Games and Puzzles suppliers tell Toy World how they’ll be maintaining the momentum of sales in the category as we approach the all important Q4 period.
Games and puzzles suppiers have emerged from lockdown in a stronger position then many of them could have reasonably hoped, with the booming demand for at-home entertainment driving sales of board games, jigsaw puzzles and playing cards. They spoke to us about how they expect sales to fare in the latter part of the year, and described the support they will be making available to retailers, both online and in-store.
“Covid-19 hasn’t stopped parents from buying games that both connect and entertain the whole family, and I’m certain that this will continue through to Christmas (and beyond),” comments Meriç Pekcan-Butcher, marketing manager, Interplay Games. “To ensure that consumers can experience the best possible moments together this Christmas, we’ve been focusing on fresh product developments, such as Drone Home and 5 Second Rule Spintensity. We’re aiming to optimise and innovate in everything we do, and our marketing communications are stronger than ever before to ensure our message goes straight to the target audience.”
Since the re-opening of non-essential shops from June, many games and puzzles suppliers have extended their efforts to help indie retailers make the most of this robust category and entice consumers back to the high street.
“To help our bricks & mortar customers, Thames and Kosmos extended special ‘welcome back’ offers to independents placing orders in the weeks after the government allowed them to reopen,” explains Jo Drage, sales director, Thames & Kosmos, “We also delayed the release of some of our major 2020 titles – My City, Aqualin, Crazy Fishing and KareKare – until the shops were open again. This helped us for exposure purposes, but it also meant that the initial rush of orders for a much-anticipated game was enjoyed by all retailers.”
With the festive season now fast approaching, suppliers reveal what marketing plans are in place to drive sales for the all-important gifting season this year, to keep the category booming.
UK general manager at Vivid, Nick Thomas, comments, “Across our games portfolio, we have taken the decision to layer adult-targeted campaigns on top of our kids TV advertising plans to ensure we capture the key purchasing decision maker. We are also working on digital and creative PR campaigns for our kidult games including BBC Blue Planet, Wordsearch, Sequence and On Your Marks to help keep these games top of mind.”
Read the full article, which appeared in the September Toy World Games & Puzzles Supplement here.
