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monthlylocal

Hi Folks,

Would really appreciate it if you could spend a minute of your time answering a few multiple choice questions around a new service for little ones. Me and my wife need a little feedback on an idea, especially from Mums & Dads of younger ones
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Many thanks to those who have already responded - we really do appreciate the feedback

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q6CCXRT

Thanks
 
Done, it's not a bad idea if the stories were decent quality - I think children would quite look forward to getting each new one
 
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Interesting idea as far as I can tell from the questions. Looking forward to seeing how this develops. Think it would be a big hit if the stories are interesting.
 
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Really interesting idea. Couldn't take the poll due to a thankful lack of children, but I'm wondering whether you'd have to license the right to use the characters?
 
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Thanks for the feedback guys - the characters would be created by us, so licensing not an issue.

I'm a copywriter by trade so am comfortable that the stories would be of high quality.

Thanks
 
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Done the survey, and I must say I think it's a great idea.

My 4 year old girl would love it.
 
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Thanks folks,

I have a 4yr old girl myself - it's where the idea came from :-)

Already commissioned the webiste, so it's happening!

Cheers
 
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Nice concept.
Would it be the same story for everyone, or separated into age bands?
Would there be any tie-in with nursery/school phonics strategies? If so which would you choose?
What feedback channels (if any) would you provide? I'm thinking along the lines of the kids writing back to the characters, for example.
Would you provide an online version of the stories for a smaller price? I know the whole idea is based around the excitement of receiving something interesting in the post, but if the stories are any good, could they be monetised through online ads?

I look forward to seeing how this develops.
 
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I've done the survey too (even though i don't have kids) purely because i wanted to see what everyone was talking about haha.

Sounds like a pretty good idea!

I do have 3 nephews and a niece so don't forget to offer a service for us uncles to pay a lump sum and have X amount of months worth being sent out. Would make an ideal long lasting present! :)
 
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Filled it in as a grandad of four 2-5 year olds.

Got to say the only interest they show in magazines/comics is ripping the toy off the front cover. The magazine/comic just gets ignored.

What they are interested in are books in the form of phone/tablet apps. They will sit and read those with no bother at all. They are usually around the £2 mark and as a result are a lot better value than the normal comic/magazine.

They also spend time on web sites like CBeebies.
 
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CorrectContent said:
Nice concept.
Would it be the same story for everyone, or separated into age bands?
Would there be any tie-in with nursery/school phonics strategies? If so which would you choose?
What feedback channels (if any) would you provide? I'm thinking along the lines of the kids writing back to the characters, for example.
Would you provide an online version of the stories for a smaller price? I know the whole idea is based around the excitement of receiving something interesting in the post, but if the stories are any good, could they be monetised through online ads?

I look forward to seeing how this develops.
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Can't say I have thought everything out yet - all I can tell you is this......

The stories will be separated into character bands - Princess/Pirate/Racing Car/Etc
The stories may also be separated into age bands
The stories will be educational as well as fun - I have a good understanding of the EYFS framework and yes there would be some tie in somewhere
The kids could write back, but currently unsure if we could then provide a response based directly on their content
Would not currently consider an online format - the magic for me is in getting the letter each week.

Its going to happen now - the wheels are in motion.

Thanks

T
 
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You could add extras such as scrapbooks/files to keep the letters in. Pens, notepads, framed pictures of the characters.

Also, extra/one off letters for Birthdays and Christmas.
 
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I must say this is a fantastic and interesting concept and I know my little girl would love it... I can see her now patiently waiting for the next letter to come through!

One thing maybe to consider would be how long would the subscribers be tied in for or could it be cancelled at any time.

As above birthday/Christmas personalised messages would be a unique touch!
 
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Great idea but won't work.

People simply won't pay for it.

Disconnect between payment and reward, isolated by a monthly direct debit, reviewed as unnecessary each time a bank statement is checked etc.

One time the child doesn't jump up for joy and the direct debit is cancelled.

Price is too high. Some options were up over £300 per annum. Better a new iphone many would say.

Now convert it to email, remove the cost of production to virtually zero, introduce an algorithm which includes variables the child can input over time, feedback if you will and maybe you have something you can deliver for fractions of a penny, with upselling to real letters and a top end ink pen hand written birthday card for a one off annual fee by recurring credit card.
 
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I'm with Talay on this one.

I think this would have worked really well up until a few years ago.

Our current batch of 3-6 year old kids are probably the start of the true digital generation. They were born in to a world where disposable tablets are the norm. A large percentage of them would have read their first word on a tablet. Every classroom in this area is stuffed with iPads. To them reading printed material is the opposite to the norm.

This is the generation that watches far more video online (YouTube, Netflix etc) than it watches normal TV. The only time my grandkids look at the normal TV is while they are eating a meal.

This separation of interest in traditional printed media and TV will grow and grow, which in theory will mean your market will get smaller and smaller.

I don't think any of my grandsons would get excited by a letter, comic or book coming through the post no matter how personalised it is.

That is not to say the idea should be shelved - I just think it needs to be brought in to the digital world to stand a chance. For example would you make as money sending out a cheaper digital rather than a printed version? Could a website built around that where the kids can download things to colour in etc? Maybe look at animating them and putting some videos up. What about an App that downloads new content each month?
 
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Guess we are about to find out guys. Thanks for the feedback.

This whole idea is based upon knowing my 4yr old would love it and I would genuinely pay for her to use a similar service - everything else is gut feeling.

Cheers
 
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Excel Expert said:
Our current batch of 3-6 year old kids are probably the start of the true digital generation. They were born in to a world where disposable tablets are the norm. A large percentage of them would have read their first word on a tablet. Every classroom in this area is stuffed with iPads. To them reading printed material is the opposite to the norm.
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That is your selling point right there though. Whilst whereas letters coming through the post to us adults is nothing to get excited about, a 4 year old waiting for a letter will be really excited.

Its different from an app/email. It's new and unique to the child. They've never experienced it before.

Imagine them telling their friends Such and Such Princess has sent them a letter through their door. They will be the envy of the playground and more parents will jump on board.

I just know my daughter would love that and I will definitely sign up once its up and running.
 
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Also please don't get too worked up about the pricing options in the survey - I specifically added some wacky pricing in to give people a range of options - if you give people just two choices they will generally choose the cheapest option.

The stats coming off the survey are extremely interesting - especially when I filter the data to see only answers that were given by parents who have children in my target-market age range.
 
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Excel Expert said:
Filled it in as a grandad of four 2-5 year olds.

Got to say the only interest they show in magazines/comics is ripping the toy off the front cover. The magazine/comic just gets ignored.

What they are interested in are books in the form of phone/tablet apps. They will sit and read those with no bother at all. They are usually around the £2 mark and as a result are a lot better value than the normal comic/magazine.

They also spend time on web sites like CBeebies.
Click to expand...

My six year old is iPad and iPhone mad when we allow him limited time on them

But we've always worked hard to make sure he enjoys printed books and I think he'd absolutely love this especially if he got into the stories

He likes getting things in the post and he likes reading so it's a win all round from me :)
 
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Done your survey. If you price right it would be good. As others have said if you can link to learning whilst being fun then the child will enjoy (luckily my 4 year old loves sitting down and learning maths, reading, writing with the books I have purchased).

I do agree that she (like others) is highly iPad literate and loves the apps and instant gratification this can bring, but as another parent has stated she is limited to time on this and nearly all her books are printed media with cbeebies games etc used on the iPad. But, as others have suggested, offering something different, building the excitement with them 'when is your next story/letter going to come', 'are you looking for forward to your next 'insert character name' story' etc definitely gives them something different.

Remember children do not (in general) get post, and to them it is an exciting thing that only mummies and daddies do. Also you are not competing against a saturated market, you are offering something different and a different experience to the child.

I think it is a good idea, I might be cheap, but selected the lower pricing option. You have put them as weekly costs, but most people work on monthly budgets, when converting to monthly (and as someone earlier stated you are not getting the instant reward) then 15-20 quid plus a month starts to become an additional expense that may not be required (even though I would probably spend a lot more than this a month on new books, but as they are more an impulse buy and you are selecting what you want to buy them, it is different).

I think it will work as a business, but think you will keep customers probably 6 months, before this new experience of receiving the letters wears off (unless the stories are on Harry Potter level and the kids really want to know what happens to xxxxx next week, maybe have a few 'cliff-hangers' for the pester power from the kids to keep subscriptions going). If that works for your model then I think you could do well from it, as there will always be new children hitting your target age, but then that means you have to continually market your product to attract new customers, as I do not believe it will be something someone will keep from 3-8 for example.
 
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Done.
I have a 1.5yr old, 5 year old and 8 year old. They currently only get letters from their Grandma (who is IT illiterate) and they absolutely love getting a real letter. My eldest has her own email account and is not excited by it much at all - a tangible letter is much more unusual for modern kids. I would probably only want a letter for them once a month though - would you have frequency options? Great idea!
 
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This is just based on my grandsons and their friends, kids do not get excited by a letter in the post. My grandsons get mail from lots of companies that send out stuff to kids - they open it, glance at it and bin it. They don't brag about it in the school yard - it is a complete non-event to them.

Receiving a personalised letter from say Buzz Lightyear I could see creating some excitement as it is a character they know and love already. Receiving a letter from a princess that they only know through these personalised letters is not something a kid will get all that excited about. They cant tie to anything else they know.

A lot of kids would have received personalised letters from Santa before Christmas. How many bragged about it in school afterwards?

Thanks to tablets kids are reading even more than before and more importantly out of their free choice. My grandkids have tablets full of interactive books and they will read them over and over. They also know that when they are bored of the books there is no barrier to finding more reading material. As parents / grandparents we simply browse the online store and buy a 99p to £2.99 book - all done instantly. No waiting to go to the shops, no waiting for something in the post to arrive. In terms of the printed word it is bad news, in terms of kids reading more it is really good news.

I'm not saying the core concept is bad, but to me I think the printed version would be a hard route to take compared to the digital route.
 
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As someone else said above, getting something in the post addressed to him is massively exciting to my boy, he loves it.

To be fair though, every child is different and some I guess won't be that excited by it

I also think anything that helps parents break the cycle of device dependence can only be a good thing. so I think this would be something to look forward to it.. especially if the stories had a continuity element.

We just started a range of magic puppy and magic kitten books and he's been desperate to get the next book in the series to find out what happens next. We've never pushed the concept of reading on the iPad to him , it's just for games
 
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I see a child waiting for their next book as a problem rather than a good thing.

How long does your son have to wait for his next book? With digital books they can read almost without interruption for as long as they want. There is no stopping and starting when books finish and you have to wait for a trip to the shops or for Amazon to deliver. You order a book and it is there. The other advantage is that digital is cheaper so the grandsons get a lot more books than they would normally.

A child getting excited because a book, letter or comic has arrived in the post would suggest that they are not getting enough reading materials in their normal daily routine. If it is on a printed page or on a tablet screen, the main thing is to get kids to read more is the main objective.

Device dependency has nothing to do with reading. Sitting around playing games all day at the expense of reading and going out is device dependency. When it comes to reading a tablet is the same as a book - it just displays words. There is no addictive qualities to reading a book on a tablet screen over reading a book.

Kids of this age are going to be the first that live all their lives in a truly digital world. They will have tablets, smart watches, smart glasses, computers built in to every available surface. It will be a world where the printed media will have very little baring on their lives. Books will continue to flourish, just in a digital format. Fighting it is like fighting the tide.
 
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I actually do all my reading on the kindle app on the iPad which is fine for me as I don't really play games on the iPad very much, tend to just use it for reading and for web design.

However, for my boy , it's for games (half my income seems to go to Rovio and the Angry Birds updates lol) and I think if we used it for reading, he would always just be itching to switch to a favourite game. or watch Minecraft videos on Youtube

Reading printed books at his age is a separated thing and works better that way. He doesn't feel distracted by the urge to play

When he gets older, then he'll be mature enough to use the Ipad etc just for reading I'm sure if he chose to.
 
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I suppose it is going to be different for every kid.

At the moment while my grandsons are going through so many books on the tablet I'm more than happy to leave them to it.

I've been playing video games since the late 70's same games and gaming is very much the norm in our house. If the grandsons want to play a game they know they can at almost any time in any room of the house. This is the norm in this house and gaming is not seen as a treat (as in you are only allowed to play an hour or two a day) as a result they dont seem to get distracted by games when they are doing other things like reading or playing outside. They know they dont have to sneak a game in when they can - it has taken that urgency away from them to play games.

Having said that though I have seen that approach go wrong with other kids. As I said its different for ever kid.
 
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I'm wondering why parent's would want to sign up for a letter based story, for a fee, when they can simply go to the library and get an unlimited number of books for free?

Kids have to identify with the characters in the stories - how will this happen if they (or the parents) have to subscribe to something that they know very little about? In the library you can open the book, have a read, see if it's suitable and is something which grabs their attention and, if it is, take the book home free of charge.

Also, I assume you're not sending out a book but just a few pages - a short story? How would these be printed? In book form, or as an A4 letter format (not very interesting for kids).

Also, we read about a chapter each evening with each of our kids, so, with the postal method, we'd need letters turning up each day, one for each child as they're different ages. Remembering what happened in a story a week ago is asking a bit much for younger readers if it's a weekly service.

Just my view, but I can't see how it competes with free books from the library.
 
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Thanks for all the opinions.

I actually really like the fact that some people are turned-off by the idea and others instantly "get-it" - for me most successful business have their passionate followers and passionate detractors - all opinions are welcomed.

I won't give away too much more at this stage, but I think we have come up with an interesting concept and some great routes to market. I genuinely think this business might do well, but even better, might make a positive impact on younger children.

Thanks for the contributions
 
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Excel Expert said:
A child getting excited because a book, letter or comic has arrived in the post would suggest that they are not getting enough reading materials in their normal daily routine. If it is on a printed page or on a tablet screen, the main thing is to get kids to read more is the main objective.
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I disagree with this. My children (for example) have reading materials coming out of their ears. Both of us parents are teachers and obsessed with the value of education - we read at least two story books (printed) together every single day and the kids' room is overflowing with printed books. They also play computer games whenever they like (within reason), although they don't have tablets. And yet, they still get excited at receiving a letter in the post. So do I (but no one ever writes to me these days :( ) Actually for me, it isn't necessarily the reading aspect which would make me sign up - it's just a good, fun thing to do and I love seeing my kids excited.

Edit to add: the kids are always enthusiastic about reading in whatever form and ask for books for birthdays and Xmas.
 
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I don't have kids myself but my sister has just become a mother to a healthy boy and I think this is something that she would love to have for him to learn with. I remember seeing something similar on dragons den although they were full books and quite a bit more expensive.
I think your approach would be appreciated by parents and kids alike and I'd be happy to buy them as presents for my Nephew.
 
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My boy would do back flips if he thought Woody, lightening McQueen or Dusty Crophopper was sending him a letter in the post every couple of weeks.

Not sure he'd be bothered with a generic non famous character though.

There's a reason Disney do so well out of licencing their characters. It shifts serious units!
 
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Vectis said:
I'm wondering why parent's would want to sign up for a letter based story, for a fee, when they can simply go to the library and get an unlimited number of books for free?


Just my view, but I can't see how it competes with free books from the library.
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Because we both work full time and simply can't get to the library very often and it's not open on Saturdays.
 
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@ryedale - It is the same with getting books from shops. The shops have to be open and you have to have the time to go get the books. This is why I'm a fan of the tablet. Grandson runs out of books, click there is another one, and another, and another and so on. When we go out on long journeys or on holiday they always have their tablet with them so they always have their book collection with them.

There is a bit of a fear of this imaginary cross over between reading and gaming on a tablet. It is basically a myth. Yes a kid may get distracted by games on a tablet when reading alone, but there again a kid reading alone in their bedroom will get distracted by their toys. If they are reading the tablet with a parent and they get distracted by games then it is a parenting issue, not a kid/tablet issue. Lastly these things are now so cheap so it is entirely possible to have a reading tablet and a play tablet. A reading tablet will pay for its self in no times as books on the tablet are much, much cheaper than their printed versions.

@monthlylocal - Glad to help. My opinions are just based on experiences with my grandkids and what works for them. Every kid is different so what works for us is not going to work for everyone
 
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SwissChris said:
My boy would do back flips if he thought Woody, lightening McQueen or Dusty Crophopper was sending him a letter in the post every couple of weeks.

Not sure he'd be bothered with a generic non famous character though.

There's a reason Disney do so well out of licencing their characters. It shifts serious units!
Click to expand...


This is the tricky part - making the child believe the letters are from famous characters, without infringing on Disney IP.

There is possibly a way around it - currently looking into it.

Website is around 10 days away from being complete!

Thanks all
 
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I don't think kids at that age need to fully believe it is a famous character. Sure they recognise Mickey and the rest of the Disney characters, but they also want fun characters that may not be famous.

Most of the books the gandkids read have no recognisable characters but they still love the books.
 
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I think it's a good idea to be honest. My daughter is 5 and brings books home everyday from school and she loves it when she gets something in the post.

This has actually given me an idea of my own....
 
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Probably not the best idea simply because ipad is king these days. Surely if there any money in it the bigger companies would do it more?

I came up with some ideas about delivering weekly stories to apps a few years ago (picture based for kids and parents to read at bedtime). There are free ones around but they aren't very good or cost a lot for the quality. Unfortunately I have the technical expertise to make something like that but not for the content. This would have only worked if someone was in on the project who wrote stories and provided the illustrations every week.
 
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I genuinely don't buy into the concept that "the iPad is king" when it comes to kids I'm afraid.

I have an iPad, my partner has a Samsung tablet - does my 4yr old play on it? Yes, from time to time - but it's certainly not taken over other mediums.

I often have a house full of younger kids - we run a childminding setting - so every day I see children, especially younger children, choose traditional over modern tech. But even more important, is that I see and hear parents actively trying to keep their younger ones away from iPads and the like.

But all of that being said - the entire point of my concept is based around the magic of a child receiving their own, personalised letter in the post - yes the stories need to be good, but the magic is in the receiving, it's in the excitement of waiting for that letter each week, it's about sitting down with mum and dad and ripping the letter open to see what's inside - I get that some people will be turned off by that idea and that's completely fine - because on the other side are parents like me (and lots of other I speak to every day) who love the idea - it might be a bit of a marmite concept, but hey that's absolutely okay by me.

I appreciate everbody's views - thanks guys
 
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