The Thing About Toys and Action Figures

Quick: name me any e-tailer that comes to your mind right now. Amazon.com? You’re right! With heavyweight online stores dominating the e-tailing landscape, it isn’t easy at all to succeed selling online. So it’s a pleasant surprise when CoolBusinessIdeas.com spotted an online toyshop that has succeeded in cyberspace.

Kidrobot (www.kidrobot.com) specializes in selling premium limited edition collectible toys called “urban vinyl action figures.” They’re odd but interesting figurines, like a 9-inch nightclub DeeJay with his own tiny turntable, or “Barro,” a six-inch glow-in-the-dark vinyl head, or “Bounty Hunter,” a 20-inch robot-like statuette (Source: ecommerce.internet.com). Designed by underground artists in Asia who blend urban street culture with hip-hop style, these toys define a unique culture with its own languageand identity.
The toys are limited edition and are produced in quantities of only 100 to 500. Hence, established toy retailers do not stock such items, allowing Kidrobot to compete in a totally different niche. Although most of its action figures are priced in the $50-60 range, it is also dedicated to collecting and selling very rare (read: very collectable) limited-edition merchandise. Quite a number cross the $200.00 mark. Big heavyweights like Toys”R”Us simply cannot sell such limited edition figurines, since such toys embody a whole culture in themselves and they’ll lose their shine when commercialized just like any other merchandise.

Selling online also makes it easier for Kidrobot to encourage the growth of this nascent cultural movement. With some clever online marketing, it has managed to entice many toy collectors and shoppers to collect its interesting figurines. By paying or giving rare toys to smaller fan-based sites in exchange for ads, Kidrobot has built up a clan of like-minded websites. It also has an online gallery where photos of everything that it has ever sold are posted, much of which are limited editions. This attracts serious toy collectors who think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on rare collectibles to its site. By having an online forum, Kidrobot inspires loyalty and facilitates the growth of a community with its very own culture.
Kidrobot is making a kill in the trendy online business. The site is so well received that it generated profits shortly after its debut!
Let’s Get Down To Business…
Any toyshop would seem inconspicuous anywhere but Kidrobot has successfully set itself apart from its competitors by providing an environment for the growth of an entire culture and by deploying effective online marketing strategies.
Unless you’re bent on taking on a billion-dollar corporation like Amazon.com, you should zoom in on a very specialized niche that is small yet full of potential. Retain faithful customers through community/loyalty-building initiatives. See how Kidrobot taps the Internet and becomes a global e-tailer almost instantly. Think about it: instead of making a long trip down to a shop, wouldn’t it be wonderful to view and purchase what you want online from within the comfort of your own home? Lesson: sell online if you can help it!
Related Ideas & Trends
http://www.kidrobot.com
http://gear.ign.com/articles/356/356387p1.html
http://actionfigures.about.com