The French toy market is booming, with online sales increasing by 23% year-on-year in 2021

During the epidemic, people need to spend more time at home. In order to make home life interesting, many families (especially those with children) spend more money on toy products. As a result, the toy industry has ushered in a wave of sales.

The NPD Group released the latest data on the French toy industry yesterday . The research shows that sales in the toy industry are increasing even compared to normal years before the new crown pandemic. "So far in 2021, sales in the toy industry have increased by 4.8% compared to the same period in 2019 , " said Frederic Tutt, global industry expert on toys at the NPD Group.

There are also data showing that French consumers tend to buy more expensive toy products in 2021. According to data from the NPD Group , sales of game boxes and toys in France in 2021 were 1% lower than the same period in 2019, but total sales were higher than in 2019. Therefore, the French bought fewer toys, but the amount of money consumers spent on toy products increased.

In the toy category, the most popular toy categories among consumers this year include strategic maps, doll models, educational games, social games, action figures, and educational and exploratory toys . Among them, the fastest growing categories are strategic maps and doll models, which increased by 114% and 42% respectively compared with the same period in 2019.

When it comes to purchasing toys, French consumers prefer offline toy stores . According to a recent study by the NPD Group titled "The Future of Toys," the French are particularly loyal to physical stores . Most French consumers want to buy more in stores , with 71% of respondents saying that toy stores are still their preferred channel for purchases.

Despite this, online sales growth in the toy industry is still higher than offline sales . In-store sales of toys increased by 10% compared to 2020, but decreased by 8% compared to 2019. In online sales of the toy industry , sales this year increased by 23% compared to the same period in 2020 , and increased by a significant 58% compared to 2019. This shows that the growth of online sales is still an inevitable trend .

NPD Group also expects collectible toys to perform strongly . For example, the limited edition Pokémon cards celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon series have been leading in sales. In addition, retro products will also become a new trend in toy purchases, such as the Super Mario series launched by Lego and the Nerf Dino blaster series .

With the back-to-school shopping season and the upcoming holiday shopping season, the toy industry will also usher in a new wave of sales peaks. Industry sellers can learn more about relevant information and prepare more products that meet the needs of consumers. At the same time, facing the problems of supply chain shortages and rising costs, sellers must also make preparations early to avoid out-of-stock phenomena during the peak sales season.

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