The Timeless Appeal Of Action Oriented Toys

There are plenty of play patterns that have lasted the test of time. One such play pattern is ACTION! Action in this context includes both action figures and toys which involve or provoke large degrees of physical activity. In recent times Nerf has grown into one of the largest and most successful action oriented toy brands, however, the play pattern of toy guns is hardly new – dating back to when past generations would play at being cowboys or soldiers to a far greater degree than is prevalent today, cap guns and other types of toy guns were very popular.

The high energy levels of children is not something that has changed particularly, nor does it seem likely to change. At the time of writing (during the COVID-19 pandemic with vaccine rollout not yet taking effect on a mass scale), parents of young children around the world have experienced first-hand the high energy levels of their children. The reason why schools have break times during the day is not just to refresh and rest young brains from becoming so tired that they can’t concentrate. The primary reason for break time is to let children run around and expend physical energy so that there is a reasonable chance of getting them to sit relatively still and concentrate on school work afterwards! The fact that breaks for physical activity are built into the fabric of educational institutions across the world should tell us everything we need to know about the underlying drivers of active physical play.

The trick to delivering successful toys into this space is to offer toy products which both inspire imaginations and facilitate ‘WOW’ and boisterousness in a compelling way. Start with that remit to your product development teams and you shouldn’t go far wrong!




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5 Key Reasons Why Parents Buy Toys

When you think about it, this could be the most important question in the toy business. Not being able to answer that question suggests a lack of understanding of the purpose of your business and products. The answers to this question are not necessarily deeply engrained enough in the processes and mindset of most toy companies. The smaller a toy company is, the more they tend to operate at the whim of their key buyers due to a lack of leverage and strength in the relationship. The challenge though is that if you just jump as and when the buyer instructs, you can miss the fundamental question of how or why you are going to get the product sold off their shelf/sold on their e-commerce site. A product which ships into retail but doesn’t ship out does nobody any favours.

Therefore, the question of why parents buy toys should be asked and thoroughly understood for every single product. There are very few secrets in today’s world – there is so much information out there and so many communication and interaction platforms that understanding consumer purchase motivations has never been easier.

Here are some of the more obvious reasons for parents buying toys:

1. To aid the education/development of their child
2. To keep their child (constructively) busy for a while so they can get some peace/rest
3. To feel like they are good parents doing a good job with the upbringing of their children
4. Because the child pesters them into buying a toy, even if they don’t really want to
5. To facilitate a social experience

There are of course many other potential reasons for parents to buy toys, but these 5 factors are some of the most important. Each of these is quite different in terms of the mindset and purpose of the purchaser and the intended recipient, which in turn should lead to different marketing hooks, different consumer for advertising/communications and for product characteristics.

So, for your latest new products are you clear why parents would buy them?

 

We run a Consultancy business for toy & game companies. We work with major toy & game companies through to start ups and one person bands. For more information on how we help toy & game companies grow their distribution around the world: www.KidsBrandInsight.com/services

For more articles & insights on the toy and games business, sign up here for our free e-newsletter sent straight to your inbox: https://forms.aweber.com/form/54/1325077854.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Roll On 2021 – An Exciting Year Ahead For The Toy Business

We made it! 2021 is now well underway after all the turmoil of 2020.

Demand for toys & games remains strong overall, with a number of positive market drivers supporting future performance. As vaccines roll out across Q1 & Q2 2021, we may find it hard to anniversary some unusual peaks of trading outside of Q4, but overall demand is strong.

We face the genuine prospect of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic at some point in the next 6 months, which should make our work easier and less stressful, although we can expect that a significant proportion of staff will negotiate more working from home going forward.

In 2021, we should see the return of toy trade shows in some shape or form. While some people raised cynical eyebrows at the rearranged dates for some of our leading trade shows, they now look likely to happen, albeit how similar they will be to ‘normal’ trade shows in the past is yet to be seen.

There is a mass of backed up entertainment content waiting to be released in cinemas & to on demand which should have a favourable impact on topline sales at some point within 2021.

But above all, we still have a vibrant and resilient industry coming towards the exit point of the pandemic, for which we can be truly grateful.

 

Have you listened to our PLAYING AT BUSINESS podcast? We analyse key areas of the toy and game business, we interview leading people in the business and we discuss major trends and changes across toys & games. You can listen to numerous episodes here: https://playingatbusiness.libsyn.com/

The Value Of Department Stores To The Toy Business

Department stores have historically played an important role in the toy business. One of the many benefits they tend to bring is supporting a broader and more diverse product portfolio. Since department stores tend to have higher overheads and therefore need to work with higher margins than discount stores or grocery retailers, they are structurally incentivised to take a significant ratio of products you won’t find in cost cutting bargain basement retail stores. By listing a different product range department stores support the broader health of the toy industry overall, as well as acting to inherently encourage new suppliers and new ideas more than some retail channels.

These though are difficult times for department stores. At the time of writing, Debenhams in the UK have just entered into the liquidation phase of the administration that began earlier this year. While Debenhams has struggled for a few years, the pandemic and resultant lockdowns appear to have been the final nail in the coffin. Debenhams leaving the market will leave a big gap, which doubtless other retailers will be quick to try to fill, but they won’t all have the same impact on the market of diversifying product ranges and accessing different consumers.

Department stores are a primary venue for the most undervalued, underutilised and arguably most effective marketing method – that being the in-store demonstration. Due to having more spacious environments, and due to being a nicer and more relaxing environment versus a grocery retailer or discount store, shoppers will often dwell longer to try something out if it looks interesting. Logically the best place to spend marketing funds should be at the point of sale, yet while toy companies queue up to pay for advertising on Amazon to raise their profile, very few fully commit to encouraging shoppers to buy in physical stores. Normally those companies who do focus on in store marketing and demonstration are among the most successful companies in the industry.

Following on from this, one area of improvement for many department stores is to make more effort to physically reach out to bring shoppers into stores. Often they have more staff versus discount chains, and you can often find staff milling around without customers to serve, yet outside the door hundreds of people can be walking past (in normal times that is, maybe not currently depending on local lockdown rules). Department stores could utilise the fun and wow factor of many toy products to entice people into store. A good example of this is Hamleys flagship store in London, at the door at point of entry there is always somebody doing something funny like juggling, blowing bubbles or something else to create a sense of fun. Perhaps Department stores could learn from this approach and take more steps outside stores to entice shoppers in.

Department stores have historically been an important part of the toy business, but times are tough, those store chains which evolve will have a better chance of being a part of the toy business in the future.

 

We run a Consultancy business for toy & game companies. We work with major toy & game companies through to start ups and one person bands. For more information on how we help toy & game companies grow their distribution around the world: www.KidsBrandInsight.com/services

For more articles & insights on the toy and games business, sign up here for our free e-newsletter sent straight to your inbox: https://forms.aweber.com/form/54/1325077854.htm