Have you ever noticed at doctor’s offices, restaurants, and in some other businesses that there’s usually a little play area for children? Honestly, one of the most overlooked demographics by business owners is children and the perspective of a child. Sure, you can’t really get customer loyalty from a small child, but it’s a quick way to get it from their parents; it’s something that even retail stores can heavily benefit from. 

While it may be tempting to focus solely on adult consumers, catering to the younger generation can yield numerous benefits. From enhancing the overall customer experience to building lasting brand loyalty, there are compelling reasons why businesses should consider the needs and interests of children.  Seriously, even if you’re not selling or marketing to children, there are loads of benefits just catering to children and families to a degree. So, here’s exactly why it’s so important!

It Helps Immensely with First Impressions

While not every single business might benefit from catering to children and families to a small degree, there can be some nice benefits. You don’t always have to go far into it, like getting a playground and looking into commercial playground installation, sure, this will give a major first impression, but it’s not like you always need to take it this far. If you’re a restaurant or cafe, then by all means, you can look into something grand like this, but if you’re small, like a private practice, then even a small play area in the waiting room can do loads. 

At the end of the day, it’s all about that first impression, that first impression mostly for the parent. Sure, it helps if the first impression is good on the child, but it’s mostly up to the parents because they’re the ones who are going to decide whether or not they’ll want to work with you again. These small gestures can transform a potentially scary and intimidating experience into one that is much more approachable for children. 

As a result, children may be more cooperative during their appointments, and parents are likely to feel more at ease, knowing that their child’s well-being is a top priority. You might want to think of it from another perspective, too, such as appointments that the parent needs to do (when they can’t find a babysitter); if they see that their child is entertained, they’ll definitely be more comfortable taking their kid out, and that means that they’ll be more inclined to visit your business knowing how easy it is for them with their child. 

Potential for Brand Loyalty

Depending on what your business is, you could potentially even see brand loyalty from children. If you’re running a restaurant for instance, you can expect that children are going to want to visit your restaurant more often so they might ask their parents to take them to your business because they know they’ll enjoy themselves whether it’s due to good food, a playground, toys, arcade games, free toy (kind of like Happy Meals), and so on. 

These definitely work, and it’s why children are often so adamant.  You don’t even need to be a child-based business either in order to win over children. As these children grow into adults, they may continue to patronize the same business and even introduce it to their own children, perpetuating a cycle of brand loyalty. It’s sometimes like this for small local businesses, especially if people stay in the same town. 

There’s More Market Potential

Sometimes, broadening market potential is actually a good thing; you can’t always focus on one specific demographic, and sometimes that demographic gets older, so you’re probably going to have to grow up with them, too. Some of these people grow into having families, and they may like your business, but if it isn’t family-oriented, then it might be tough to keep those customers. 

So that’s why it’s good to cater to kids and families because you’re boosting market potential. Restaurants, for example, can offer special kids’ menus and play areas to attract families. By accommodating children, businesses can make themselves more appealing to a wider range of customers.

You’re Creating Positive Associations

Businesses that go the extra mile to cater to children create positive associations with their brands. Seriously, this is something that you’re definitely going to want to consider. These associations can be enduring, influencing not only children’s preferences but also those of their parents. In fact, it’s the parents that you’ll definitely want to win over; you want these positive associations because they know that they can trust your business.