Will there be fewer toys under the tree this year? For the year 2023, the market is currently down 6.5% compared to the same period last year, according to the Circana institute, and should end “around -4.5% thanks to last minute shopping. In detail, “the hypermarkets and supermarkets suffer the most, while the specialized stores are doing the best thanks to an extremely wide offer, competitive prices with one-off promotions, but also service and advice than other circuits cannot deliver,” deciphers Frédérique Tutt, toy market analyst for Circana.
If the French buy less, it is not surprising because of inflation, with “restricted purchasing power” and families “who make arbitrages”, notes Franck Mathais, spokesperson for JouéClub. Compared to last year, the budget for Christmas gifts has decreased by 22 euros, to stand at 332 euros, according to a recent CSA survey for Cofidis. More surprisingly, the capricious weather during the spring and summer of 2023 also had its influence. “There has been a sharp decline in sales of outdoor toys,” recognizes Franck Mathais.
Also read: Menu, shopping, gifts… All our advice for preparing for Christmas without breaking the bank
Added to this is a “negative birth rate”, which explains “a third of the decline in toy sales”, underlines Frédérique Tutt. The analyst estimates “the loss linked to the fall in cumulative births over the last ten years is 60 million euros, or 1.4% of the market’s annual turnover.” “That being said, unlike many markets, toys remain resilient,” says the specialist. An observation shared by Franck Mathais, who specifies that “the JouéClub brand will remain stable from one year to the next”.
Professionals have also been able to reinvent their offer, in particular to cope with this drop in the birth rate. “Adolescents and adults are progressing, so this helps to compensate a little,” points out Franck Mathais. The “kidult” offer, which corresponds to these consumers, represents 30% of JouéClub’s total offer. “It’s a phenomenon that exploded during Covid-19 and which is still a growth trend,” observes the spokesperson for the brand. To strengthen its offering, JouéClub has notably created a collection around the Wednesday series, which was a great success on Netflix. Enough to attract children and teenagers who want to dress up or find a figurine of the heroine Wednesday Addams.
