Toy trends for 2018

Toy Trends 2018:

Following are the toy trends for 2018:

1. Mystery Packs: Kids relish in the surprise and delight of a “blind” item. These toys help kids deal with disappointment if they do not get what they want and also teach them to be diligent, organized and socialize with other kids while sharing or trading.A blind toy is a product with an identity that’s hidden by uniform packaging in a series, often sealed with an opaque bag inside a box. It keeps collectors coming back for more; buying more boxes to increase the chance that they will find that one rare character.

Image.4. Num Noms Mystery pack (left) Image.5. Moj moj Mystery pack (right)

2. Emerging Tech: Virtual reality headsets, augmented reality devices, 3D printers, drones, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies have been picking up steam in household conversations. This has changed consumer behaviour dramatically, including playtime. For a generation of digital natives, the line between the physical and virtual worlds is growing thinner. Artificial Reality takes physical toys, models and figures that have a limited function in our real world, and give them expansive abilities in a digital one. By combining the real and the virtual, developers can harness the attachment that people feel to physical items. Using the real world to craft a game environment means that there is no trouble in the form of frame drop rates or a narrow field of view.

Image.6. BB-8 Star wars toy (left) Image.7. Orboot, AR worldview (right)

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Updated Classics: Retro toys are back in refreshed, re-released and reinvented forms. Some have reimagined old-school toys with new tech elements.

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DIY Toys: Kids love to create custom creations, having something tangible to keep and show off what they’ve made. We’re seeing a lot of toys and kits letting kids embrace their creativity, ranging from more traditional arts and crafts sets to those with more tech-centric approaches to design. Pinterest hasn’t just inspired crafts making among adults- kids are following suit, leading to a trend of more cooking, jewellery and arts and crafts toys. New toys encourage kids to make fancy necklaces, film stop motion videos on their phones and bake and decorate cupcakes.

Image.8. Play-Doh kitchen set (left) Image.9. Make your own movie (right)

5. STEM Toys: Toys that facilitate kids with the love of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) from a young age. These activities are great for helping kids build spatial reasoning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they get to explore, design and, in some cases, bring things to life. Parents and educators appreciate these toys because they prep kids for school by building important spatial, reasoning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Brain-boosting playthings that fall into this trend also encourage kids’ proficiency in subjects beyond STEM, such as language and history and support children as they grow and gain new abilities.

Image.10. Newtons Law STEM Kit by Engino (left) Image.11. Computer kit by Piper (right)

Key distribution trends:

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4. The growing demand for licensing toys driven by manufacturers who have access to and knowledge of toys and games in the US and Europe are adopting this to India. Internet retailing is gaining more and more value share due to increasing internet penetration and better merchandise in terms of variety and new launches. Changing demographic situation is resulting in parents spending more on toys and games and focusing more on qualitative and premium products. Foreign players will continue to lead branded toys and games driven by multinational corporations and their huge efforts to increase their presence in India.

Key Insights:

There is a huge change in Indian lifestyle after polpularity of smartphones and easy access to internet, the availability of information at disposal has created a competition among the consumers to consume more. For the toy industry this is a good period to invest into this opportunity, this also gives opportunity for new players to invest and make profit in the market. Most of the customers are parents with kids aging between 2-14 years, this is mainly out of concern for the kids, other than from growing consumerism. The major factors that influence the purchase decision are Safety, non-toxicity, associated skill development, advice from doctors / teachers and material. Price is the least factor that can influence on the purchase decision. Material is a prominent feature in the purchase of toys for kids of age less than 3, while associated skill development precedes material and finishing as the age of kids ascend. The product offerings of the different brands can be divided mainly into two categories based on the kind of purchase decision: a. Activity boxes - easy for parents to find out the specified developmental offering, easier to keep track of development in kids, for regular use, inexpensive b. Individual toys and games - expensive and for occasional offering, lot to choose from Design Gap: Very few toys and games focus on social development, which is important because it can a) Improve language and literacy skills b) Teach important skills such as sharing through imitation c) Help a child get out of separation anxiety