UsersEditorial
State of the Toy Industry: 2011
Sean McGowan, contributor to The Toy Book (USA), ITMA member magazine
In 2009, the holiday season turned out better than expected. Weak first-half sales made buyers overly cautious, but consumer demand was stronger than expected, and by the end of December retail shelves were unusually empty. For the 2010 holiday season, the opposite was true. Retail toy sales came in weaker than pre-holiday indications had suggested, with the result that retailers wound up over-ordering. In this article, I will review how 2010 fared relative to my earlier expectations, and offer my predictions for 2011. I will also suggest that the industry take a good look in the mirror to examine how it approaches the basic task of keeping its products relevant to a rapidly changing consumer base.
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