessed that I can throw ideas out, and they are not only heard, but they're appreciated. We discuss what could work and what the challenges might be. Then we push through the challenges as a team. It's refreshing and rewarding. 

With that being said, I don't eat popcorn. But now, when I see popcorn in a bowl, I think about that art teacher. Sketching the popcorn was a way for her to assess our abilities for future grading. I never asked, but I suspect she saw the potential in my sketch. That it could have been so much more that just a few kernels. If I'd just brought all of that potential to the surface from day one...