A racing play set, a Disney princess carriage and a drone are among Walmart's top toy picks for the upcoming holiday shopping season.
The world's largest retailer, relying on the recommendations of hundreds of pint-sized experts — children ranging from 1½ to 12 years old — came up with the 25 most appealing games and gizmos. They could be destined to become some of the season's biggest sellers.
"Whatever your child is interested in, there's a great toy this year in that category, and I think that's what's driving the health of the business,'' says Anne Marie Kehoe, vice president of toys, Walmart U.S ...The top picks include a Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck, which may have particular appeal to budding makeup mavens, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mega Lair Playset and a Disney Princess Carriage, one of six of the top 25 toys that are exclusive to Walmart.
There's a Little Live Pets Puppy for animal lovers and, for would-be adventurers, a Sky Viper Streaming Drone and a Razor Power Core E100 Electric Scooter. And the force is expected to stay with Star Wars for another year. Just as last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" premiere focused shoppers' attention on all things galactic, the debut of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" on Dec. 16 is likely to spur sales of soon-to-be released toys such as the Star Wars Electronic R2D2, another of Walmart's most-popular picks.
Walmart doesn't break out sales by product category, but it says toys play a significant role in its holiday revenue. And the season is critical to the toy industry as a whole, which sees 70 percent of its sales in the last two months of the year.
Walmart isn't leaving much to chance, not only checking the opinions of its littlest customers, but even working with suppliers to design toys the retailer thinks will have particular appeal, such as the Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Batcave, which will be another Walmart exclusive with Mattel.
"We ... thought this would be a great gift, and the kids who love that brand would really love that play set,'' Kehoe said of Walmart's collaboration with the manufacturer behind the Batman v. Superman toy.
Kehoe said toy sales last year remained strong after Christmas on through the spring, and she expects that trend to continue.
Still, industrywide, retail sales were not as robust as expected during last year's holiday season. Sales in November and December increased 3 percent to $626.1 billion, below the National Retail Federation's projected uptick of 3.7 percent. The increase was also less than the 4.1 percent growth seen during the 2014 holiday season. Retail experts attributed the more anemic growth to warmer winter weather, an increasing preference for experiences over material gifts and the growing number of consumers who prefer to browse online rather than in brick-and-mortar stores. Online sales surpassed projections last year, rising 9 percent to $105 billion.
Beyond toys, Walmart expects cookware, video games and consoles and makeup kits to also be big sellers this holiday season, with the Sony PlayStation Virtual Reality Bundle looking like it will be a particular standout.
The Top 25:
For entrepreneurial kids:
My Life As Food Truck
Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck
Pom Pom Wow Decoration Station
For caregiving kids:
Doc McStuffins Hospital Care Cart
FurReal Friends Torch, My Blazin’ Dragon
Hatchimals
Little Live Pets Puppy
For imaginative kids:
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Batcave
Barbie Rainbow Cove Princess Castle Playset
Fisher-Price Imaginext Bat Flight City
Fisher-Price Little People Sit ‘n Stand Skyway
My Little Pony Explore Equestria Crystal Empire Castle
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mega Lair Playset
For thrill-seeking kids:
Pie Face Showdown Game
Razor Power Core E100 Electric Scooter
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Remote Control Skateboarding Mikey
Fisher-Price Imaginext Ultra T-Rex
Hot Wheels A.I. Racing Playset
Nerf N-Strike Elite HyperFire Blaster
Tyco Terra Climber Remote Control Vehicle
Vtech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Treasure Mountain Train Adventure
For independent kids:
Disney Princess Carriage
Paw Patrol Zooming Marshall
Sky Viper Streaming Drone
Star Wars Electronic R2D2
The world's largest retailer, relying on the recommendations of hundreds of pint-sized experts — children ranging from 1½ to 12 years old — came up with the 25 most appealing games and gizmos. They could be destined to become some of the season's biggest sellers.
"Whatever your child is interested in, there's a great toy this year in that category, and I think that's what's driving the health of the business,'' says Anne Marie Kehoe, vice president of toys, Walmart U.S ...The top picks include a Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck, which may have particular appeal to budding makeup mavens, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mega Lair Playset and a Disney Princess Carriage, one of six of the top 25 toys that are exclusive to Walmart.
There's a Little Live Pets Puppy for animal lovers and, for would-be adventurers, a Sky Viper Streaming Drone and a Razor Power Core E100 Electric Scooter. And the force is expected to stay with Star Wars for another year. Just as last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" premiere focused shoppers' attention on all things galactic, the debut of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" on Dec. 16 is likely to spur sales of soon-to-be released toys such as the Star Wars Electronic R2D2, another of Walmart's most-popular picks.
Walmart doesn't break out sales by product category, but it says toys play a significant role in its holiday revenue. And the season is critical to the toy industry as a whole, which sees 70 percent of its sales in the last two months of the year.
Walmart isn't leaving much to chance, not only checking the opinions of its littlest customers, but even working with suppliers to design toys the retailer thinks will have particular appeal, such as the Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Batcave, which will be another Walmart exclusive with Mattel.
"We ... thought this would be a great gift, and the kids who love that brand would really love that play set,'' Kehoe said of Walmart's collaboration with the manufacturer behind the Batman v. Superman toy.
Kehoe said toy sales last year remained strong after Christmas on through the spring, and she expects that trend to continue.
Still, industrywide, retail sales were not as robust as expected during last year's holiday season. Sales in November and December increased 3 percent to $626.1 billion, below the National Retail Federation's projected uptick of 3.7 percent. The increase was also less than the 4.1 percent growth seen during the 2014 holiday season. Retail experts attributed the more anemic growth to warmer winter weather, an increasing preference for experiences over material gifts and the growing number of consumers who prefer to browse online rather than in brick-and-mortar stores. Online sales surpassed projections last year, rising 9 percent to $105 billion.
Beyond toys, Walmart expects cookware, video games and consoles and makeup kits to also be big sellers this holiday season, with the Sony PlayStation Virtual Reality Bundle looking like it will be a particular standout.
The Top 25:
For entrepreneurial kids:
My Life As Food Truck
Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck
Pom Pom Wow Decoration Station
For caregiving kids:
Doc McStuffins Hospital Care Cart
FurReal Friends Torch, My Blazin’ Dragon
Hatchimals
Little Live Pets Puppy
For imaginative kids:
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Batcave
Barbie Rainbow Cove Princess Castle Playset
Fisher-Price Imaginext Bat Flight City
Fisher-Price Little People Sit ‘n Stand Skyway
My Little Pony Explore Equestria Crystal Empire Castle
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mega Lair Playset
For thrill-seeking kids:
Pie Face Showdown Game
Razor Power Core E100 Electric Scooter
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Remote Control Skateboarding Mikey
Fisher-Price Imaginext Ultra T-Rex
Hot Wheels A.I. Racing Playset
Nerf N-Strike Elite HyperFire Blaster
Tyco Terra Climber Remote Control Vehicle
Vtech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Treasure Mountain Train Adventure
For independent kids:
Disney Princess Carriage
Paw Patrol Zooming Marshall
Sky Viper Streaming Drone
Star Wars Electronic R2D2
No comments:
Post a Comment