The sum of the parts | Key4Communications |

A relevant fact published by the NPD is the increase we are seeing in the average price of toys bought in Spain, despite declines in both total sales and value per unit. This means that parents are spending less overall, but more on each product.

This stresses again an important aspect of the current economic situation: consumers are increasingly rational and take good care at value for money. Of course, families also take into account all discounts, but they tend to consider the total cost of all they are purchasing, and not just what each product costs.

The strategy of each buyer is different. Undoubtedly, everybody appreciates deals and discounts, but there are different ways to save. As professionals from the toys and babycare industries explain, many buy a good "big" product (like a stroller or a big toy for Christmas) and save by not buying smaller toys or opting for cheaper brands for accessories.

Savings do not mean necessarily that consumers forget about quality and innovation. Families continue evaluating these and other factors, within their possibilities. Certainly, price will be a key issue, but not the only one, as consumers will probably look more into the final cost of the entire Christmas shopping, for example, than the unit price of each of the purchased items.