The Power of Kids

In a 2012 Nickelodeon study, 56 percent of parents run their homes in a Board of Directors approach where they make the final decisions after consulting the thoughts of their children.  "Little Timmy, where would you like to eat tonight?"

Think about the impact of this on our downtowns and in your business.  More from that study:

"In the U.S., 71% of parents solicit and consider their kids' opinions when making purchases. That percentage jumps to 94% internationally.

Parents in both the U.S. and internationally seek their kids' opinions when buying products for them. In the U.S., 95% of parents do, and internationally 99% of parents seek their children's opinions. When making family purchases, 69% of U.S. parents confer with their kids, while internationally, 87% do. As far as making purchases for themselves, 28% of U.S. parents talk about it with their children before making the purchase, while 55% of international parents do.

The categories that kids are most collaborative in as far as purchases go are clothes and shoes (85%) and fast food (also 85%). The percentage drops to 56% when it comes to making vacation decisions and to 49% in a mobile phone purchase."

What is your store doing to be kid friendly?  When was the last time you engaged the child in conversation, offered kid freebies or purchased children's merchandise even if it isn't your traditional business model?  Perhaps it's time to worry less about what kids might break, touch or steal and focus more on what we can do to bring their influence to the table to make a sale.

For more on the study, go here.