The "stay-at-home economy" has boosted the toy market, with total sales expected to reach US$105 billion in 2021!

During the exhibition, eBay cooperated with relevant organizations such as the Guangdong Toy Association, the Guangdong Cross-border E-commerce Association, and the Shenzhen Cross-border E-commerce Development Promotion Association to hold various activities to increase the docking opportunities between exhibitors and cross-border e-commerce companies, opening a window for the exhibition to quickly enter the cross-border e-commerce field.

Figure: eBay booth at the 33rd International Toys and Educational Products (Shenzhen) Exhibition

Caption: eBay appeared at the exhibition and held the "E-Exhibition Global" Toy Category Overseas Summit

As one of the representatives of the "stay-at-home economy" under the influence of the epidemic , the global toy industry experienced a period of dormancy in 2020, and finally ushered in explosive growth, becoming a "star" category in the field of cross-border e-commerce. The future development space and trends of the toy industry have also become the focus of the industry. With the advantages of the platform and in-depth research, eBay deeply analyzes the current global toy market trends and high-potential products, and helps sellers in Greater China in their toy export business.

The global toy market is growing steadily , with technology, intelligence and STEAM education shining brightly

Driven by global population growth and consumer income growth, the global toy industry is expected to continue its upward trend in the future. According to Euromonitor, a world-renowned market research company, global toy sales will reach $105 billion in 2021. European and American countries are still the world's largest toy consumption market, but toy consumption in emerging economies is growing rapidly, and the world's toy consumption market is becoming more diversified.

With the development of science and technology and its applications, the Internet technology, the changes in people's lifestyles and educational concepts in modern society, and the characteristics of intergenerational groups, toys, the ancient companions of mankind, have become more intelligent and novel in the 21st century. The value of toys is more diversified, the play experience is more three-dimensional, and product iteration is faster. The current global toy market presents the following latest trends:

First, smart toys are popular, and technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, remote control and shared access and Internet technologies are integrated into toy design. In addition to leisure and entertainment, people believe that smart toys can provide more value than traditional toys.

Second, STEAM education is popular, focusing on children's interdisciplinary literacy and combining education with entertainment. STEAM toys are widely welcomed by parents.

Third, the concept of environmental protection is strengthened . Whether it is toys with environmental protection themes or toys manufactured in an environmentally friendly way, they are important trends in the future.

Fourth, the popular film and television IPs of the last century, as well as the toys that have accompanied every generation of children as they grew up, have gradually evolved into valuable collectibles. They may be "toys" for adults , or they may be investment collectibles for adults .

Chinese toys: Complete industrial chain and outstanding export performance

Caption: eBay VIP cross-border sellers tour group visits the exhibition to connect and select products

After more than 30 years of development, China has become the world's largest toy producer and exporter, supplying more than 70% of the world's toy market , and has formed a complete toy industry chain , including advanced production technology, high-quality production management, and technical workers. Despite the ravages of the epidemic, China's toy export performance is still outstanding, growing against the trend, showing the strong strength and resilience of China's toy industry: In 2020, the annual toy exports were 231.73 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.7% ; from January to February this year, China's cumulative toy exports were 5.02 billion US dollars, an increase of 96.8% over last year and 41.2% over the same period in 2019 .

Chinese toy brands have high cost-effectiveness, rich variety, and the ability to keep up with the trend; product quality and safety assurance are also constantly improving, and the quality has reached the world level. At the same time, more and more Chinese companies are creating their own brands and exporting overseas, which are constantly welcomed and praised by global buyers.

Driven by the "stay-at-home economy", all kinds of toys on eBay are booming

Figure: "E-Global" eBay Toys Overseas Summit

In 2020, the toy category on eBay has grown rapidly, with hot-selling categories including action figures /movie protagonists, remote control toys, building blocks and construction toys, collectible game cards, alloy cars, outdoor toys, table games, model trains, puzzles, etc. Traditional toys are still the most popular, while STEM toys have attracted much attention from parents. Toys with smart and technological elements are popular among people of all ages, and new toys are becoming increasingly popular, with great development potential.

In terms of sales performance, in 2020, sellers in Greater China had the highest sales volume on the US site, followed by the UK and Germany sites; the UK site had the highest sales growth rate;

The top nine subcategories of eBay toys sales in 2020 are:

l Humanoid doll /image of the main character of the movie

lRemote control toys

l Building blocks and construction toys

Collectible game cards

Alloy car

lOutdoor toys

Table games

Model trains

Jigsaw puzzle

Among them, building blocks and construction toys, action figures /movie protagonists, collectible game cards, remote control toys and alloy cars became the top five subcategories in terms of sales growth in the eBay toy category in 2020.

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