Infant toddler buyers play tag with fashion trends, moms - apparel buyers

Discount Store News, Jan 2, 1995 by James Mammarella

NATIONWIDE DSN REPORT -- Discount store buyers of infant and toddler apparel are juggling shopping trends like torches, hoping not to get burned.

The ovation comes to buyers who effectively juggle the ups and downs of this ever-changing business. Buyers face consumers who are less brand loyal in the children's categories than they are in largersize apparel, but still want to shop a department that offers branded selections. They have to balance fewer swings in fashion against the number of subcategories, which is extensive. The overall vendor market is diverse, but buyers say that experienced importers are a relatively select group.

Lead time is another concern. Matt Sudhalter, dmm, men's, boys' and children's at Stuarts, said parents tend to buy earlier for infants and toddlers in each season.

Warm weather early this winter delayed outerwear sales volume in adult sizes, but shoppers seeking to bundle up the little ones were less restrained in their spending.

Time-forward buying is good for sales. However, merchants seeking to react quickly when styles catch on in infants' and toddlers' are faced with long lead times, as their overseas suppliers are impacted by country-of-origin quotas.

Also, opportunistic purchases are limited in a tight market, added Denis Lemire, exec vp, merchandising at Ames.

Another demand on the merchandiser is balancing the mix of traditional and contemporary styles. To a greater degree than other size segments, infants' and toddlers' departments can be optimized only by presenting a balance of old and new looks. While some traditional styles -- those with pastel bears and balloons, primary color designs or lace trim -- are perennial high turners, buying contemporary looks is more of a guessing game.

For larger sizes, it's easy to identify the hottest licensed designs. In toddler sizes, however, where the mother or grandmother has more direct influence over how the child is attired, Power Rangers or Aladdin may not be the first choice. "They [mothers] will choose the cutsie stuff like Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh," said Sudhalter, over characters that fad-oriented youngsters demand in larger sizes.

But, the impact of parents' favorite sports teams is clear when toddler fleece sets featuring the Celtics, Cowboys and Hornets fly out of the store.

If there is one easy segment to buy, said Lethe Logan, children's buyer for Pic 'N' Save, Jacksonville, Fla., it is what some call "Grandma bait." These styles emphasize lace, velvet, velour, floral prints and old fashioned flair, where the rule is "the goopier the better."

A buyer with a firm grasp of the traditional styles can keep quality and price the main objectives on an overseas buying trip. She lauded the quality of today's imports from such countries as the Philippines.

At Ames, Lemire and Diane Edwards, merchandise manager, children's, said the chain will increase the fashion-to-basics ratio, especially adding on in the licensed character area. Lemire said the change won't be a matter of expanding floor space or reducing classifications, however. It will be in better assortments.

"We're not cutting back on basics -- the turn in fashion is faster than in basics," said Lemire. "The righter you are with your product, the less you have to give it away."

The buyer's job is not made easier by the limited scope of powerful brands for this age range. There are fewer dominant brands in children's than in larger-size apparel--and half of the children's brands most prized by consumers tend to be unavailable at discount. These include OshKosh, Levi, Lee and Buster Brown, according to DSN research (Oct. 17, 1994).

Another challenge for buyers is to master the plethora of categories, said Sudhalter. He noted such items as newborn sets, rattles and safety items.

Of course, key trends do drive the market. Consumers are demanding more 100% cotton. From the fashion standpoint, brighter colors are being adopted sooner in infants' and toddlers' than in larger sizes.

Perhaps one trend overrides all of these. Infants' and toddlers' departments are the fastest growing segment in children's apparel today. To stay ahead of the market for these bouncing baby consumers, the buyers must learn to juggle faster.