NW101, NINE WEST KIDS, S�FILO GROUP

KIDS' KORNER
Brand Conscious Kids
By Erinn Morgan

They step into your dispensary and know what they want. They ask for designer brands by name and recognize the logos on frames and merchandising materials. And they have not even graduated from grade school yet.

Pint-sized consumers are becoming more demanding and know the designer brands that they want in their eyewear, say a number of savvy dispensers who focus on the children's market.

"The frames have the little emblem on them with the name of the designer, and the children go straight to them and ask for the designers by name," says Kay Faulkner of Fifth Avenue Eyewear in Fort Worth, Texas.

Many also say that this trend used to be dominant with kids 10 years old and older, but now even the smaller children are name-conscious.

"The children used to start asking for brands at around 10 years of age," says Katheryn Dabbs Schramm, president and owner of A Child's View, a three-store chain in California's Orange County. "Now even the 7- and 8-year-olds are asking for brands like Tommy Hilfiger. I think it's because they are maturing so much faster."

As a result of this trend, many dispensers have seen fit to increase their assortment of designer frames for children. "Our percentage of designer frames is much larger now than it was even six months ago," says Dabbs Schramm. "We carry a lot more name brands now for children-far more than we've ever had before."

Their Influences

For sure, today's child is maturing faster due to the proliferation of media such as television, advertisements, and radio (not to mention computers and the Internet). "The kids older than 7 or 8 want the high-profile designer names like Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Nine West," says Faulkner. "They like name brands because often other kids make fun of them if they have to wear glasses-and they want to be cool and accepted. The designer merchandise helps."

Some dispensers say the kids like certain names in particular because they really identify their products with the teenage market. "The 10-year-olds are watching the 15-year-olds," says Dabbs Schramm.

And these children do not want their eyewear to be identified with anything that is known to be child-like. "It's not the Disney logo on the temple that sells the frame, it's the toy on the shelf," Dabbs Schramm says. "That's why Marchon (the distributor of Disney children's eyewear) took the logo off the side of the temple-it wasn't attracting the kids."

And the fact that the parents also know the brands their children want and associate them with quality and good design helps facilitate the final sale. "Parents recognize those names, too," says Janie Schofner, manager of Heffner Point Youth Optical in Oklahoma City. "And the kids do, too-at around 7 or 8 years old they start to notice. At 10 years old they really get into it. And the fact that many parents are geared toward brand names when the shop helps, too."

The Value

As with most designer merchandise, eyewear that bears a coveted name also typically commands a higher price. But many dispensers say that parents show little price resistance to the name-brand products their children want. "The parents want the kids to look the best they can," says Faulkner. "Thus, the cost factor is not as much of an issue to them."

In Faulkner's dispensary, designer frames start at $139 and range up to $169. "It's something the child has to wear every single day, so the parents don't look at that price-they just get them something they know they will wear," she says. "If they don't wear them, then you are defeating the purpose of trying to get them glasses."

Additionally, dispensers say that parents often feel badly about their kids having to wear eyeglasses at such a young age, so they're more apt to buy them the frames they choose, regardless of cost.

"They are willing to spend whatever they have to so the child gets what they want," says Schofner, whose designer frames mostly fall into the $100 price category.

Another benefit of designer frames is that many come with clip-on sun lenses. This trend is being widely accepted by children and their parents. "We sell a clip-on with just about every kid's frame," says Schofner. "We recommend it-and it's really nice when the frame has a clip-on that matches. Otherwise, we try to find a Hilco or one that fits."

High Styling

With the trend toward more offerings in the designer frame arena for kids, there has also been a movement toward more sophisticated styling. "The manufacturers are looking at the young adult and teen markets for inspiration," says Dabbs Schramm. "And the more mature market is now looking at younger audience as well."

And better styling means kids are more likely to wear their glasses and care for them. "They won't be ashamed to wear them," says Faulkner. "Frame companies are so much better with directing their approach to kids these days and making frames that are more appealing."

Dispensers note that even the parents are looking for more sophisticated styling for their kids. "We've noticed the parents are leaning more towards the adult-type frames for their children," says Shofner. "The new frames I stocked for the back-to-school season were really miniatures of cool adult styles. They're not the little cute pink ones anymore. Instead, it's more of the trendy two- or three-tone plastic frames."

All of this focus on adult styling in children's frame has also opened up another market door for many dispensers-selling to adults who are looking for smaller-sized frames.

"We have a lot of smaller-faced adults come in looking for small frames with brand names," says Shofner.

The power of the brand does, indeed, reach all generations. EB