Choosing A Playground Retailer
Your guide to planning your next outdoor playground!
Choosing A Playground Retailer
It’s important to partner with a vendor you can trust to watch your vision of outdoor play equipment cultivate into a fun, exciting place for kids to play!
Choosing playground equipment ushers in a whole new set of challenges and opportunities of their own — from deciding on which playground components your site will need, to capturing the perfect playground location — the steps in planning a new playground are more complex than many think!
Watch how simple commercial playground equipment can transform into an outdoor playset and begin your commercial playground planning with these resources including:
- The Ultimate Guide To Commercial Playground Components
- Commercial Playground Equipment Planning Guide – Budget And Playground Essentials
- Commercial Playground Equipment Planning Guide – Choosing the Location of Your Playground
With the initial visions of your outdoor play equipment evolving into a playground, the next step is partnering with a playground retailer to bring everything to life!
But, choosing an outdoor play equipment vendor isn’t about picking any retailer — it’s about vetting one who understands what you’re after and can find a solution in executing it.
Where do you start when embarking on partnering with a playground equipment retailer?
It’s important to do a little leg work and research before committing to a playground supplier. Remember, you’ve invested a lot of time and energy in preparing for this space and you’ll likely be spending a good deal of money on the playground equipment, so it’s vital you have a company that your trust, amongst many other factors.
Below are some tangible ways to begin the quest for an outdoor play equipment retailer.
Investigate the commercial playground industry.
The best place to begin is with a little good old’ fashion recon! Just as you would embark on buying a new car or finding a wedding planner, the grounds for vetting a playground equipment retailer are just as crucial!
While you may not have a local vendor, there are a variety of online commercial playground suppliers. A quick internet search will give you an idea of what’s out there, and, believe it or not, the commercial playground industry is vast!
It’s important to not necessarily settle for the first company you see, and this is where the vetting process for your outdoor play equipment begins!
Browse their website - Does the playground retailer have a good website? Are there pictures with detailed product descriptions? There are many assets to observe including helpful resources, customer feedback and reviews, safety standards, etc.
Speak with a sales rep - Once you know more about a commercial playground retailer you can give them a call and speak with them directly on the phone. This allows you to feel out who you’d be working with and notice any red flags that may pop up.
Look at online reviews - The best place to get a more accurate representation is through online reviews. Here you’ll learn all about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the outdoor play equipment industry. It’s also a good resource to help you form questions to ask when you speak to companies on the phone.
Ask for input from someone who has recently gone through the same process.
Perhaps there’s a new elementary school that was built or a new subdivision in your town — both are places where new playgrounds are! Reach out and find a contact you can speak with about their experience. Learn more about what they would do differently, unexpected costs, and if they liked their playground vendor. Be open to feedback and any suggestions they may have — take from what they did really well and learn from their mistakes.
Compare and contrast outdoor play equipment companies.
From a quick glance, playground vendors may all look similar, but they all differ slightly in what they provide. Some may only supply a specific type of playground (metal, wood, plastic, etc), while another may not have a playground component that you’re set on — in your quest for an ideal playground suitor, the details are everything!
Search for an outdoor play equipment retailer that you’re comfortable with.
As you get closer and closer to installing your new playground equipment, the retailer is someone you’ll be working closely with in all your final decisions, so it’s vital that you like who you’re working with!
It’s about having both (and you can have both!) — choosing a playground that you like and meets all your standards and working with a retailer you trust. People bring different strengths to the table, and at the end of the day, if you don’t trust who you’re working with, things can go sour quickly.
When you devote time to vetting a playground equipment vendor by researching the industry, dialoguing with someone who has recently been through the process, and search for a vendor you connect with, you’re a couple of steps closer in finding the best playground retailer for your project!
Once you feel more comfortable and have a couple of commercial playground equipment retailers in mind, there are further outdoor play equipment fundamentals to consider.
Topics To Consider In Choosing A Playground Retailer
As you begin to wade through the outdoor play equipment sphere, you’ll learn valuable things along the way that will aid as stepping stones as your vision begins to come to fruition. If you need more of a starting point, let’s touch on some topics to help get the wheels turning.
Experience
A commercial playground company with experience is an important piece to consider. It’s not to say that it’s not worth it to work with a brand new retailer, however, one with more experience has a better understanding of potential issues and can act as more of a guide as you select the playground components and play equipment.
Consider the following:
How long has the outdoor play equipment company been in business?
Are the playgrounds ADA compliant?
What playground components do they have for all abilities?
Do they offer a consult in playground installation?
Services
It’s important to work with a commercial playground company that goes beyond just their playground equipment.
Will they help you develop a playground blueprint?
Are they able to provide examples of people and companies they’ve worked with?
Do they help or provide resources in funding?
Do they have the potential for performing a site assessment and aid in the removal of any old playground equipment?
Products
The playground components and the products are essential when considering your future playground! This is an area you’ll need to work closely with your vendor and ensure you can get exactly what you need.
Do their products meet the safety and accessibility standards?
What is the warranty on their play equipment?
What is the turnaround time on custom playsets?
How are playgrounds installed?
Resources
Because outdoor play equipment is an expansive industry, planning for and developing the project for your commercial playground can be overwhelming, so it’s important to partner with a company a breadth of resources.
What resources do they offer?
Can they offer maintenance guides and care recommendations?
Will they help you develop a plan for your playground?
Do they have helpful tips?
Outdoor Play Equipment Retailers And Roles
As you navigate the process in planning a playground, you’ll eventually choose a vendor, and if they offer installation or other supplemental services, there are a few roles you should know.
Project Manager -
The project manager of your playground installation is the main point of contact and will arrange for design, purchasing, pricing, and scheduling.
Outdoor Play Equipment Designer -
This is the person who will consider your budget and help you implement a design that better translate with your site dimensions, in addition, all of your playground component needs are requirements.
Account Manager -
If you have questions about the billing, insurance, or any accounting inquiries, this is the person that will handle those.
Customer Service/Sales Consultant -
This is the person with all the answers, or at least most of them. They will be able to answer your questions concerning their services, play equipment products, and resources.
Professional Supervisor -
If the playground equipment company offers on-site installation, the professional supervisor is the point of contact for all things related to the installation portion of the playground project. They’re able to ensure that any volunteers are following instructions and establish that the playground is up to code.
Collaborate with MVP Playgrounds in your next commercial playground endeavor!
We’ve explored how to choose a playground retailer who can bring your outdoor play equipment to life in a stunning playground, and MVP Playgrounds is just the retailer to collaborate with.
Who are our playgrounds for?
Our commercial playgrounds are first and foremost for the kids to enjoy, next to them we outfit a variety of entities including:
Schools
City parks
HOA
Developers
Why choose MVP Playgrounds over other commercial playground companies?
When planning and implementing an outdoor playset, you can’t rush the project — the location needs to be perfect and the site has to be ready. And in this, not only are we strongly detail-oriented, we’re patient and won’t try and speed the project. (in text image)
We’re also here to help you cultivate exactly what you need — we won’t try and upsell you playground components or a playground that you just don’t need. We’re budget-conscious and we will craft a playground that makes sense for your facility.
Not do we dwell in the details, patience, and a playground that will work for you, safety and high-quality playground equipment are at the foundation of what we do.
What is keeping you from launching your next commercial playground project?
MVP Playgrounds has the solutions and resources to help you get started today!
Reach out to speak with a sales consultant today!