#270: The Pricing Strategy That’s Getting Buyers to Say YES
What if your toy’s price point was the only thing standing between you and a “yes” from a major retailer? You’ve got the product, the mission, and maybe even a booth at Toy Fair but if buyers are walking by without placing orders, it might not be your toy that’s the problem… it might be the price.
In this episode, you’ll hear how one Toy Creators Academy alum adjusted her pricing to better meet buyer expectations and how that decision opened the door to more retailer interest and shelf space.
I’m sharing a powerful conversation I had at Toy Fair with Samantha Ong, founder of Joey Dolls — the World’s Most Diverse Asian Doll brand. Before launching her toy line, Samantha was a professional photographer, and now she’s built a brand that's not only beautiful, but mission-driven and retail-ready. You’ll hear how she made her debut in the toy space through the Toy Creators Academy Showcase, and how she’s now taking Joey Dolls to a whole new level, earning serious interest from retailers.
You’ll learn how to use trade shows to gather feedback that helps refine your pricing and packaging strategy, the exact price point that helped Samantha grow her product line, and which packaging details buyers actually care about. We’ll also get into how working with reps and consultants can seriously boost your visibility at trade shows and Samantha opens up about the lessons she learned and what she really wishes she knew before setting up her very first Toy Fair booth.
Hit play and find out how a smart pricing pivot and trade show prep made all the difference for this toy creator.
Listen For These Important Moments
[00:07:26] - Find out how a $19.99 price point helped Samantha make her dolls more appealing to retailers and budget-conscious families so you can rethink your own pricing.
[00:08:16] - Learn what buyers said about boxed vs. unboxed toys and how you can choose packaging that fits your audience and your margins.
[00:13:01] - One buyer needed the product before Q4—proof that not all retailers follow the same calendar. Understanding this could help you close more deals.
[00:14:03] - Discover how working with reps helped Samantha bring traffic to her booth so you’re not standing there hoping buyers just wander in.
[00:16:02] - Learn how the right booth location could mean more foot traffic and exposure for you.
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This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.com
Love what Samantha’s building with Joey Dolls? Head over toJoeyDolls.com to check out her full collection. -
[00:00:00] Azhelle Wade: You are listening to Making It In The Toy Industry, episode number 270.
[00:00:22] Azhelle Wade: Hey there, toy people! Azhelle Wade here and welcome back to another episode of Making It In The Toy Industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.com.
[00:00:32] Azhelle Wade: Today's episode, I am sharing an interview that I did at a recent trade show with one of my students from Toy Creators Academy, and this student actually worked with me one-on-one as well as a client where I helped her grow and refine her brand.
[00:00:48] Azhelle Wade: Oh, I am so, so proud of everything she's done with her brand so far, and I hope that this episode inspires you because this student is an industry professional, started out as a photographer and now her toy doll brand is her full-time work, and I just love seeing posts from her getting so much love online. I love seeing her products in stores. Other TCA-ers will send photos when they stumble across her products in stores, and it really just shows what you can accomplish when you have a full on "can-do" attitude about your business.
[00:01:22] Azhelle Wade: So, today's episode is gonna be about cultural representation because that's what this toy brand is all about. It's gonna focus on product accessibility, price points, and smart trade show strategies. To deep dive into those topics, I'm gonna be sharing this interview that I held at a recent toy trade show with none other than Samantha Ong of Joey Dolls.
[00:01:42] Azhelle Wade: Joey Dolls is the world's most diverse Asian doll line. If you haven't heard of Joey Dolls yet, well, then you must be under a rock, my friend, because I talk about this brand quite a bit now. Samantha has made waves in the toy space, bringing to life a line of dolls that authentically represent a variety of Asian cultures, filling a gap that has been too long, overlooked in the industry.
[00:02:04] Azhelle Wade: Samantha's passion for representation shines through every detail. From the specific skin tones of each of the dolls to the hyper details on their attire. And now in this interview, she's gonna share how she's extending her mission with a new line of Joey Dolls. Designed to be at a more accessible price point and to be easier to use for smaller hands and families with tighter budgets.
[00:02:28] Azhelle Wade: Ugh, I love talking with Samantha about this product line. And I have to tell you, if you are listening to this interview, there is also a video recording. It's gonna be up on YouTube this Friday, so make sure you check out the video recording. 'Cause if at any point I'm oohing and eyeing over some visual piece that you can't see, I know it's gonna be frustrating, but just focus up, listen in, and then come back on Friday and you can watch the whole video.
[00:02:54] Azhelle Wade: Now Samantha isn't just a toy creator and if you create your own toy line, know that that's not all you're going to be doing. She's also a business strategist, okay? And in this conversation with Samantha, you will hear a little bit of that strategy and why she decided to go beyond her already very successful $60 dolls and why she decided to create these mini dolls and why she decided to create these new Joey Dolls and what retailers are already thinking.
[00:03:22] Azhelle Wade: With Samantha's background in photography and her commitment to creating educational toys that truly matter and will change the lives of the kids that play with them, she is growing Joey Dolls as so much more than a product line.
[00:03:35] Azhelle Wade: It is a cultural movement, and you can see it online. During our chat, she revealed the thoughtful design that she puts behind every doll, her pricing strategy behind her new product and how she's navigating retailer interest, packaging decisions, and even the potential to scale into big box stores.
[00:03:54] Azhelle Wade: Now, this interview was held at Samantha's first time exhibiting at a trade show called New York Toy Fair, but she's no stranger to trade shows. The very first trade show that Samantha ever participated in was the Toy Coach Showcase at Astra. Yes, that's right. So, as The Toy Coach, I bought out two booth spaces, so we had a 10 x 20 booth space.
[00:04:16] Azhelle Wade: I invited nine of my students to exhibit in that space, and I decorated and decked out that space to look like a pink carpet movie premiere. It was an incredible opportunity for my students to start out at a trade show at a low price point. And to have somebody else there on the show floor selling their product, that was me. But a few students did show up to sell themselves and Samantha was one of them. That trade show was the very first time her product was brought to the toy industry trade show floor.
[00:04:47] Azhelle Wade: Buyers were coming up to her saying, I know your brand from somewhere. It might have been from some of the media coverage that she had worked to get for herself, but it also might have been the promotion ads on Facebook that I did to promote the Toy Coach Showcase and other promos we did on this podcast to promote that showcase. So, Samantha has really come so far in just about three years.
[00:05:11] Azhelle Wade: And after being a part of my very first showcase at Astra, she has been steadily building her brand presence on her own, going to her own toy trade shows. I've been so proud to be able to help her design some of her newer trade show booths. And in this episode, she shares exactly how she prepared for New York Toy Fair, including getting new signage due to new requirements of the space, hiring reps, getting boots on the gap ground and increasing traffic to her booth when she saw on the first couple days that there wasn't that much traffic.
[00:05:42] Azhelle Wade: So, if you are dreaming of launching a toy line that centers around culture, or trying to figure out how to get buyers to notice you at a major toy industry event, this interview is filled with a ton of advice and inspiration.
[00:05:54] Azhelle Wade: Now, I know I've been rambling forever. You're like, "Ugh, Azhelle, just get to the interview. I wanna hear the details." Well, by the end of this episode, you are gonna learn how to leverage some pricing, packaging strategy and more to scale your toy business. You'll know a bit more about preparing for a successful toy trade show debut, even if you're on a budget, and how successful toy companies go about building strategic retail relationships through sales reps and targeted exposure.
[00:06:19] Azhelle Wade: All right. I know. Let's get into it. Let's listen to this interview.
[00:06:23] Azhelle Wade: One of the greatest things about coming to Toy Fair is getting to catch up with TCA alumni who are doing their thing, showing their product and selling toys. So today I am here with Samantha, the founder and creator of Joey Dolls, the World's Most Diverse Asian Doll Line, Samantha.
[00:06:39] Azhelle Wade: Thanks for coming back on the show.
[00:06:41] Samantha Ong: Oh, thank you for having me.
[00:06:43] Azhelle Wade: It's such a pleasure. So tell me, I'm so excited 'cause Samantha and I work together continuously and she's been telling me about these little mini versions of her dolls that are coming out. So I'm so excited to finally see them in person.
[00:06:53] Azhelle Wade: So tell me a little bit about the development process of these mini dolls. How's it been going?
[00:06:57] Samantha Ong: Yeah, so I wanted to make the mini dolls to make it more accessible for all families. To celebrate culture and diversity. So I, I thought, why not come up with mini versions of our dolls, which have been really popular, but also make them accessible for little hands too.
[00:07:13] Samantha Ong: This actually was our first mini doll. And I just wanted to come up with a, you know, a little bit of simplified version so that parents don't feel so, worried about getting them dirty and, you know, have, some fun play. Of course.
[00:07:26] Samantha Ong: So yeah, it's been fun being able to miniaturize a little Mei and, it's also been really great to see the response as well. Yeah, yeah. And I think that the lower price point, so we're targeting $ 19.99 without the box. That price point being under $20 has been, very well received.
[00:07:45] Azhelle Wade: So what's the price point of this one I'm holding here? The larger original size?
[00:07:48] Samantha Ong: $ 55. And while that has been good, yeah, I think this, the under $20 has just been such a game changer for consumers, but also the retailers are very excited about being able to offer a different price point and also a different size. Yeah.
[00:08:04] Azhelle Wade: I'm curious to hear, also, I know when you were getting this bigger size into stores, the issue was kind of space and like how we're gonna display them. So what have retailers said about what they're thinking about doing with the Little Dolls?
[00:08:16] Samantha Ong: That's why I think the Toy Fair itself has been really good. Of course, not just exposure wise, but also getting feedback from retailers and buyers themselves on what works for their stores. And that's the kind of things that I'm thinking about. Not just the product, but how it would work in their store. And so, packaging, coming up with different ideas for packaging and what would work best in their stores.
[00:08:41] Azhelle Wade: Can you put one out?
[00:08:41] Samantha Ong: Yeah. So this is one that we kind of mocked up. I did work with someone to, do the packaging just as a mockup, just to see what the response is and how people would feel, while a display is really great, but is it space is an issue or the cost like this would definitely drive up the cost.
[00:08:58] Azhelle Wade: Oh, you were thinking about like a PDQ display for these dolls?
[00:09:01] Samantha Ong: Oh, no, not PDQ, but just the package box. But the box would drive up the individual unit cost with freight and just production of them. 'Cause the cost also, there's a, you know, a certain MOQ in that too. Yeah.
[00:09:13] Azhelle Wade: Yeah. So are you a hundred percent sure moving forward with the package version? And if so, what's the price gonna be of this one?
[00:09:18] Samantha Ong: Yeah, so it's been actually interesting. After Toy Fest, I decided, okay, we're not gonna do a box. Like people love the $ 19.99. Yeah. And then coming here where, you know, we had different set of buyers. People are really thinking about how this is gonna display in their stores, like bigger stores and the retail and the merchandising of
[00:09:37] Azhelle Wade: "Bigger stores", like what stores?
[00:09:39] Samantha Ong: Just stores, I think with multiple locations. Oh.
[00:09:41] Azhelle Wade: How much cost is this gonna add? Like, is it gonna be a $24.99?
[00:09:45] Samantha Ong: That's it. Yeah, I think $24.99. Wow. And speaking to people, I think they see the value. There's like, okay, this is very sellable at $24.99. With the box it does increase that value. And it's very giftable.
[00:09:56] Azhelle Wade: It's giftable. Yeah. Hundred percent. There's this book called "Why We Buy" that I love, and one of the things I say about product is when you can get people to touch the product in store, it increases their likelihood of walking out of the store with it.
[00:10:06] Azhelle Wade: Sure. Yeah. So I think that's also a great piece.
[00:10:08] Samantha Ong: And that's it. Like I think the stores that I have liked at this doll without the Box like. I, I think they've also had that experience where children would just pick it up, hug it, and not wanna let go. Whereas, you know, this is still in a box.
[00:10:24] Samantha Ong: Well, yes, you can still touch it. It just is a different experience. And then those who said they liked it without the box, they're like, okay, I can put it in a basket. It feels more homey. It feels different. So it's interesting to hear the different perspectives and the decision that I now have to make on what to do.
[00:10:40] Azhelle Wade: I wanna ask you about that decision. So, like at larger companies, we will often like decide, okay, we're gonna make a version for let's say Walmart, and we're gonna make a version for this high-end specialty store. But you being an independent creator, you're like, all right, well, I mean, I don't have the time to manage multiple SKUs for no reason.
[00:10:58] Azhelle Wade: But also I don't have the resources. So have you considered doing a small run of no box and then most boxed, or are you gonna choose one route?
[00:11:04] Samantha Ong: Yeah, because of how well received this doll is... I've gone in, some requests like, I need this right now. So I think we're gonna do without the box first, test out how it goes.
[00:11:15] Azhelle Wade: And then you have to do a lot more like development with the box. She's a perfectionist.
[00:11:20] Samantha Ong: Yeah. We wanna get it right. So, I think we're gonna do without the box, test it and then I think we'll see how that goes. Yeah.
[00:11:27] Azhelle Wade: It's so interesting 'cause if it like sells really well, if you get your MOQs high with the box, you could potentially do the box at $19.99 at some point.
[00:11:35] Samantha Ong: Potentially. Yeah. And I think the thing about the box is that people see so much potential with giving more content like about the product. Yeah. Because our dolls are not just dolls, they are an educational tool, there's just so much potential of what we can do with the box here.
[00:11:51] Samantha Ong: Whereas like this would just come with a little hang tag and it does have that different experience when you come.
[00:11:58] Azhelle Wade: Yeah, that's a very good point. Okay, so this is your first time at New York Toy Fair, but you've been to other shows before. We did the Toy Coach Showcase together. That was your first show ever. And that was at Astra, and then you went back to Astra by yourself. You had a successful show, your first time at New York Toy Fair. How is the experience?
[00:12:15] Samantha Ong: I think it's been good. Like is it good to like just be amongst this experience with others and the networking as well and getting our name out there. It definitely exposes us to different set of buyers, but also I've been seeing some of our buyers that have already loved our product, see us here and be excited to see our new product earlier which has been really awesome. So well, they've seen it here. They'll see it again at Astra.
[00:12:41] Samantha Ong: But I think they liked being able to see it earlier than the people that would've seen it at Astra.
[00:12:45] Azhelle Wade: It's really smart to do that because like I've told you like buyers before they go to Astra, which is in June, they're already planning what to do with their money. So the fact that you have existing customers seeing your product now, they're looking at their budget saying like, "Okay, I need to make space for Joey Doll's new product." So do you think that's happening?
[00:13:01] Samantha Ong: I think so, and we're always thinking Q4. But I had a buyer who was like, "No, my busy season is the summer." Which is interesting because we don't think that way. We tend to think our busy season is Q4. So for him is like, "I need this now."
[00:13:16] Samantha Ong: This is too long to wait. Like, can I buy this now? So that's an interesting, because I've always thought for Q4. Yeah.
[00:13:22] Azhelle Wade: Yeah. In the toy industry, we always say like, 75% of our business is Q4. Like, there are companies that are in the red until Q4. So that is really interesting. Where's he located? Is it a multiple store?
[00:13:32] Samantha Ong: California. So that's interesting. I think people do travel around that area in the summer or people out and about in the summer. So I never thought that way. So it was nice to have that perspective. Yeah.
[00:13:42] Azhelle Wade: That is very interesting. Okay. And I know there is something, we don't have to name the group specifically, but I know there's something you did differently that. That if you had not done at the show, you feel you would've had even less traffic being in like this launchpad area that's a little off to the side.
[00:13:57] Azhelle Wade: So, people might not discover you. So what is this thing that you did differently that brought people to your booth?
[00:14:03] Samantha Ong: Yeah. Okay. So I did work with Han Solo Consulting. So they are hiring sales reps for me and like getting out in front of them. I think that has been really helpful to know that I'm gonna have boots on the ground in stores and those relationships. Also I think like working with people that do have those relationships, they've been able to do like email plus. Come see us, check out us on the show.
[00:14:24] Samantha Ong: I can do my own, but I definitely don't, haven't been in the industry for that long. Yeah. So being able to access those relationships with those audience is super helpful.
[00:14:34] Azhelle Wade: Yeah. I always tell people you've gotta prepare your meetings before you come to the show. But a show like Toy Fair is harder to get appointments because there's so much competition for the same buyers. And the same sales reps. So Samantha, because she has some experience now in the industry, she's kind of desirable. They're like, "Oh, you have sales, you have store placement." So she was able to find a consulting group that wanted to work with her because they knew with her existing success, they could use their contacts to get her even more success.
[00:14:59] Azhelle Wade: So at the show when she was like, "Oh, it felt a little lull at times.", they would bring sales reps over who would check out her product to show it to future retailers.
[00:15:08] Samantha Ong: Definitely very excited about that. 'cause while I may have not seen the individual buyers retailers at this show, I am excited about them being excited to bring my product to them at the store.
[00:15:21] Samantha Ong: Cause not everyone can make it. It is expensive. It's, you know, this time of year or you know, it's New York City. So knowing that they'll also be able to get exposure from that through the sales reps, being at the store, using those relationships that they have and that trust.
[00:15:36] Samantha Ong: That trust is so key to know that, you know, this is not the end. Like this is, it's not just tied to this one show that it's still, you know, an ongoing process and there's so much potential beyond this few days.
[00:15:48] Azhelle Wade: So any last piece of advice you would have, even if it's tough love, like even if it's something that you think, I would say. Like for people that are just launching, thinking about launching and they want their first show to be New York Toy Fair, or they're thinking about coming here even before they finish developing their product.
[00:16:02] Samantha Ong: Mm. I'd say it would be helpful, I think, to come here just to get the lay of the land, how things work. I wish I had a known how things were set up. And while people could tell me it's really hard to visualize it until you just walk around. And I wish I had have done that in advance and then I would've known.
[00:16:21] Samantha Ong: 'Cause people told me, okay, this is great, the launchpad. But now seeing, okay, there's a lot of buzz in the middle, I think I would've loved to have been, you know, part of those, that buzz in the middle. Or also like the way that things are categorized, so people may be missing me here, but while there are people who do wanna come to see the launchpad, but what percentage of people I may be missing.
[00:16:42] Samantha Ong: So just letting you know those little things, but also not so feel so intimidated by like, yes, there are big brands, but there's still definitely a place for newcomers and all of that. Yeah.
[00:16:53] Azhelle Wade: Oh, that was perfect advice. Samantha. Congratulations on all of your success, and I hope you have a good rest of the show. We only have a few hours left.
[00:17:00] Samantha Ong: Okay. Thank you so much. All right. Bye guys.
[00:17:03] Azhelle Wade: Well, there you have it, toy people. That's my interview with Samantha Ong of Joey Dolls. If you are interested in getting your very own Joey Doll and why wouldn't you be? Head over to joeydolls.com to learn more. There are not just dolls available.
[00:17:18] Azhelle Wade: There is apparel, there are books coming. Joey Dolls even has stationary available. This is, as I said, a true cultural movement.
[00:17:28] Azhelle Wade: I've been working with Samantha for years, and yes, she did start out in Toy Creators Academy. When she first joined me, she thought she had everything buttoned up and was ready to go with a factory. But that factory could not deliver to the quality that she wanted.
[00:17:43] Azhelle Wade: So from the very beginning, I helped Samantha get herself situated with a new factory, one that would stand up to the quality expectations that she has, and I'm sure she would tell you I helped in more ways than one keeping her motivated and focused on executing this dream that she had already come so far on.
[00:18:05] Azhelle Wade: When there were moments where Samantha doubted herself, I could see the truth and I made sure that she could see it too. Like, "You cannot give up on this brand. The world clearly needs it. They want it. Keep going." I would not let her give up. If you would love to work with me in the same way. Head over to toycreatorsacademy.com to learn more about how you could be a part of our next cohort of Toy Creators Academy students.
[00:18:28] Azhelle Wade: Now if you love this podcast, did you know that you can support the show? Making It In The Toy Industry takes a lot of work and energy from myself and others to make this happen. So if you love the show and you wanna help support it, head over to thetoycoach.com/support. You can show us some love there. You can also leave a rating and review for the show and let me know how has the show helped you grow your business, get started in the toy industry, build relationships, inspire new ideas. Let me know. Please, wherever you're listening, stop and leave a rating and review.
[00:18:59] Azhelle Wade: Whenever a new review comes in, I get a ping on my phone, puts a huge smile on my face. I tell my friends and family, and you want me to be talking about you. Now, as always, thank you so much for spending this time with me today. I know your time is valuable and that there are a ton of podcasts out there, so it truly means the world to me that you tune into this one.
[00:19:18] Azhelle Wade: Until next week, I'll see you later, toy people.
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