Answers from the Nuremberg Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair

Before leaving for Nuremberg I did a post in which I listed the questions that I was looking to answer in Nuremberg. Below is what I found out:

What is the outlook for 2010? Are manufacturers and retailers feeling optimistic like the Americans? Will they be more aggressive? 

Europe, with the exception of the UK, largely had a better year than the US. Parents put off trips and instead invested in toys for stay at home family play. In fact, an individual who closely follows the European toy market predicted to me that there would be an additional increase in toy sales of 5% to 7% in 2010.  

What was ironic to me was that, despite the relatively good year, people did not seem as robotically optimistic as the Americans did in Hong Kong.  Why the disparity in mood versus results and forecasts? Maybe Europeans are weighed down by some of the problems that are surfacing in their economies or they are just not as aggressively optimistic as Americans.

Will we continue to see the use of new and different materials? Europe is ahead of the curve when it comes to concerns regarding phthalates and other materials so it will be interesting to see what they are doing?

Yes, I did see the use of new materials and a strong consciousness of the environment. Stricter regulations plus a more developed green movement are the most likely reasons. Europe is leading the way and America will follow. 

Will we see a move to lower retails like we are seeing in the US or are Europeans willing to pay more for their toys?

Europeans do pay more for toys. The average price of a toy (are you ready for this) went up in Europe in 2010. In fact, it appears that most toys sell for more in Europe than they do in the US. Why, because Europeans (particularly the Germans) make more planned purchases. This means that they buy with intent and plan on keeping a toy for a long period of time. 

Gerrick Johnson, toy industry financial analyst, termed this year the year of the Hamster. Surprisingly, I did not see any Hamster toys in Hong Kong. Will we see them in Nuremberg?

I saw a few new Hamster toys but not lots. My contacts tell me, however, that there are plenty more on the way. They are there but being kept under wraps.

Finally, will we see lots of new ideas in toys or is the industry still being conservative?

I’ll write about that in my next blog.