Product Testing: Choosing What to Sell October 12, 2012 15:49

Retail buyer was not on my resume prior to founding Ash & Alys Babes. I’m still learning the ins and outs of managing inventory and how to know what quantities to order to keep us stocked and our customers happy. It’s a recurring theme with us: everything is a learning experience. 

That being said, while we’ve been pondering over pricing and quantities and placing orders, we were never intimidated by knowing what products we wanted to offer. Clearly products must meet our green standards for sustainability and safety. But as a mom, I already knew of hundreds of products that I had used, sampled or heard about from friends – this was an amazing foundation for this site.

All of the products we sell have been put to the test on our very own babes (and the mommy products are tested on those babes’ moms). Both directly in my home with my boys over the last four years since I became a mom, and in the homes of trusted and discerning friends, these products have been evaluated to ensure usability, durability, value and quality. Everyone has different tastes, but we feel very confident that most of what we offer on our site will truly become our customers’ favorite and most loved products.

There have been some that don’t make the cut. We’ve purchased a handful of items that seemed to be a great fit for our site that ended up in the ‘no’ pile. If the product isn’t truly usable, or if it doesn’t resonate with the little ones, we won’t sell it. Some of our products have a high price point – we know that causes shoppers to hesitate – but if it is pricey, we believe it is truly a must have item that will prove its worth in your home or as a gift for which you will be sincerely thanked.

We love to hear from other parents. If you have a favorite ‘green’ baby product that isn’t on our site, please tell us about it. You can email us anytime at info@ashandalysbabes.com. We’d love to check it out for a hands-on evaluation. You should also stay tuned on the blog for product reviews every month!

-Ashley