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State of the<br />
Industry<br />
KIMBERLEY MOSLEY<br />
President, American Specialty <strong>Toy</strong><br />
Retailing Association (ASTRA)<br />
How did specialty toy retailers fare in 2015?<br />
Early indications—including an increase in<br />
overall toy sales for the industry as a whole—<br />
suggest that it was a strong year for specialty<br />
toy retailers, building on the 5 percent growth<br />
in holiday sales that independent retailers posted in 2014. Watch for<br />
reports of 2015 results—coming soon—based on data collected by<br />
Advocates for Independent Business.<br />
Consumers continue their use of both online and in-store shopping<br />
options. Good news for ASTRA retailers: Consumers still like shopping<br />
in a physical store. According to the 2015 Deloitte Holiday Survey, 93<br />
percent of U.S. retail sales occur in stores. Although some consumers<br />
use the store as a showroom to test drive the product before purchasing<br />
online, more than two-thirds do the opposite—researching and<br />
then visiting the store to buy. Even online giants are exploring physical<br />
locations. Who would have thought we would see Amazon opening a<br />
brick-and-mortar store?<br />
What are your expectations for <strong>2016</strong>?<br />
<strong>The</strong> shop local trend will pick up more momentum, especially with<br />
millennial parents. Shoppers will want more BOPUS (buy online, pick<br />
up in store) options, or at least be able to put an item on hold for pick<br />
up. Parents and educators will increasingly recognize the importance<br />
of play in healthy child development, and the toy industry will provide<br />
resources and leadership in making that happen—through in-store<br />
information, web content, and publications like ASTRA’s Make Way for<br />
Play booklet and the TIA’s Genius of Play initiative.<br />
What challenges are facing the specialty toy industry and how is<br />
ASTRA addressing them?<br />
Shoppers continue to get more savvy and empowered. <strong>The</strong>y walk<br />
into our stores armed with information about products. Our store owners<br />
and staff are armed with reliable knowledge about play and how to<br />
find the best fit between a child’s needs and the toy. We like to think of<br />
our store staff as “playfessionals.” In <strong>2016</strong>, ASTRA will launch the Certified<br />
Play Expert (CPE) program to increase our retailers’ knowledge<br />
of child development and skills to help guide the purchase to the best<br />
toy with the highest play value.<br />
Consumers expect an online option for any purchase. <strong>The</strong>y expect<br />
customer service excellence and a personalized customer experience.<br />
ASTRA will provide more technology-focused educational offerings<br />
to help members leverage their POS data to gain insights into buying<br />
behavior and to better understand their inventory. ASTRA will also provide<br />
members with more education on how to fulfill consumer needs<br />
with online options for purchasing and/or information.<br />
TO<strong>NY</strong> NORMAN<br />
Co-Founder, President,<br />
and CEO, Innovation First<br />
We’re beginning to see more innovation<br />
and risk-taking in new product<br />
introductions than in recent years. Will<br />
you introduce any new products or<br />
lines that take play to a new level?<br />
Innovation in toys is at the helm of everything<br />
we do. We pride ourselves on offering children an interactive<br />
and engaging experience with all of our toys and over the<br />
years we have successfully brought fun and exciting educational<br />
elements to all of our products. More recently, we believe we are<br />
taking this to the next level with our VEX Robotics by Hexbug<br />
line. Based on the widely popular VEX Robotics educational platform,<br />
we are bringing STEM education into the home for kids of<br />
all ages. This line uses robotics as a tool to engage as kids “learn<br />
by doing.” Alongside this, we will further develop water play with<br />
our new energetic AquaBot Wahoo as well as introduce our Battle<br />
Ground robots, which use I/R remote control and blast-off pieces.<br />
What were your top-selling toys/toy categories of 2015?<br />
Were there any surprises?<br />
2015 was a fantastic year for Hexbug. Our nano V2 range<br />
remained strong as we introduced the updated Neon and Glowin-the-Dark<br />
products. Our best-selling items were the Battle<br />
Spider and Battle Spider Battle Ground. We believe this is due to<br />
the interactive elements of these products. Launched later in the<br />
year, the Battle Ground gave kids a creative play pattern, which<br />
allowed them to embark in combat with their Battle Spiders<br />
using the ground pieces to reflect the products’ laser light and<br />
secretly apprehend their opponent. <strong>The</strong> surprise line for us was<br />
our range of cat toys. We quickly realized a lot of people would<br />
do anything to keep their pets entertained as the nano Cat <strong>Toy</strong><br />
and Mouse Cat <strong>Toy</strong> became our No. 1-selling products in terms<br />
of volume at Target.<br />
How do you think consumer expectations have changed over<br />
the past few years?<br />
Kids today are so much more tech savvy and there is more<br />
pressure than ever to present them with new ways to engage<br />
and play. Our forward-thinking approach to product development<br />
allows us to see the world from a kid’s perspective and the<br />
products we produce, especially the new VEX Robotics line, has<br />
given us the opportunity to go beyond kids’ expectations by not<br />
only giving them something they can use their hands to build,<br />
but also something that they can motorize and introduce that<br />
hot robotic element that kids are craving.<br />
72 THE <strong>TOY</strong> BOOK | FEBRUARY <strong>2016</strong> | <strong>TOY</strong>BOOK.COM
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