25th January 2018
The USA toy market grew by 1% during 2017, reaching $20.7 billion in sales.
According to market research company NPD Group, this is inline with the global trend of 1% growth in the twelve countries it monitors.
Within the twelve markets tracked, there were significant variation in the toy industry’s performance. Mexico and Russia experienced the most growth of 12% and 11% respectively, partially driven by inflation.
Sales also grew in the Netherlands by 3%, Canada by 3%, Belgium 2%, and Spain 2%.
In Germany and Italy, sales were flat over the course of 2017.
The United Kingdom, France, and Australia all experienced a decline in sales. France -(1)%, Australia -(2)% and the biggest decline was in the UK -(3)%. The UK’s decision, via a referendum, to leave the European Union (Brexit) was cited as a major factor for the decline, as a drop in sterling has led to increased prices of imported goods and holidays aboard, reducing household spending power. Another concern raised in the UK is the prevalence of counterfeit goods.
Top Three Toy Properties in the USA 2017
- Nerf
- Star Wars
- Barbie
Top Three Toy Properties Globally 2017
- Star Wars
- Nerf
- Barbie
Fidget spinners, slime kits, Hatchimals, Furreal Friends and L.O.L. Surprise! all helped the toy industry grow.
Collectibles continued to grow with blind bags, such as LEGO Minifigure still enjoying rising sales. Games and puzzles also grew its sales mostly due to Pokémon trading cards that continue to benefit from the summer 2016 release of Pokémon Go game app during the first half of 2017.
“The toy industry’s 2017 success was tied to consumers positively reacting to social media-driven trends and lower price points. The fidget spinner and slime crazes illustrated social media’s influence in amplifying the hottest trends and bringing them to consumers all around the world simultaneously. As evident by the sales success of collectibles, lower-priced toys were in many cases a substitute for higher priced ones. However, with higher priced toys needed for market growth, this should be an area of focus for the industry,” said Frédérique Tutt, Global Toys Industry Analyst at The NPD Group.