Jim Scott, Babycenter's vice president of editorial, is adamant that eToys will not bias the editorial writing he oversees. Once an editor at Health magazine, he now supervises a staff of about 30 writers and editors. While Scott realizes that information published on Babycenter and, in the future, Parentcenter can affect buying, that's not his intention. "I have final say," he says, emphasizing the point that none of what's written is intended to promote specific products. And Scott, the father of two, says he knows from experience that parents are hungry for the kind of information Parentcenter will provide. "There's a huge portion of the audience that is looking for guidance," he says.
On the other side of the content divide is eToys' biggest competitor, Toys "R" Us, which does not believe that articles on discipline or sibling relationships will make a difference to its bottom line. "People are going to recognize that in the end, for most consumers, they don't have the time to sit on the Web reading content," says Toysrus.com CEO John Barbour. "The life of a mom is incredibly busy." Barbour believes that it's access to hot toys that will make or break businesses online - thinking that mirrors the approach of Toys "R" Us' physical stores.
But the reality may be more subtle. While a significant number of online toy shoppers hit the Web knowing exactly what they want - not unlike shoppers in a Wal-Mart or Toys "R" Us - others are seeking advice. And still others may spend months perusing content before making a relevant purchase. EToys hopes to appeal to all of these shoppers. The company already posts gift recommendations by age (as does Toys "R" Us), as well as suggesting birthday gifts and information about popular characters, from Madeline to Barney.
Scott and Lenk insist that focused content, even if it's not about specific toys, can boost sales. Scott has already seen that happen at Babycenter, most recently in August, when the site highlighted national breast-feeding month and saw its sales of breast-feeding products jump.
Parentcenter may also have other benefits for eToys. For one, it could help address a persistent challenge facing online toy stores: increasing purchases during times other than Christmas, largely by attracting parents to the site and continuing to draw them back. Babycenter, known for the loyalty it engenders among mothers, hopes to transfer its customers to Parentcenter as their children grow older. "There's going to be a handful of consumers out of 100 or 500 who will find value in the content," says Jeetil Patel, an analyst with Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown (dossier). "Those are the customers they probably want to have as ongoing, loyal customers."
Despite the naysayers on both sides - the content-only competitors and the commerce-only rivals - eToys executives say they can't imagine divorcing one from the other. "I think we're going to beat them, I really do," says Scott, sounding almost surprised by his own conviction. Although he admits to feeling tension between the commercial and editorial sides of the business, he claims there's no choice: Not only does he believe that an online retailer can provide authoritative content, but that, when it comes to children's products, it must.
The question, of course, is whether shoppers will agree.
