The toy retailer Camp NYC Inc. (Camp) recently implemented online shopping for children as young as three. Revenue from online retail in 2019 was approximately $360 million, jumping to $432 million in 2020. In the toy industry, this increase is in addition to a positive change in revenue of 16.7% from 2019 to 2020.
In such a saturated marketplace, Camp strives to stand out by creating “Camp’s Present Shop.” This is where adults build their child’s profile and set restrictions while their kids do the shopping. This gives young children the autonomy to shop for gifts for others and is a clever and engaging way for youth to learn real-world budgeting techniques.
Camp built their platform so that the parents create the child’s account. They provide a little bit of information about the kid’s preferences and who they are shopping for. The parents then put as much money as they would like their child to use into the account, and it translates into “coins” for the kids to spend online.
The website is child-friendly with Scout the Bear guiding them through the shopping process. The bear asks questions and offers suggestions to aid the kids in their buying experience. Before they begin shopping, Scout also asks the children a few personality questions to build a custom shopping experience—so he can accurately show gift options they will love.
Once this is completed, the child can begin shopping by scrolling around the shop. The products have additional descriptions, and for children that cannot read well, there are videos. When a child has a product they want to purchase, they add it to their collection. Scout will track how many coins the kid has used and will notify them when they’re low and/or out of money. After the products are chosen, they can also choose to add a personalized card to the gift.
This is an incredible platform that gives children the autonomy to buy for others with no risk or unnecessary stress on the adults’ end. Camp ensured that they comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires websites to garner consent from parents to collect data from children’s data under 13. After Camp gets consent, they collect the data anonymously.
As online shopping and socializing take hold of today’s youth, Camp’s move towards a solely child-oriented platform is headed in the right direction. It builds a dichotomy between the child and adult populations. There are frequent concerns over children’s data being exposed to companies and children themselves being subjected to uncensored content. However, platforms explicitly designed for kids will make it easier to protect them and ensure they are still having a fun experience online.
