Chatting with the Industry
aMuse Toys
consumers. Therefore, we have made a conscious choice of not supplying Amazon directly and working hard to enforce our MAP policy and providing as many creative solutions to our customer base as possible. We feel this is our best option for building our brand and loyalty among our customers.
Carson: The STEM/STEAM movement is aligning really nicely with our own product philosophy. Science, technology, engineering, art, and math have always been key ingredients in Fat Brain Toy Co. products, so it’s gratifying to see consumer demand moving in our direction. There are so many opportunities across the specialty toy spectrum for retailers to differentiate themselves from the same old mass merchandise.
Holliday: We are starting to see some more thinking about shopping and supporting local businesses. In our area, we do not have a real “shop local” program or anything like that. Even the chamber of commerce, in its feeble attempt to promote shopping local a year or so ago,
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
rolled out a program for it, but to participate, retailers and restaurants had to give a special discount. They totally missed the mark with that and, subsequently, the program flopped. Now we’re getting customers who are making the choice to support locally owned businesses on their own instead of online and big-box choices. Granted, it’s not a tidal wave movement, but at least it’s a ripple across the water of a start in a good direction.
Pinsker: We see five major trends that affect our business: 1. The increasing strength of the arts and crafts category: Kids are looking for ways to express their individuality and creativity, and making items they can wear or display is a great way to do this. Parents themselves are spending more time on crafts, which increases their interest in sharing the experience with their kids, and in buying craft and activity products. 2. Educational value: Parents have made it clear that they are seeking more from toys than just fun; they want toys that provide educational
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and cognitive development too. There are plenty of toy products that include pre-reading skills, but not nearly as many that include reading for older kids. Since each of our products includes a book that encourages and engages kids, this trend has had significant positive impacts on our business. 3. Educated consumers: From online reviews to sharing their opinions with friends to recommendations from trained retail staff members, parents are spending more time collecting and assessing information before making purchases. 4. Time: Kids have less free, unscheduled time than ever before. We take this into account by making sure that every one of our products provides everything required for completion. If parents have to scramble around to find glue or yarn before their child can get started, they may have used up all the time their child had available. 5. Quality: Given the economic downturn, I would have expected to see consumers purchasing a larger number of lower-priced products so they would feel like they were giving their kids the same amount or more than in previous years. Instead, we’ve seen people saving to buy a smaller number of products they know will last.
Quartin: For us specifically, there are three trends that I can point to: 1. The transition from STEM to STEAM: Any skill that requires high-level thinking and intelligence requires the ability to tap into your creative cortex, so it’s no coincidence that words like creativity, experimentation, hands-on, innovation, discovery, exploration, and collaboration are part of the language that exists in both the scientific and artistic communities. As the dichotomy between science and art continues to shift to a more collaborative, inclusive approach, there will be so many more pathways for kids to
MAY/JUNE 2014