A Paris educational toy cataloguer has a loyal community of parents and kids to evaluate and select the products it carries Customer bonding comes first.
Marketing comes second.
Sales increased 23 percent in 1997, following a 35 percent run-up in 1996. Similar growth rates are expected to continue for the next three to four years. Key to his strategy is the firm's unique product selection process, which uses volunteer parents and kids not only to choose each item in the Bien Jou catalog, but also to direct how it is presented. D'Istria's unusual way of doing business and deep commitment to customer relationships is rooted in both philosophy and practicality. He emphasizes that the product testing program is anything but a positioning or marketing ploy.