Picture it. As a parent of a recently arrived baby, you spend hundreds of dollars on clothes that only seem to truly fit for about two weeks, then you need to go and buy new clothes because the baby is quickly outgrowing them.
Penn sophomore Anna Dailey, formerly of Menlo Park, California, noticed this issue working as a babysitter and realized that she could make a business out of this. In the summer of 2016, she did just that, founding Baby Bay Box, an internet-based subscription service that for parents to swap children’s clothing. Baby Bay Box would not only buy the clothes wholesale, but would also recycle old clothes worn by others and provide them at a discounted price. The service’s target market includes families seeking to save money on children’s clothing and environmentally conscious families who want to reuse clothing.
Dailey’s market research within her hometown communities shows that families were spending $30 to $60 per month on clothing for their children. She noticed this trend while working as a baby sitter and decided to tap the potential in that market.
Dailey has found it challenging to connect with her target market since she is not a parent herself. To remedy the issue, she has reached out to people like business-owner and CEO Shelby Zitelman, who connected her to a network or working mothers that fit into Baby Bay Box’s target market.
After approximately ten months of work, Baby Bay Box has already received funding from Penn’s Wharton Innovation Fund. However, Dailey says that more financial support would be needed.
The company, comprising Dailey and her staff of three, which include a graphic designer, a marketing major, and an all-around advisor, is currently in the beta stage. Trials will be happening within the next five weeks. Its scheduled launch will be within the next five months, with Dailey aiming to target families within the Philadelphia area, before reaching into international markets.
As far as this company is concerned, it is nearly ready to take its first steps.
The University City Post 