First Look: CAMP Launches E-Commerce for Kids
Remember how it felt to be a kid with a little pocket cash? As shopping moves online and cash recedes further into the background, children’s retailer CAMP has invented a solution to capture the fun of the childhood allowance, digitally.
CAMP, which launched in December of 2018 and was an RIS Hot Retail Startup in 2020, operates five retail locations in New York, Texas and Connecticut and serves families via its digital platforms. Now CAMP has launched Present Shop, which it claims to be “the first” e-commerce platform where kids can safely shop online.
"Grown ups used to give kids a little 'walking around' money to treat themselves every now and then," said Ben Kaufman, CEO of CAMP. "Today, kids can't use cash online, and there are very few real-world stores that curate a kid-safe assortment of toys, gifts and treats. CAMP's Present Shop reignites the magic we all felt as kids walking through a mall with a $10 bill."
Present Shop is geared at kids ages 3-12 looking to buy for themselves or to purchase a gift for someone else, say a parent, teacher or friend. Present Shop is Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) compliant and empowers kids to understand the value of their choices.
It works like this: A parent or guardian visits camp.com/present to choose the event, budget, shipping and payment information. Kids are given a unique one-time code to enter Present Shop and start their shopping.
Rather than working like a gift card, where a parent may need to still explain to younger children how much money they have left or how much two or more items add up to, the parents' budget is converted into digital "coins." Kids enter in a game-like interface allowing them to pick out presents until they are out of coins.
CAMP's animated mascot, Scout, guides kids through the shopping experience with a series of visual and audio cues. For gift purchases, kids also can design a greeting card, which will be printed and packed in a custom gift box that is shipped directly to the recipient.
The new e-commerce platform provides a modern-day shopping experience for kids, while also allowing parents to save time and money.
"Every week it seems like one of my kids needs to buy a gift for a classmate or relative. It's much more fun for them to do it on their own and frankly for me, too," continued Kaufman. Present Shop shifts this responsibility from parents into a fun-filled adventure for kids.