Page 24 - Toy & Hobby Retailers Magazine Feb-Apr 2020
P. 24

TREND UPDATE
Users operate within digital worlds and identify with the fictitious content.
In the Digital goes Physical trend, digital characters enter the world of conventional toys.
The characters’ physical counterparts become an extension of virtual reality, opening the door to new experiences through play.
BE YOU! – GAMES FOR ALL
The world is colourful and diverse. Small children don’t think twice about approaching others or making judgement based on superficial factors.
Play connects everyone irrespective of origin, religion or appearance.
This is the fundamental principle of this trend which brings together two objectives: to help people with special needs and to promote tolerance, inclusion and diversity.
People with disabilities or diseases, such as dementia or Parkinson’s, have very different tactile requirements when it comes to toys and games.
Products within this theme stimulate their minds and motor skills whilst creating shared experiences.
Toy & Hobby Retailer chats to National
Retail Association CEO Dominique Lamb about the toy retail trends from 2019 and what to expect in 2020.
What were the highlights for toys in 2019?
So the total toy revenue for 2019 was about $740 million so it is actually about a 15.9 per cent drop since 2018.
However, the biggest trends we’ve seen in terms of toys are those classic toys coming back.
So hands-on creative play [was popular], with construction and brick toys topping the list – so Lego.
Certainly, also because Lego have brought out their own stores this year there’s been quite a big push in terms of advertising.
In fact, they are up on eBay alone by
60 per cent on sales and that’s specifically around Star Wars and those particular types of sales.
The other thing that seems to be here to stay which is a little bit unusual is books. So they seem to be wiggling their way back as well.
Then of course board games have come back as well. There’s been a 27 per cent increase in terms of sales around board games.
The other thing that is probably hot is around interactive nurturing toys as well. So the whole garden product – where you basically build your own garden – as well as Owleez and Rizmo.
And of course coding, so anything that’s STEM related has been really really popular.
Also some of the physical toys that we’ve seen before like the Razor Scooters and Nerf is still going really well.
A lot of the Disney stuff too. For example Frozen with its second film coming out, to the Lion King is also something else we’ve seen popping up quite a bit.
NATIONAL RETAIL ASSOCIATION
Dominique Lamb
24 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER FEBRUARY / MARCH / APRIL 2020
WHAT BUYERS WANT
WHICH TOYS WERE HIGHLIGHTS FOR CATCH IN 2019?
2019 had many blockbuster cinema releases so we
made sure we were well-stocked for the likes of Toy Story 4, Frozen 2 and Marvel, which led to record sales in Dolls and Action Figures.
Evergreen brands like Razor, Lego, Crayola, Hot Wheels, Melissa & Doug, Nerf and VTech continue to perform well for us.
WHAT TOY TRENDS DID
CATCH WITNESS IN 2019?
In 2018 we saw big growth in board games and collectibles but this year we had great results in the outdoor category; whether it’s water guns, sand/water tables, kids ride-ons including electric scooters and backyard games. Our customers want options. The core lines are great but our customers demand a wider range than is available in-store. Our range is getting wider every day.
WHAT WILL CATCH TOY BUYERS LOOK FOR IN 2020 AND WHY?
We will be on the hunt to expand our current range of educational and interactive toys. Outdoor playsets, building and licence has seen strong growth and we have become a destination for these sub categories. We will certainly continue to build on these ranges.
ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR CATEGORIES THAT YOU THINK WILL BE POPULAR
IN 2020?
Playsets continue to grow year on year and I expect that to continue in 2020 – we widened our offering in 2019 which has been received well by our customers.
DANIEL MATTHEWS
CATCH – Category Buyer Toys


































































































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