Color, razzmatazz can help chains draw on pre-teen market

Drug Store News, Sept 9, 1991 by Liz Parks

Color, razzmatazz can help chains draw on pre-teen market

Drug store retailers courting teens and pre-teens can get an edge on the competition by making their stores attractive to children.

According to a recent article in American Demographics, more kids are shopping for themselves today than at any other point in history. They have more money to spend than ever and 70 percent of them depict shopping as fun.

But because they are starting to shop at such tender young ages as four, five and six, they begin shopping where their parents made them familiar, and they prefer stores with an exciting ambiance.

American Demographics, which based its conclusions on a nationally representative sample of children aged four to 12, reported that children accumulated almost $9 billion in 1989, a gain of $4.7 billion or 83 percent over 1984. Out of that $9 billion, they spent a little more than $6 billion in 1989, 41 percent more than they spent in 1984.

The actual number of four to 12-year-olds is also rising and now stands at 33 million, it says.

Among the survey's key findings: * Young children prefer to shop in supermarkets and convenience stores because these are the places they know best. * Children start to visit stores on their own before they get to grade school. Half of all six year olds buy from at least one store a week. * About three-quarters of seven- to nine- year-olds make independent trips to stores, visiting an average of two stores a week. * By age eight, all children make some independent purchase while shopping with their parents, and by age nine, most are buying from three stores a week while with their parents. * Ten year olds average five visits a week to five different stores.

American Demographics asked 112 second, third and fourth graders to draw whatever came to mind when they thought about shopping.

All the children drew themselves shopping for their own needs, and 60 percent drew themselves as shoppers for their household.

For 40 percent of children, shopping meant going to a supermarket. Another 26 percent drew themselves shopping a specialty retailer for toys or clothing. None drew themselves shopping in a drug store, variety store or restaurant.

Now it's possible that children may not shop drug stores because their parents aren't going to drug stores often enough to make their kids comfortable in these stores. But it's also possible that children don't think of drug stores as fun places to shop.

In their drawings, 70 percent of the children showed themselves smiling as they shopped, and in the majority of their drawings children also projected themselves as highly involved with the store they were in.

In two thirds of the drawings, children showed themselves in a store that was visually exciting, cluttered with fixtures and counters.

They also drew checkered floor tiles, shopping carts and baskets, trash cans, mannequins and even music coming from the store's ceiling.

Many chains today are trying to determine how they could make their stores more attractive for youngsters to shop and several are flirting with the idea of creating a kids' department.

The findings indicate that this may be the right track to take. And they also confirm that kids are a market worth courting. Consider these other survey findings: * Children aged four to 12 averaged $4.42 a week in income in 1989. * The most rapid growth has occurred in children aged five, six and seven. A child's income rises "markedly" once they enter elementary and middle school. * 60 percent of all children now receive an allowance and allowances account for 53 percent of a child's total income. * Last year, kids four to 12 spent $2 billion on candy, soft drinks, frozen desserts, fruits and other snacks such as potato chips, popcorn and peanuts. * They spent $1.9 billion on toys and games with purchases ranging from inexpensive cars and dolls to bicycles, skateboards and video games.

And finally, kids eventually become teens and teens are also highly affluent consumers.

According to the Rand Youth Poll of New York City, the number of teens in the 13 to 19 year old age range fell by over 4 million during the decade of the '80s. However, the amount of money spent by teens went up $20 billion for the ten years ending in 1989. According to the Rand Youth Poll, during 1989, teens spent approximately $56 billion.