Have you ever wondered what parents value when it comes to paying for their children’s activities?
We asked 250 UK parents in our What Parents Want research report, exactly that and more.
Keep reading to discover some game-changing ways to strike the balance between costs and pricing and how to showcase your value – to help keep you and your families happy.
Understanding your parents
In order to be able to give your parents more bang for their buck, you need to fully understand what they want.
Luckily for you we’ve done the hard work for you. Here’s some insights into what they had to say…
Parents shell out an average of £27 on their children’s activities, with over 37% splurging more than £30 per week. Most have two children aged 5-11, and when it comes to activities, swimming, gymnastics and football are the most popular. But here’s the kicker – 91% of parents say their child’s enjoyment is the main factor in deciding whether to renew.
So, how do you show parents the value of your club and their child’s enjoyment?
Here’s some things you can do…
- Help create friendships by offering children the chance to interact in team or group sessions
- Highlight the joy of learning in general when promoting your activity, not just the specific skill
- Make sure parents see how much the children are enjoying themselves. Send class updates once a week or automated personalised emails for ultimate ease
- Show off high quality instructor experience, qualifications and reviews on renewal forms and booking pages
- Don’t be afraid if you’re not the cheapest around, set your pricing mid-range and then wow them with the quality of your sessions
Top tip: Our activity providers software allows you to send picture and video content to your parents via email – so you can easily show parents how much their children are enjoying your classes!
Let them be there, do that and buy the t-shirt!
More and more parents want to be involved in what their children are doing and our What Parents Want report highlighted that.
Parents want to know that their children are having fun, they’re proud to see them develop and grow and they want regular communication from class organisers and instructors. Parents want to be a part of the activity community with their children.
In fact, 73% of parents said that they were interested in buying merchandise from their children’s activity providers.
As an activity provider, this provides a real opportunity for you. Not only helping to make your parents feel more connected to your business and brand, but also to help boost your revenue!
From t-shirts and mugs to exclusive merchandise such as crew t-shirts for performances, each is an opportunity to showcase value to your parents and hook them in further.
Abi Jacks, Director of Marketing & Growth at LoveAdmin explains, “Part of a successful brand is creating that feeling of relevancy and inclusion with your audience. For activity providers there is a real opportunity to build that with your participants by offering branded clothing that they can wear with pride.”
“If you’re looking to add extra value to your activity, you could even provide some merchandise when they first join or hit a milestone or anniversary.”
What do parents want from their children’s activity providers?
5 things activity providers need to know to create unforgettable experiences
Download our latest report, created in partnership with the Institute of Children’s Activity Providers (ICAP) – to crack the code and get families choosing your sessions again and again
Actions to take:
- Consider what types of products your target parents would be interested in and cater for those tastes – conduct surveys and ask your customers
- Use high-quality materials and designs you know people will be proud to use or wear
- Offer a variety of items at different price points to appeal to different tastes and budgets
- Promote your merch effectively through digital and other marketing channels, including email and your online LoveAdmin shop front if you have one
Top tip: LoveAdmin customers get their own custom-branded shop front which makes selling merchandise easy. Alternatively, you can link to hidden merchandise items when milestones are hit to celebrate success.
For more insights into What Parents Want, download the FREE report here.
