Zumba has partnered with Bed Bath & Beyond to bring its early childhood program, Zumbini, to the retailer's buybuy Baby stores around the country.
Zumbini was developed by Zumba and BabyFirst and targets young children up to age 4. Its 45-minute classes use music, dancing and educational components to develop motor skills and positive cognitive and social behavior, according to a media release provided to Club Industry.
"We decided to partner with buybuy BABY because our consumer audiences overlap so perfectly," Zumbini CEO Jonathan Beda told Club Industry. "The added benefits of working with buybuyBABY are the facts that we can leverage their trusted brand name among parents with babies, as well as the constant foot traffic coming through every store, every day."
Each participating location will offer three weeks of free demo classes, Beda said, as a way to introduce Zumbini to parents and children. Every class session includes a take-home bundle for participating families, including approximately 20 original songs from class, a songbook with lyrics and a plush toy.
“Zumbini will offer buybuy BABY customers a fun activity to participate in with their children and is a great way to meet other parents in their area,” said Glen Cary, buybuy Baby vice president of stores, in the media release. “This is a unique way to enhance our in-store experience and provide parents and children with a developmental and engaging activity to do in-store.”
Beda told Club Industry he believes fitness-retail partnerships will become increasingly popular in the coming years.
"While certain retail categories are struggling as e-commerce becomes more prevalent, other categories, such as baby goods in this case, maintain a strong retail presence," he said. "The constant targeted foot traffic offered by certain retailers is so appealing to any new brand in the same category, as it guarantees new impressions and free trial which, in our opinion, is the key to customer acquisition for any brand that is not selling a commodity product."