Lauren and Ryan Cohen put their lifestyle baby and children’s products company on the map in 2021 with a selection of “Catch All” mealtime and playtime mats so chic that no amount of splatter could spoil the feng shui.
But they didn’t stop there. Today, the Canadian baby and children’s brand Milly Stone boasts a collection of “stylish solutions for design-minded parents” sold in retailers across Canada and the U.S.
TPH Solutions for Costco Success
- Support for presentation and pitch to Costco Canada buyers
- Innovative packaging and display design to facilitate easy transition from e-commerce to retail floor
- Ensure compliance with Costco guidelines for everything from sourcing to materials testing
- Seamless logistics for efficient, cost-effective and damage free transportation
They are products that combine practical parenting solutions with elegant design and solid craftsmanship, like the sleek, wooden Activity Tower that safely boosts toddlers to counter height.
So when the company landed an opportunity to sell its Activity Tower through Costco Canada, Milly Stone’s husband-and-wife owners went searching for a retail packaging and display partner that could deliver the same combination of form and function that distinguishes their products.
They found TPH Global Solutions®, a retail packaging and display partner with decades of experience helping brands turn Costco opportunities into Costco success stories.
How Flexible Packaging & Display Design Grew One Opportunity into Two
Milly Stone’s opportunity began with conversations about selling the Activity Towers through Costco’s e-commerce site, but with a little help from the TPH team, the opportunity evolved to include selling on the Costco floor as well.
“I couldn’t have done it without TPH, and I would absolutely recommend them to other brands.”
– Milly Stone Founder & President Lauren Cohen
A recommendation from TPH senior project manager Ted Natzel helped to seal the deal: design an e-commerce shipper that easily doubles as a floor display, giving Costco the option – and an added incentive – to put the product out on the floor.
“With Costco, your products are only on the floor for so long and we really wanted customers to discover our brand and our product as they were walking the Costco floor,” said Lauren Cohen, Milly Stone founder and president. “The challenge was coming up with a way to package the product … that could educate and inform the consumer in that instant when they are walking by.”
Creating a single cohesive packaging and display solution for Costco included container loading plans and diagrams, carefully configured and tested to ensure that everything would arrive undamaged and floor-ready. TPH “really helped us with that solution,” Cohen said, ensuring that the display design and footprint was “visually, structurally and functionally” effective.
A Retail Packaging & Display Strategy that Quickly Emptied Displays
The resulting PDQ display, with an easily removed shipping cover over the top, was designed to showcase the product’s features and design, including the choice of two elegant finishes, while also communicating brand values like fostering children’s independence and inclusion in family activities.
Costco Success by the Numbers
- 20+ – Costco Canada locations displaying the Activity Tower, in addition to Costco.com
- 1,280 – Milly Stone Activity Towers sold during initial campaign
- 45 cm W x 7 cm D x 97.2 cm H – Dimensions of packaged product
- 10 – Approximate number of days for product to sell out on Costco.com
The design also made it easy for Costco employees to unload at the warehouse and set up on the floor, where the product did not go unnoticed: The campaign launched in early October and was sold out before the holidays.
“I couldn’t have done it without TPH, and I would absolutely recommend them to other brands,” Cohen said. “It’s definitely a rigorous process. It takes a lot of time and there are a lot of steps along the way. Costco cares so much about quality and making sure everything is up to their high standards.”
TPH, Cohen said, put the couple “at ease” from the very first phone call. “They’ve been a really great partner to us … a really big asset for us in terms of our ability to service Costco and work with them.”
Your Retail Success Strategy Starts with TPH Global Solutions
At TPH, our solutions for retail packaging and display success include comprehensive project management and support for every step of the process. Decades of experience managing retail campaigns for Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, Kroger, Publix, Target, CVS, Home Depot, and a long list of other big box and specialty retailers has left us with deep expertise into the guidelines, strategies and best practices for retail display success.
Whether you need help with custom packaging and display design, retail pitch presentation support or project management and supply chain optimization, the TPH team can help. We also provide comprehensive consulting services to help you fine tune your processes for succeeding in competitive retail environments.
Speak with a member of our team or schedule a free consultation to discuss your needs.
