Gifts / Sports & Toys

According to Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation, the toy industry has undergone earth-shaking changes compared with 20 years ago. First, the target users of toys continue to expand. Toys not only serve children, but also expand to people of all ages; Second, there are more and more people who can sell toys. On TikTok, YouTube and other video platforms, some people earn a lot of income by using open-box toys, parent-child interaction and other videos.

For traditional toy enterprises, what are the opportunities and trends worthy of attention in the face of the reshaped market environment? On April 13-14, in Hangzhou, the "Outlet · New Channel Conference&Growth Category Conference" hosted by the Maternal and Child Industry Watch came in a big way. Representatives of excellent channels from all over the country and the whole region gathered here. Representatives of popular tracks and sub-categories gathered at the scene to discover and create more new growth!

01 Which new channels are worth toy layout?

1) Different from offline stores, online emerging e-commerce platforms are in full bloom. They have the advantages of specialization and variety, such as traditional e-commerce platforms represented by Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, Pinduoduoduo, etc. These platforms, with their advantages in price and convenience in express delivery, are enough to allow consumers to shop around when buying toys.

At the same time, emerging online platforms such as Tiktok, Kwai and Xiaohongshu are also accelerating their commercial transformation, increasing their commodity sales functions and attracting many toy businesses to settle in. For example, on the Tiktok platform, the online toy evaluation experiment video has attracted a large number of user traffic, becoming Lego, enlightenment building blocks, Brooke, Aobei

New sales channels for toy brands such as Babycare and Audi Double Diamond. According to the data of Cicada Mama, from January to June 2022, the sales of toys and musical instruments on the Tiktok platform increased by 323% year on year, showing a trend of rapid growth. Huohuo Rabbit, who has been deeply involved in the industry for many years, has also been exploring new growth in the past two years by means of new channels, cooperation with Tiktok, Kwai and Daren, and self broadcasting in stores.

However, the development advantages of each platform are also different. Kwai is more sinking, Tiktok is more inclusive, and the display content is richer. The video number is more private, and Xiaohongshu has a stronger grass planting economy. For the emerging community group purchase, more toy merchants regard it as a supplementary channel for toy sales. Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation Report.

2) Offline toy stores, fashion stores, convenience stores and other convenience stores/community stores

In the interview of the past observation of the mother and baby industry, senior toy players said that the channel with smoke and fire is the channel with strong vitality, and it will never stop.

Stationery stores and community stores on the street of the school are one of them. With the advantages of accurate target groups and easy to form public praise, they have already been included in the category of toy brand expansion channels, such as Bruco, Enlightenment Building Blocks, Yeluoli and other brands. Although such small stores are not very impressive, operators can get a close understanding of consumers' preferences and consumption habits, and can quickly get feedback on whether the products sell well.

In terms of channel development, some toy brands also targeted convenience stores. According to the "Interpretation and List of China's Convenience Store Best-selling Products in 2021" released by the China Chain Store Association, in the sales statistics of non-food goods, the "Super Universe Aote" hero card of Kayou has become the only item on the list of cultural and entertainment products. Convenience stores are valued by toy manufacturers for their long business hours, rich commodity resources and location advantages. At present, brands such as Aofei Entertainment, 52TOYS, Kayou, Smart Creative and Wandai are all laying out convenience stores. However, in the convenience stores of 7-ELEVEN, Convenience Bee, JD.com and other brands, the toy category is mainly small size blind box, water gun, card, building block, and IP peripheral display.

Tidal Playshop/Tidal Department Store

The trendy department store has also become the "standard" for toy brands to attack the market in the past two years. It is reported that trendy department stores are mostly located in densely populated areas, such as large shopping malls, shopping malls, subway stations and other places. Various toy brands can be seen in trendy department stores such as 1883, Jiumu Clubhouse, Kule Chaotong, Mingchuang Youpin and Chaotong Collection Store X11 and TOP TOY. The brands include Disney, Wandai, Audi Double Diamond, Enlightenment and Keepley building blocks. The product categories range from stickers, mini blind boxes, jigsaw puzzles, building blocks, board games to plush toys.

Toy store/independent store

Although the emerging online channels give toy brands more opportunities, toy brands want to become bigger and stronger, expand brand awareness and product sales, and unique offline consumer experience is also essential, such as Lego, Bubble Mart, and Huohuo Rabbit, which are planning to open more offline stores.

Li Xin, the founder of Huohuo, once told the mother and infant industry observation that the focus will be on private domain and authorization at the channel end, Huohuo will also re-impact the third and fourth tier markets, and IP authorization and channel capabilities will be released to improve more market coverage. At present, Huohuo has 6 direct-sale stores, and 5 are in second-tier and third-tier cities.

In addition, offline channels include mother and baby stores, supermarkets, retail stores, robot stores, flash stores, toy exhibitions and distribution channels. Such as baby toy exhibition, fashion toy exhibition, animation exhibition, etc., are conducive to toy brands' in-depth insight into consumer demand and industry trends. If they expand overseas markets, they can also have in-depth insight into the local market.

02 Where is the next outlet of the toy industry?

According to Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation, as the younger generation becomes the main force of maternal and infant consumption, they are slowly changing the market, and the consumption demand presents a high quality, brand and personalized development trend. As a result, more and more new and cutting-edge brands are emerging. For example, building blocks, fashion toys, STEAM toys and other categories are also opportunities for latecomers.

Among them, building blocks have always been the hot category of major e-commerce platforms. Relevant data show that building blocks account for 16% of the entire toy market in China, with an output of about 13 billion, which is the highest category in the toy market.

In the field of building blocks, although Lego has dominated the market for many years, "Chinese building blocks" have also been actively seeking changes in the past two years to explore new opportunities in the category. In particular, taking advantage of the trend of the country and the trend of playing, Lego has created trendy original, IP co branded building blocks, collectible building blocks and other products that young people like. Many brands have gone out of their own unique style and achieved growth against the trend. Extended reading: 2022 children's building block brand power list Top20 is released! Emerging players are poised for new changes in the building block toy industry?

Compared with the building blocks with strong intellectual properties, plush toys appear to be "not doing their jobs". Cute, companionship and comfort are its unique labels. In the adult world with increasing pressure, plush toys are no longer exclusive to children. More and more young consumers become the main consumers of plush toys. Young consumers pursue more comfortable touch, more fashionable design, more yuan of IP and social play. According to Amazon data, plush toys led the growth of toy category, and its sales revenue increased by 32% from the beginning of 2022 to November. In addition, more interactive and interesting smart toys also deserve market attention. Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation Report.

STEAM toys, an emerging segment, also deserves the attention of businesses. According to the data of Nint Rentuo, combining the data of Tmall, Taobao and JD.com, STEAM toys/teaching aids increased by 13.6% year on year.

Especially under the influence of the "double reduction" policy, parents prefer educational toys that can cultivate children's creativity and hands-on ability. The strong demand of consumers has prompted science and technology innovation companies and toy enterprises to step down and launch STEAM-related products. However, insiders believe that the STEAM toy/teaching aids toy category is only at the conceptual level, and the brand can use its "Dongfeng" to boost sales growth, and its product structure and pricing still have large space to be explored.

In addition to building block toys, STEAM toys/teaching aids have become a sales boom, and as a conventional type of simulation/family toys have also become a new favorite in the market. It is reported that children's kitchen cooking toys can cultivate children's hands-on ability, and their cooking tools can be subdivided into different food production and food application scenarios, such as electric rice cookers, non-stick pans, milk pans, and dumplings.

It is noteworthy that new products are the main driving force for brand growth. According to the observation of Huacheng's import and export data, there will be more than 70 "tens of millions of new products" of toys in 2022. Among them, the number of new toys for children will increase by more than 150% year on year, and the number of trendy toys will increase by more than 300% year on year; The new product of Cherry Meatballs, which has not reached the end of the year, was launched for the first time during the "Double 11"; Lego Group's 2022 financial report also showed that 48% of the products sold last year were new products.