Toy World spoke to Jordan Sullivan, director of fun at Waboba, about what makes the company’s range an attractive proposition for retailers.
Jordan Sullivan
We asked Jordan about Waboba’s biggest strengths in the Outdoor category coming into 2021. “Our growing range includes the Wingman collection, the Voli paddle set and our newest creation, Airlyft, a hollow flying glider,” she explained. “We started out with just a water bouncing ball, but we have grown to cover all outdoor recreational categories, from the beach to the backyard. Moon Balls remain just as popular as they’ve always been, but it’s our Wingman silicone flying discs that have quickly become our newest best-seller. It seemed only natural to create the Wingman UFO LED version in 2020, and Wingman Pro, new for 2021, keeps the momentum going.”
The pandemic has proved to have boosted sales of Outdoor Toys, a situation which Jordan believes will continue in 2021. “As unfortunate as the pandemic was, and still is, I think it has reminded people how nice it is to play together outside in an unplugged way,” she told us. “The switch to virtual learning and working has resulted in a real need to get away from technology. It’s been so nice to see people being active outdoors again, just like we did as kids in the 80s and 90s.”
Waboba prides itself on the company’s innovation, designs, value for money, portability, and passion for creating the next great outdoor toy; all factors which set its ranges apart in the marketplace. “You see these bulky backyard games, which are not only too big to carry around but expensive too,” explained Jordan. “We don’t over-engineer our products. We keep them simple and fun to play with, anytime, anywhere. We are passionate about creating great products people won’t grow tired of after a few outings, and that appeal to kids and adults alike.”
Waboba supports its products fully, in terms of marketing and retail partnerships, particularly by focusing a lot of its efforts online. Jordan believes that social media images and videos are strong marketing assets, and stressed the importance of building a strong brand on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc., helping create word-of-mouth that retailers will benefit from.
With the trade shows being cancelled this year, the company has also taken steps to bridge the gap between itself and buyers, with a new virtual showroom to give an overview of the brand and products. Offering images and new product videos, the website also lets retailers request a sample kit and catalogue, or schedule a virtual meeting. “We’ve even created a new video introducing ourselves to people,” said Jordan. “Our branded sample kit showcases only the 2021 new items, allowing us to provide the ‘wow factor’ our in-person demos usually offer. We’re bridging the gap and showing that we’re not going anywhere.” She concluded: “The pandemic didn’t slow us down; it just gave us more reasons to discover new ways to keep life fun.”
The showroom can be accessed at virtual.waboba.com.
