The future is bright though, U.S. toy retail sales rose 2 percent in 2010 after pulling negative numbers the two years prior. Recent holiday sales were up 3 percent over the period from last year. The approach unveiled 4 toy trends to follow this year are:
- Simply Social
- Physical toys connect on line or to apps
- Games where everyone plays together cooperating in a team effort
- Celebrating "everyday heroes" these toys encourage kids to be socially aware
- Cent-sational
- Collectibles that won’t break the bank
- "mini" toys with "mini" prices
- Re-buildable games that can be played in endless ways
- Performance Play
- Building bodies and minds encouraging logical thinking and motor skills
- Focus is on active sports and enhanced classic racing games
- Emphasizing motion-sensor technology and competition play patterns
- Design, Discover and Learn
- “camouflage learning" (learning is fun)
- "geek chic" (learning is cool)
- Constructibles and crafts that use spatial thinking and creativity
The major marketing trend to expect is tied to the summer movie lineup. Sales tied to films for children should help toy sales even out in the off-season period. Jim Silver, a toy analyst at Timetoplaymag.com said, "It is going to be a stronger sales year for the toy business. This year, in 2011, is by far the most and strongest movie lineup associated with toys I have seen in 25 years."
Hollywood’s lineup has help boost sales in the summer when there are less orchestrated occasions for parents to spend. This year Mattel, Lego, Spin Master all hold licenses for the "Cars 2" toy line. Hasbro’s has dibs on toys based on “Transformers — Dark of the Moon", "Thor" and "Star Wars."
Lego Group is optimistic about their sales prospects in 2011. They have many movie-themed toys as well but are banking on their new original line called Ninjago. The series combines construction blocks with online and trading card games. Online integration is another marketing trend to watch for toys across the board this year. Even if you can’t interact with their online world odds are you can like it on Facebook.
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By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for RetailGigsBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, Creative Kazoo with fellow Nexxt blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.
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