This Ingenious New Platform Lets Your Kids Shop Worry-Free

Kids and online shopping don’t exactly go hand in hand—especially if they can buy with one click and order $2,600 worth of Spongebob popsicles, for example. But kids 11 and under have purchasing power, approximately $1.2 trillion according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

That’s why CAMP, an interactive toy store, has launched the new Present Shop, the first safe and secure e-commerce shopping platform for kids. Now kids can shop and send the perfect gift straight to parents, teachers or friends, with a few parameters set up by the resident adult, of course.

First, the parent or guardian visits camp.com/presents to choose the event, budget, shipping and payment info. From there, kids receive a unique code to enter the Present Shop and the fun begins! Budget money is converted to digital coins and kids experience a unique game-like interface to spend them. They’re guided by Scout, CAMP’s animated mascot, who provides visual and audio cues.

“Grown-ups used to give kids a little ‘walking around’ money to treat themselves every now and then,” said Ben Kaufman, CEO of CAMP. “Today, kids can’t use cash online, and there are very few real world stores that curate a kid-safe assortment of toys, gifts and treats. CAMP’s Present Shop reignites the magic we all felt as kids walking through a mall with a $10 bill.”

It’s a win win: parents save time on the shopping front and kids get take responsibility for gifts in a fun, safe environment. The Present Shop is Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) compliant and it helps your youngsters put value behind their choices. Not quite the same as visiting the local mall, but no parking headaches, either!

—Sarah Shebek

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