FEATURE
GIRLS COLLECTABLES
Vivid Love Diana
Girls just wanna have fun! The girls have had it their own way for the past couple of years with the likes of L.O.L. Dolls taking the crown in all the polls. TnP asks if the category is still a dead cert for sales and how is it changing during the current climate?
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irls collectables has been a reliable category for most toy retailers over the past few years, spearheaded by the mighty L.O.L. Dolls, but with plenty of other contenders making their mark. According to sector experts Kids Insights, TV-related collectables are experiencing a surge in popularity, with the number of girls under 13 buying collectables related to their favourite TV shows increasing by 70 per cent in October-December 2020 compared with the same period in the preceding year). Cards and stickers are also popular in the collectables category, with girls aged three to 12 more likely to use their pocket money to buy stickers (+80 per cent) and trading cards (+33 per cent) in Q4 2020 compared with Q4 2020. Meanwhile, Jelena Stosic, strategy director at research, strategy and creative agency Kids Industries, says: “Reporting in 2020, NPD data placed collectables as one of the ‘losers’ of lockdown, with sales of collectables dropping 29 per cent between January - May 2020 compared to the same period last year. She adds: “Perhaps unsurprisingly, during the same timeframe, games and
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Brands are funnelling more resources into their content strategy, hoping to support and supplement engagement
Jelena Stosic, Kids Industries
puzzles were up 43 per cent, outdoor toys up 31 per cent and building sets up 17 per cent. The audience was looking for toys that would give longer-term interest and help keep children busy for a period of time rather than offer short-term delight. In addition, we’ve seen a rise of intergenerational play, which would have supported the sales of board games. “If we consider financial difficulty as part of the mix, too, and the fact that we’re very much living through a time when purchases will need to be more considered, it certainly looks like the next year could be very challenging for a number of players as well. Of course, many will thrive – but their success
will require a careful consideration of product development, distribution and marketing strategies. “From the outside in, it seems that this is something the key players are responding to, as both Hatchimals and L.O.L. Surprise have been releasing biggerticket items suited for longer-term play in addition to their collectable lines. Also – and this has been important for a number of years now – brands are funnelling more resources into their content strategy, hoping to support and supplement their engagement as well as by word of mouth. “And – thinking about the trends – there is an important conversation to be had regarding representation in collectables.
Join our club “Collecting is like being in a club and is popular with primary-aged children as it coincides with their developing sense of identity and their need to ‘belong’,’’ explains Dr Amanda Gummer, founder and CEO of the Good Play Guide. “Collecting the same toys as their friends gives children a common topic of conversation and is often used to cement friendships through swaps. During lockdown it can be a way of keeping connected with friends and provides shyer children with a reason to communicate and something to talk about.’’
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