As a stylish hip downtown mom I did not think I would go through the challenge of accepting a new style my daughter is exploring but at almost eight years of age she was growing out of the cute dresses I was buying for her. My daughter Julia found her style in a chic rock-n-roll look. I did not have the time to visit department stores to put some outfits together and was advised to go on Kidpik’s website where you take a style quiz of carefully curated questions on your daughter’s favorite prints, colors etc. and then a few weeks later a box arrives at your home with two outfits, a pair of shoes and some accessories. I trusted Kidpik immediately as it is the brainchild of the Founder and CEO of Ruum, a very stylish clothing store I often visited in TriBeCa. Ezra Dabah was also the Former CEO of Children’s Place, another brand I love for fun inexpensive clothing.
Julia’s box arrived. The excitement of a little girl signing off with her doorman for a package in her name is adorable. As we entered the elevator she shook the box a few times. She opened the box where a label read, “This box was styled for Julia. We hope you love everything.” And she loved everything. Thank you Kidpik for making shopping for stylish clothing a great experience.
In a recent interview with Ezra Dabah he illustrates how Kidpik works and the success it has had in such a short time.
When did you first create kidpik?
Ezra Dabah: We launched kidpik in February. We see kidpik as the next evolution of shopping — delivering a great fashion box with free shipping, no styling or membership fees, and no commitment. Keep what you love, and if you keep the entire box, you receive a 30% discount, bringing the average cost per box to around $70. That is an incredible value for kidpik’s style and quality.
What was your inspiration?
ED: Given the busy, complicated lives we all lead, we want to help families receive great fashion for their girls delivered to their home. We recognized, too, that people are responding to the convenience of box shopping in a really major way. We view Kidpik as shopping reinvented. It saves time for parents and surprises and delights girls with fashion they won’t find anywhere else.
Did you test market first before a full launch?
ED: Yes, there was a friends and family soft launch late last year.
How many subscribers return for re-orders?
ED: A great many customers have signed up for multiple seasons. In fact, we are almost fully subscribed for summer. We will soon be accepting orders for the Back to School box which will ship in August.
What has been the main marketing push for kidpik?
ED: We’re extremely pleased with all the organic sharing by our customers. A great many websites, mom bloggers, vloggers, and subscription box reviewers — including Mom Trends and Subscription Box Addiction — have given kidpik top ratings for style, quality and value.
Facebook and Instagram are instrumental in building a real kidpik community. See our Facebook galleries for girls who are very happy with the kidpik fashion they received in their box. Above all, we are delighted that so many customers posted images and videos on their own.
You were the former CEO of the Children’s Place as well as Founder and CEO of RUUM. How did those roles lead you to founding kidpik?
ED: As CEO of The Children’s Place, I led the company through a great period of growth, from 100 to more than 800 stores. More recently, I’m so proud of the fashion, quality, and value we were able to deliver with RUUM. Our decades of expertise in children’s fashion allowed us to offer a great and wide ranging selection of clothing covering many lifestyle needs from dressy to casual starting with the very first kidpik boxes.
What is the most popular size/age so far?
ED: We are focusing on girls aged 3-12 with sizes from 4-14. We’re getting orders from girls of all ages, due to popular demand.
What is the most popular item?
ED: There is not any one item we can single out, as each girl is getting a unique selection based on her style profile. We are hearing that kids are very happy with the selection they received overall.
Little girls are big on hair clips and headbands, other little accessories like purses – I haven’t seen these on the site.
ED: Shoes and other accessories, like headbands, belts, and bracelets, are included in the assortment, which generally ranges from 6-8 pieces in each box.
My order won’t be delivered for another 4 weeks – what happens during this process?
ED: It’s not always four weeks. We have refined the process and are now shipping hundreds of boxes each day. The style quiz helps us determine a girl’s style preferences, clueing our styling team in on how to build an assortment for her. We are designing collections for different looks — like classic, trendy, girly, or athletic — with variations within the collections to address girls who prefer dresses and skirts to jeans and pants. When we receive your order, an algorithm makes a quick selection, which is then verified and amended by our in-house team of stylists and merchants in our New York City headquarters. This is a closely-knit team of people who have worked with me for years, or in many cases, decades. Finally the free ground shipping takes up to a week, usually. You receive tracking information once your box is on the way.
How has sales been since kidpik was launched?
ED: The response has been tremendous. We are nearly sold out of the spring/summer inventory. We are now about to launch a basics program on the kidpik site. So if you like the basic pieces that came in your box – tops, tanks, shorts, leggings, pencil skirts, pants—you can order them in a rainbow assortment of colors. These are the pieces that kids need in multiples which will be offered individually at great prices from $6.50 – $19.50.
What is the feedback from moms?
ED: We are hearing from parents that it’s an emotional moment to take the style quiz with their daughters, seeing them express their likes and grow confident in their tastes. We have a wonderful series of quotes from moms in the Facebook gallery, including:
“It really shows the effort that was put in making it soo special. Thanks, Kidpik!”
“Cute, affordable and I don’t have to take her shopping!”
“Best customer service EVER!!”
“All the pieces were versatile- they could be mix-matched with anything.”
Do the majority of parents keep the package?
ED: Yes, they do. There is a 30% discount if you keep the entire box and most families are seeing the value in doing so.
What is the most popular city using it?
ED: We are getting orders from all 48 states to which we currently ship (all of the U.S. except Alaska and Hawaii). We have a great many happy customers in rural areas, but also large cities, where moms appreciate the convenience of kidpik.
What city is most challenged in understanding this concept?
ED: We can’t name a particular place that hasn’t appreciated or understood the concept. Based on the guidance we receive from girls and their moms, we build an assortment, including shoes and accessories, designed to coordinate into multiple outfits. It’s that simple.
Downtown Mom – Maria Hadjidemetriou has been a passionate Downtown resident for more than 16 years. She enjoys life as a mom to her eight-year-old daughter and being a Downtown Real Estate Sales Agent; she also is a freelance writer writing about real estate and architecture. Maria has been a Member of the Board for the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation (Thalassemia Organization) since 1998 and on the Executive Committee since 2013.
You can follow Maria on Twitter @downtownmomnyc.
