Chris Ryan, co-founder of Pawparazzi Pets and Noodle Head Fun, talks to LAsThePlace
.com about the launch of their new retail website and the future of online interactive sites for kids.
La’s The Place: Chris, how did the new Pawparazzi Pets website perform during the most recent Holiday season?
Chris Ryan: www.pawparazzi.com was launched late in the holiday season, but we were thrilled with the response. It’s exciting for us to interact with kids who can vote on favorite pets, share photos, play games, and join our Fan Club. We had many orders of our new clothing sets and the new Pawparazzi Luxury Sets. We also are finding that customers are ordering many of our accessory products that aren’t carried by all of our retail stores. Part of our goal with the website is to make it easy for kids to order our full line.
LATP: How do you see the future of interactive websites for kids and the possible conversion to actual sales?
CR: Interactive websites are now more extensive and delivering more entertainment. Virtual world websites have upped the ante even further. This is certainly a direction that we are moving in. Providing a safe virtual world environment will allow us to develop each Pawparazzi character and allow for a whole new level of play interaction.
LATP: How has the new Pawparazzi Luxury Set been received and do you see more high-end products coming from your company?
CR: This new item offers a complete set of pets, accessories and a fun resort-like play environment. It has done particularly well at higher-end stores like Neiman Marcus, Barneys NY and FAO Schwarz. We are already creating the next fantasy play environment and it’s even more fun than the hotel. But these environments are meant to be added to each other so it will get even more fun when they are combined.
LATP: What will the future hold for Pawparazzi Pets and your other product line, Noodle Head in terms of new products and web applications?
CR: We will keep Pawparazzi fresh with new product releases. It is all about play, fashion and imagination. We have recently released some irresistibly cute clothing & accessories to extend the play value and stickiness of the product. Kids become very attached to the Pawparazzi characters which are funny, inspirational and lend themselves to media development.
We are developing Planet Pawparazzi™, a virtual world where kids can interact with each other, view animation, hear music, and participate in the exciting lives of our celebrity pets online. We are also developing story-lines.
LATP: The Pawparazzi line seems to be geared towards the young female market. Do you have plans of a product line for boys?
CR: We do. We are currently working on a line of Pawparazzi called Dog Dudes™. These are sporty, adventurous, and very laid-back dogs. They’ll have boy-friendly accessories like surfboards, skateboards, and rescue gear. Look for them later this year.
LATP: How has the newest line of celebrity pets been received compared to the first generation?
CR: We have had strong demand for the second edition pets. One challenge is that girls seem to collect 3-5 of them on average. So we have to create different accessories so that girls aren’t getting the same items repeatedly. With the new line we moved from rhinestone wristlets and charms to pearl jewelry. Our next release will feature more play accessories based on the specific personality of each character.
LATP: Will there be an expansion of the Hotel Pawparazzi for this year’s product line?
CR: We have a great new play box design and we are now finishing the artwork for it. The new box will probably not be released until late 2009, however because the Pawparazzi Hotel is still very popular and we have been focusing on other play accessories.
LATP: Do you see more growth for your company in the Internet retail sector or wholesale of your product line?
CR: We absolutely see a place for both. There is no intention of circumventing retail stores, and our website pricing does not undercut retail stores. But www.pawparazzi.com allows interactive entertainment and direct contact with our fans (customers). Our site also insures availability of the full line of products and accessories across North America. Our “Fan Club” area adds interest & loyalty with events, contests, and other benefits to members.
At the same time, we are strengthening store relationships by developing exciting in-store merchandising and displays for our retailers. Our sense is that stores always have the advantage of selling Pawparazzi because of the immediate gratification of being able to walk out of the store with it.
We are just building and reinforcing the brand with the website. Even those who purchase online for the first time are likely to see and purchase additional pets and accessories when they see these on the store shelf.
Read our article on Paparazzi Pets here…
