Feature
Tech Toys & Gadgets
All hands on tech Though the cost of living is escalating, the appetite for tech toys and gadgets remains just as high, as Sam Giltrow discovers.
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espite tech toys often coming with a higher price tag than other toy lines, manufacturers say they are not too concerned about increased living costs impacting sales and dampening enthusiasm for the latest innovative gadgets. In fact, many believe the category will see the same high levels of enthusiasm (and sales) it has enjoyed in the past few years, as kids seek out toys which tap into the latest trends, be they interactive tech toys that are powered by an app or robots they can programme. Parents too are increasingly choosing tech to help further their children’s learning. According
to research conducted by the Lego Foundation last year, children’s knowledge, development of skills, emotional wellbeing and family relations are supported through play with digital technologies. Furthermore, combining interactive technology like Augmented Reality with traditional, physical toys can significantly enhance the educational value of children’s playing. Parents also want to encourage toys that don’t add to their kid’s already screen-heavy media diet, and Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto which produces Yoto Player and Yoto Mini - screen-free audio players for children - says the Yoto team expects that to continue. “While there’s no denying there are more challenging times on the horizon for all of us, we see from our customers that the enthusiasm for our product is there,” he explains. “We pride ourselves on having a product with a very high play value and we are committed to delivering amazing added value for all our customers, with regular updates to the software on Yoto Players and Yoto Minis, plus the free Yoto app.” As well as offering a library of over 800 stories, music cards, activities and sleep sounds with some big launches in recent months including Star Wars, Marvel, Disney and Peppa Pig, Yoto also offers a wide range of high-quality free content including Yoto Radio and Yoto Daily, a podcast which has just released its 1,000th episode.
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“We have never been an impulse buy toy brand and spending on children is relatively resilient in tough economic times, so we feel well equipped to weather any incoming challenges,” says Ben. “We see from our customers that they’re hungry for audio content that inspires their children, and they are increasingly engaging with more educational content.” Charlotte Polley, owner of Boo’s Toy Shop in Poundbury, Dorset, said she had seen an appetite for the Yoto Player and Yoto Mini which she started stocking in April, after seeing them for the first time at London Toy Fair. “The range has been incredibly successful for us,” she tells Toy World. “I think parents are looking for something with extra play value, and a main selling point of the Yoto Player is that it also features white noise and sleep training. It gives children not just stories but music and educational content as well. The new Yoto Mini is also ideal for kids to take out wherever they go and keeps them entertained for hours.” She describes the Yoto Player as an “amazing brand” along with another children’s audio system she stocks: Tonies. Lucia Kreuzer, UK & Ireland MD for Tonies, says it is vital that tech toys keep up with parents’ demands for more value-for-money out of toys. “What will make or break the parents’ buying decision is not the price tag, but the value the toy will provide,” she tells us. “Questions on how long the child will be interested in the toy, how much time they will spend with it and what they will learn will determine if the consumer will purchase. By and large, parents don’t cut back when it comes to educating their children. Parents who buy a Toniebox know that it is an investment for the next few years; they can see the benefit that the Toniebox has on their child, whether it’s helping them drift off to sleep, educating them about astronauts and wildlife or entertaining them on long car journeys.” While there is a lot of technology in a Toniebox, the product is intentionally designed to have a low tech feel for the customers. There are no screens, no
