Page 18 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine Mar-Apr 2019

TREND UPDATE
In the past few years, there has been growing concern over ingredients in food and beauty products and how these ingredients affect our body. This has resulted in consumers opting to not only use natural, organic or DIY beauty products, but to also purchase their food
from local producers.
The concern around chemicals and ingredients
in products has also been seen in the toy industry, with recent worries over ingredients in slime and squishy toys being widely reported – despite the concern being somewhat unwarranted, due to stringent safety measures.
Because of this trend, simple toys which offer classic play patterns and are manufactured using simple, organic and/or sustainable materials may become the toy of choice for many consumers
in 2019 due to the shift back to basics. Local manufacturers of toys, or those made by hand may also become increasingly popular for consumers as they look to purchase products with an air of authenticity and status.
CONSCIOUS CONSUMER – BEING MINDFUL IN YOUR BUYING
In recent years, mindful consumers have become acutely aware of how their purchasing behaviours impact the environment, animals and other people.
Ethical buying has seen a boom as more consumers adopt more mindful lifestyles – veganism and off-the-grid living for example.
These types of lifestyles affect the consumer purchase decision, as shoppers will thoroughly research the origin, working conditions and materials/ingredients used before making a
purchase, as well as actively avoiding brands who do not meet their criteria. This type
of behaviour is mostly seen across the fashion, beauty and food industries, but
can impact the toy industry in terms of working conditions of employees (especially in manufacturing countries) and materials used in toy manufacturing.
DIGITALLY TOGETHER – PROXIMITY IS NO LONGER
A BOUNDARY
The dawn of the internet brought human beings online. We connected in ways we hadn't before, the way that we worked and lived our lives, changed. Now that the internet has firmed itself into our everyday lives, we demand more from it.
In our personal lives, more and more of us are watching online content – for entertainment, learning and research purposes – reading reviews on our purchases before we make them, as well as sharing the highlight reel, location and intimate moments of our lives on social platforms.
The proliferation of internet-enabled mobile devices will only grow, with the report showing that by 2026, almost 100 per cent of the world will have internet access on their phone.
Matthew Hudak – a consultant on toys and games at Euromonitor – says that VR will become more of a driving force in the future.
“For the next generation of digital technologies, finding the balance between user-friendliness and technical capabilities is the main challenge. We will see the future manifest in simple forms of augmented and virtual reality (VR) as industries
are making initial steps in trying
to achieve the features consumers want.
“VR is already being used in digital communities in Asia where participants can play and watch electronic sports online. For example, Twitch has captured the attention of gaming enthusiasts by averaging one million live participants throughout 2018, up 42 per cent from 2017. As VR games become a reality, online communities may be the first adopters of the full manifestation of virtual reality.
“Augmented reality (AR) is already popular through mobile games like Pokémon. Once it’s fully developed, the technology to manipulate space in front of you on a screen could offer immense value for training, shopping and meetings.”
EVERYONE'S AN EXPERT – KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Tying into the proliferation of the internet, the fifth consumer trend that Euromonitor names is Everyone's an Expert.
According to the report, hyper-availability of products is considered normal for consumers who are planning to research and
18 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER MARCH / APRIL 2019
Share of National Populations with LTE Mobile Internet or Faster 2014-2026. Source: Euromonitor International