Marketing directors and chief marketing officers might not automatically associate playground equipment with their strategies. After all, what do playgrounds have to do with increasing profitability when a company’s products aren’t associated with leisure? It may have made sense to a fast-food chain like McDonald’s. But how will adding a play area help a financial services company or a car dealership?
The truth is making your business more marketable means making it more appealing to customers and employees. And you want to cater to the anticipated and less-than-obvious needs of all your demographics. Playground equipment can help you accomplish this goal, whether you decide to stick to the basics or a themed play area. Let’s look at four ways playgrounds can make your business more appealing.
1. Creates Family Friendly Spaces
For parents, grandparents, and caregivers, having a play area for the kids can make a business appear more welcoming. Instead of worrying about how to keep the younger ones entertained, there is already an area they can go to. Playground equipment says all ages are welcome and shows a business is thinking about the needs of its youngest guests.
Think about a car dealership with a waiting area that has indoor playground equipment. Customers who need to service their vehicles don’t always have to leave their kids at home. For some clients, this wouldn’t be practical, and they would be inconvenienced by having to find a sitter for a few hours.
Likewise, working from an office when you have younger children can become impractical for employees. By building play areas with equipment from a company like playgroundequipment.com, employers say it’s OK to bring the kids to work. It’s more convenient from a logistics standpoint and allows employees to consider additional types of working arrangements. Play areas also give children room to explore and express their creative energy.
2. Encourage Repeat Business
People tend to return to places that make them feel special and welcome. They also like to frequent places where they and their loved ones can create memories. Clients can become influenced by an atmosphere, as well as the desires of another family member.
Playground equipment caters to these needs and wants in several ways. Kids want to go back to a place where they have fun and can enjoy the onsite entertainment. It’s why places like water and theme parks are so popular. They’re not just a way to vacation or spend time on a Sunday afternoon. They’re places where the magic of childhood seems to happen.
A playground becomes an attraction for children and a memorable gift for parents to give. They get to play with their kids while taking care of their needs. Those needs could be providing for the family, getting in their daily workout, or learning about new investment products. Places that cater to the entire family are easier to revisit because everyone can enjoy their time there.
3. Create a Unique Selling Point
A unique selling point is what sets your business apart from the competition. It can be a product feature, a service, or a brand identity. For employers trying to attract and retain talent, a unique selling point is usually something about the employee experience. It can include benefits, career trajectories, and work arrangements.
While people expect playground equipment to be in certain environments like parks, they don’t expect it to be everywhere. You don’t expect it to be in a grocery store, a high-rise office building, and outside a coffee shop. Think about what having playground equipment in and near these places can provide.
It’s not so much the equipment itself as it is the experiences and needs that play areas fulfill. Parents can get errands out of the way while the kids get their entertainment. Childcare expenses become more manageable and less of a barrier to entering (or reentering) the workforce. And your brand identity says we cater to all dimensions of who our clients are. It’s a way to be different while delivering the unexpected.
4. Encourage Longer Visits
No one likes the fun to end, especially kids. When there’s onsite entertainment, it’s more tempting for the entire family to stay. Longer stays can translate into additional purchases and purchases with higher values.
For example, a hotel with more onsite attractions and amenities will prompt longer bookings. The family will want to explore, perhaps stay a day or two extra to soak it all in. A restaurant with a play area will make the family more reluctant to dash in and out. Instead of passing on a larger meal and dessert, these purchases will come naturally.
Playground equipment can be a draw to the business. However, it can also be a reason why people linger. Kids will get the stimulation they need, so parents can also have time and space to explore. This exploration might include networking and other forms of socialization. Visiting a business isn’t seen as another chore they must complete with precise efficiency.
Why Playground Equipment Boosts Your Business’s Market Appeal
Hands down, playground equipment and play areas are fun. They inspire families to be creative, enjoy life, and be a part of memorable experiences. Play equipment may not be something all families have at home, making a business with it more of an attraction.
It says a company recognizes customers and employees have multidimensional, competing needs. Creating onsite play areas isn’t something every business will do. But it can be something your company does to get and hold people’s attention.
