Hospital gift shops are a convenient place visitors and patients can visit to make their stay more enjoyable. They offer a wide selection of flowers, books, snacks, and toys to support those who need them most. For children lying in hospital beds, an exciting toy can lift their spirits during treatment.
Impulse toys are a valuable product to provide at your hospital gift shops. These toys are eye-catching and give your pediatric patients something to play with during their time at the hospital. Learn more about the benefits of impulse toys in hospital gift shops and how you can stock your hospital with these unique toys.
Why Impulse Toys Are Perfect for Hospital Gift Shops
Impulse toys are small, affordable items typically purchased without much prior thought. They are simple yet entertaining purchases that cater to little ones who want a toy to play with. Find out how hospital gift shops can benefit from impulse toys.
Relieve Stress and Anxiety for Patients and Families
Hospitals are often stressful places for patients and loved ones. However, toys can provide a small but meaningful moment of distraction. For young patients, toys like fidget spinners, stress balls, sensory toys, or slime are great ways to cope with anxiety and give them something to do with their hands.
Parents and families visiting loved ones could also use these toys to entertain their children. These little ones could grow tiresome sitting in the waiting room, so a small toy can keep them occupied until the patient is ready for visitors. Impulse toys provide comfort during stressful hospital visits and leave a positive imprint on their experience.
Increase Revenue With High-Margin Items
From a business perspective, impulse toys are highly profitable in hospital gift shops. These low-cost, high-margin items can increase revenue at your gift shop while filling minimal shelf space. They also don’t spoil or wear out over time to reduce waste and inventory costs.
Impulse purchases add up quickly to boost revenue without overhauling your gift shop entirely. Place these toys in areas near the register or at eye level for children to appeal to the target audience.
Enhance the Gift Shop’s Appeal
Impulse toys make your gift shop more inclusive and engaging for a wider range of customers. Whether they’re targeting a six-year-old patient, a teenager recovering from surgery, or a tired parent, toys on display attract attention across age groups. With minimal investment, impulse toys can turn your gift shop into a more dynamic and popular retail destination.
How Impulse Toys Support Hospital Operations
While these impulse toys benefit those who work within the gift shop, this investment also supports the other medical personnel in the hospital. Improve workflow and strengthen the image of your institution with these toys.
Mitigates Workflow Disruptions
When families have something to keep them engaged, they are less likely to linger in hallways or waiting rooms. A curious mind could wander through the hospital hallways and disrupt the workflow of medical personnel. By providing children with impulse toys in the waiting room, they are more likely to sit in one place until their family is ready.
Assist your staff in managing these distractions at their workplace. Impulse toys encourage smoother hospital operations by contributing to better experiences in shared spaces.
Strengthens Hospital-Community Connection
For community hospitals, a gift shop with thoughtful products showcases the institution’s regard for patient and visitor well-being. You can build a reputable image by using these techniques:
- A well-stocked gift shop helps patients and visitors see the hospital as a welcoming place.
- Hospitals can partner with programs where they can donate a portion of toy proceeds to pediatric or community wellness programs. This way, your institution can further build goodwill.
- A hospital invested in providing thoughtful extras like toys highlights its commitment to holistic care.
Impulse toys are a great way to cater to your patients’ interests. Personalize their experience and tailor their time at the hospital to support their needs.
Reinforces Healing-Oriented Design
Modern hospitals craft environments that contribute to healing. This includes painting the walls vibrant colors and encouraging playtime for younger patients. To build on this positive culture, impulse toys can provide a positive outlook for patients and families.
For example, visually colorful toys could be a great contrast to the dull medical equipment surrounding their hospital room. Magic drawing boards or light-up toys could offer a break from the serious environment. Give them a sense of normalcy to enhance their mood and emotionally support them through the process.
Best Practices for Adding Impulse Toys to Your Gift Shop
Start building your stock and find a variety of toys to fill your shelves. If you’re ready to supply your hospital gift shop with impulse toys, follow these tips to give your patients and their families their new favorite toys.
Start With a Curated Selection
Before you make inventory orders, consider what kind of impulse toys you want to sell. First, choose popular items like fidget spinners, puzzles, and stress balls to ensure you fulfill your profitable threshold. From here, expand your inventory to a diverse selection of toys that cater to kids, teens, and adults alike.
A cost-effective way to stock your hospital gift shop is by buying your toys from wholesale suppliers. For instance, you could order wholesale plush toys to brighten your store at a fraction of the price. Invest in your gift shop by ordering your products in bulk rather than by item.
Focus on Effective Merchandising
How you display impulse toys can impact your sales. To best market your products, use these techniques:
- Display impulse toys directly by the register for easy visibility and accessibility.
- Label toy sections with cheerful, playful signage to draw attention.
- Bundle toys with discounts or highlight exclusive products only available at the hospital.
Small tweaks in your merchandising strategy can lead to larger sales numbers without pushing for sales. Make room for your impulse toys in marketable areas as you stock the shelves.
Incorporate Feedback From Customers
As your business starts to grow, listen to input from patients, visitors, and staff to improve your sales tactics. This could include hearing their recommendations for new toys or monitoring trends and demographics. Customer-driven product adjustments will keep your products relevant and appealing.
Improve your visitor and patient experiences by adding items in the gift shop that they’ll love to use. Impulse toys, although small, provide a large impact for those undergoing treatment. Build your institution’s revenue and accommodate your pediatric patients when you supply your hospital gift shop with impulse toys.
