2020 Earnie Awards Winner – Licensed Collection: Bumkins

Licensed Collection

Bumkins

Est. 1989

Jakki Liberman, President

First paying job: Babysitter

Pet peeve: Laziness

Greatest motivator: New problems to solve

Hobbies: Walking my dog, reading, watching movies

Favorite quarantine snack: Toast with jam

One fact few people know about you: I am one of seven children.

Blast from the Past All our licensed collections (including this year’s award-winning Harry Potter collab) evoke nostalgia and connections between generations. We want parents and kids to share the love of their favorite characters through products that are practical and affordable.

Terrific Tweaks This year, we focused on efficiency and implementing new technology. We upgraded many internal communication systems and project management software companywide. We also updated our website and e-commerce tools.  While we will continue adding and improving every quarter, we’ve already noticed more productivity and reduced stress across the board.

Older & Wiser As a 30-plus-year-old company, we’ve been through a lot. Those experiences gave us a depth of resources as well as a long-view perspective to navigate 2020. While most people worked remotely for the first few months, we knew we needed to get back to the office for maximum productivity. We expanded into new warehouse facilities, which gave us extra office space and allowed us to spread our team over three buildings, making everyone feel safe while also allowing us to work together collaboratively.

Whole New World In the past, we used tradeshows to launch licensed collections or new products. Now, due to COVID-19, we are launching items when they are ready and spreading those launches throughout the year. We mostly focus on social channels over traditional marketing. In the next five years, it will increasingly be about meeting the customer where he/she lives—at home, ready to shop 24/7. Services like BOPIS (buy online, pick-up in-store) will continue to make brands more accessible and trustworthy. The industry is evolving quickly , and we all need to do our best to keep up!