Posh Tots Product Line Grows Up - Multichannel Merchant

Posh Tots is targeting posh adults. The Richmond, VA-based cataloger of upscale furnishings for children plans to launch Posh Living, a Website selling luxury furnishings for grown-ups, by the end of the year. Posh Living will be integrated on the back end with the Posh Tots site so that shoppers can use one online shopping cart to make purchases from both sites.

Started nearly five years ago as a Website, Posh Tots mailed its first print catalog in September 2003. “We knew we were going to launch the Posh Living business two years ago,” says chairman/CEO Karen Booth Adams, who founded the company with president Andrea Edmunds. “We’ve really just been making sure our business model and our supply chain are where we needed them to be in order to launch a second business.”

Posh Living will sell 1,200-1,600 products, including customized bedroom furniture, original artwork, custom bedding, outdoor furniture, silk botanical arrangements, and serving pieces. Price points will be similar to those of the Posh Tots online and print catalogs, Adams says, with most products selling for $1,000 or more. (Posh Tots’ first catalog included a Cinderella Fantasy Coach Bed for $39,000.) “I think the collection will be very European in style,” says Adams. “We’ll offer a lot of vendors who custom-make and custom-paint adult furnishings.”

In preparation for its expanded product line, Posh Tots is shifting its distribution model. Until this year, the company had its merchandise drop-shipped to customers directly from its vendors. But in January it began stocking its own distribution center with 600-700 products from its Posh Tots line. At press time, Adams was not sure how many products from Posh Living would be housed in the warehouse.

A Posh Living print catalog is in the plans, but Adams says it’s at least year away. As it did with Posh Tots, the company wants to become better acquainted with its customer base online before investing in a print run and mailing expenses. “We found the online experience invaluable in launching the Posh Tots catalog,” she says. “By the time we mailed, we knew what our customer base likes to buy. We knew what sold well.”

Upscale children’s furnishing marketer Posh Tots is going after posh parents. The Richmond, VA-based company plans to launch Posh Living, a Website of custom and luxury furnishings for grow-ups, by the end of the year. Posh Living will be integrated on the backend with the Posh Tots site, so that shoppers can use one online shopping cart to go between the sites making purchases.

Started nearly five years ago as a Website, Posh Tots mailed its first print catalog in September 2003. “We knew we were going to launch the Posh Living business two years ago,” says chairman/CEO Karen Booth Adams, who founded the company with president Andrea Edmunds. “We’ve really just been making sure our business model, and our supply chain, is where we needed it to be in order to launch a second business.”

Posh Living will sell 1,200 to 1,600 products, including custom made and painted bedroom furniture, original artwork, custom bedding, outdoor furniture, and home accessories such as silk botanical arrangements and serving pieces. Price points will be similar to those found in the Posh Tots online and print catalogs, Adams says, in which most products sell for $1,000 or more. (Posh Tots’ first catalog included a Cinderella Fantasy Coach Bed for $39,000.) “I think the collection will be very European in style,” says Adams. “We’ll offer a lot of vendors who custom make and custom paint adult furnishings.”

In preparation for its expanded product line, Posh Tots is shifting its distribution model. Until early this year, the company drop-shipped merchandise to customers directly from its vendors. But in January, it began stocking its distribution center with 600-700 products from its Posh Tots line. At press time, Adams was not yet sure how many products from Posh Living will be housed in the warehouse.

A Posh Living print catalog is in the plans, but Adams says it’s at least year away. As it did with Posh Tots, the company wants to become better acquainted with its customer base online before investing in a print run and mailing expenses. “We found the online experience invaluable in launching the first Posh Tots catalog,” she says. “By the time we mailed, we knew what our customer base likes to buy. We knew what sold well.”