A Toy Story: Online Toy Sales
By: Kemal Sidar
Tags: Amazon, Retail, Sales, Ecommerce, Marketing

A Toy Story: Online Toy Sales

During Covid-19 days we all need to be entertained at home! Besides, new buying habits also help online toy sales booming…Are you a part of the online toy sales trend or a watcher? Kemal Sidar Dec 16, 2020·4 min read

Photo by Jerry Wang on Unsplash

The global e-commerce market for toys was valued at US$90 billion in 2018 and it is only set to increase with the rise of toy sales during isolation.

In Europe the average spend per child is US$215. While the average spend varies considerably across countries the United Kingdom has the one of the highest at US$438 per child.

And it has been suggested that online toy sales are growing two to three times faster than those from brick and mortar shops.

Profitero conducted a customer survey on toy shoppers, their results showed that a very large proportion of those looking to buy toys have changed to having a “digital-first mindset”.

What this means in practice is that when consumers start their shopping process they first go to Amazon, interestingly people still look at the item on Amazon even if in the end they go in-store to actually make the purchase — 87% of shoppers now begin product searches online.

So, there is a large pool of potential customers and a company offering Amazon Sales support in the UK can help with catching those sales and keeping them online.

Past behaviour indicated that even if shoppers conducted product research online, they would make the final purchase in a shop where they can try it before buying it, particularly if children are involved in the process, however, this has now changed.

More than two-thirds of UK customers prefer to shop online.

The benefits of buying online such as ease, price and selection are more important than the ability to touch and feel in a store.

In the UK, Argos is currently the top toy retailer, followed by Smyths and Amazon, however, it is predicted that Amazon will be in pole position in the near future because of the benefits associated with Amazon shopping — variety, low price and quick delivery.

The rise in online toy sales due to the lockdown and the associated closure of non-essential shops during the pandemic is set to continue as shoppers settle into the new normal with social distancing being encouraged.

The subcategories which showed the biggest increase in demand were games and puzzles! In addition, outdoor and sports toys, arts and crafts as well as building sets all saw a record increase in sales.

According to Criteo data, Jigsaw Puzzles started rising globally in mid-March and have largely stayed at historic highs.

In the 30-day period from (2019) March 27 to April 26, sales were up in the Netherlands (+138%), Russia (+140%), France (+171%), Japan (+269%), the UK (+321%), Italy (+379%), the US (+509%), Germany (+539%), Australia (+563%), Spain (+677%), and Brazil (+1011%).

The need to keep children, and adults alike, entertained during this time also saw a number of online stores running low on stock or being sold out — especially in the arts and crafts category.

There are lessons that can be learnt about stock control particularly leading up to the festive season where the holiday sales period normally places stress on supply chains.

There is a struggle to keep up with shipment gaps resulting in frustrated and annoyed shoppers looking to find the right gift.

Running out of stock during the holiday sales period means that these customers will be lost; it is essential to be able to constantly track availability for online toy sales — obtaining the expertise of an online sales management services can assist during this time when there are these additional pressures.

Another key consideration for online toy sales is shopping events!

Shopping events have moved from being in-store to being online, so marketing strategies also need to change.

In terms of the macro picture, in the past, Black Friday was the biggest sales event bringing customers into stores, however, this has now been taken over by Cyber Monday, Singles Day and others.

On the more micro level, online store birthday events, summer sales and fun days are more attractive now than in-store events.

All of these things combine to mean that the possibility of parents purchasing toys online has significantly increased which also then increases the pressure on brands to have a strong e-commerce strategy.

E-Commerce and marketplaces are also helping you turn your local shop or individual attempts to a nationwide/international business to reach out to more potential buyers.