Frogs Frills and Daffodils Sell Kids' Clothes in a Timely Fashion
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Bill Cook is known as the “Bullfrog” of Frogs Frills and Daffodils, a unique children’s clothing company with an equally non-traditional approach to design, brand collections, merchandising and sales strategy. Together with his wife and designer Mary, these grandparents have brought an original and successful approach to specialty stores that want to do business in a different, and for many, a better way. Innovations include $100 minimum orders, no pre-packs, and mix-and-match combo orders for styles, brands, and seasons. Frogs Frills and Daffodils (FF&D) offer multiple brands with ever-play styling and durability for boys and girls.
Bill and Mary work closely with their retail customers, with the objective to provide their retailers exactly what they want, how they want it, and most importantly, when they want it, no matter what the season or selection.
Bill shares with The Giggle Guide® their straight-shooter success story. If you think you’ve kissed a lot of frogs looking for a prince of a manufacturer that really understands how you wish business could be done in kids’ fashion, the economic times have never been better to pucker up to Frogs Frills and Daffodils. They just might be the one that has what many retailers need and their customers want.
When was your brand born, and what was the initial inspiration?
“The name and idea came from our daughter and her colleague, both new moms who worked as retail coordinators for a major designer brand. Starting in 2002, they wanted to be a boutique mall shop, but our background led to our evolution into a manufacturer of multiple labels.
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What was the biggest challenge you faced when starting?
“Frogs Frills and Daffodils was created from absolute scratch. We were industry ‘outsiders,’ complete babes in the woods, so we had to learn all aspects of the business. We made a few very expensive mistakes, but also acquired a good bit of ‘been there, done that’ as a little guy in the big market. This resulted in a fresh concept, being specifically structured to just serve the needs of the many small shops out there.
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What are the biggest keys to your success?
“Being from outside the arena, when we started, we kept asking ourselves “Why is it done this way?” It may be fine for dealing with large chains, but it just seemed very burdensome to small and emerging stores. After some trials and tribulations, we determined to operate non-traditionally. We don’t depend on large pre-orders two seasons prior to production, instead we build to stock. From stock, our customers can pick any mix of our products – without pre-packs – any seasons, sizes, styles or labels, and we ship immediately, with very low minimum, on easy credit card terms.
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How is your product design cycle different?
“A customer described our products as “Boutique clothes for real kids,” and that’s our direction. We have new styles and labels in work constantly on no predetermined schedule. With our manufacturing efficiencies, we offer a broad range of attractively priced quality products.
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Do “green” or eco-friendly concerns influence your business decisions?
“Being green just comes natural to Frogs! We shun synthetic fabrics and are exclusively 100% comfy cotton, with all of the components lot tested to be CPSIA compliant (of course).
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What is one new trend you’re seeing in the marketplace?
“Economically, it’s very scary. Customers have hunkered down, budgets are closely watched. We see shops taking advantage of small, high-mix lots, but re-ordering frequently. They can better manage their inventory exposure and cash flow and be more responsive to ‘in the moment’ opportunities, which is exactly the service we provide.
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How do you most effectively market our brand?
“Typically, we are found first by Internet search. Prospective customers then can register at www.ffdkids.com and once their wholesale account is configured, they’re ready for convenient and easy shopping. Orders are promptly shipped by the next business day.
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How does your business make use of the Internet?
“The Internet is a very valuable enabling tool, without it, our business model could not exist. We have multiple Web sites that serve our retail and wholesale sides, and we do our own Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Google ‘toddler clothes’ and find us on page one. Our labels are also internationally popular on Amazon.com, and we utilize several Internet marketing sites to increase exposure. Catalogs are available from our Web sites as downloadable full-color PDFs, for those that prefer to ponder the printed page.
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What is one change/addition that’s had a positive impact for your business in the last year?
“We changed from pricey print ads to participation on the Giggle Guide. It better suits our style and is more cost-effective too.
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What is your one piece of advice for someone entering the children’s market?
“Patience, young Jedi.
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About Frogs Frills and Daffodils
Frogs Frills and Daffodils (FF&D) is a family-run business that offers a variety of clothing brands for families that want their kids to look and play like “real” kids.
FF&D has a dedicated management team that works hard to provide quality clothing, with the ease and convenience of shopping at the company’s online site. Immediate-shipment inventory is updated real-time on their Web site. With this ordering convenience also comes personalized customer service, the best of new technology and old-school business traditions.
Frogs Frills and Daffodils continually adds new pieces to its brands throughout every season, all at attractive prices that give retailers unparalleled flexibility to build their bottom-line profits.
FF&D products are generally manufactured in limited quantity runs, using 100% comfy and durable cotton fabrics selected from USA sources. Bill Cook says, “We are pleased to serve the specialized needs of small stores, boutiques, and gift shops and do not supply to large chains. Plus, minimum orders are $100, with no pre-packs and mix-and-match flexibility.”
FF&D includes a variety of brands:
Frogs Frills and Daffodils — Playtimes, Western Wear, Boutique Denims
Daffodil Girls - - Bright and trendy
MASON and the boys - - All boys all the time
Mary’s Little Lambs - - Beautiful classic styles
Vintage Mary Classics - - Retro-styles made new
Blanco Blanco - - White blanks, made for enhancements
Plus twins and sibling sets for boys and girls.
For more information and to see the Frogs Frills and Daffodils collections, visit www.ffdkids.com. Browse using log-on guest, and password guest.
The Giggle Guide™ series, “Behind the Brand” looks at both brand leaders and budding brands. What brand would you like to hear more about? Let us know. Editorial Director David Gaunt, .
