The Global Toy and Game Industry: the Market

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- What is the business?

Most leading toymakers are present along the entire value chain, although their focus is on higher value-added businesses. The industry's value chain can be divided into five different parts, of which product design, development and marketing are, by far, the most critical and strategic activities. Unlike other industries, leading toymakers still operate some of their own factories, even though outsourcing accounts for the majority of production. Some groups, mainly the traditional ones, also run their own retail stores as flagships for their operations, while offering direct sales to customers through dedicated online portals and their own distribution networks.

- What are the main markets?

The major toys and games markets have been historically located in North America and Western Europe because the high levels of GDP per capita in these countries allow households to spend more on toys, which are by nature non-essential goods. As a result, all the leading players of the industry are located in developed economies, particularly the US and Japan. In these historic markets, toys are no longer intended for children alone, as toymakers increasingly target adult consumers as well.

- How intense is competition?

With child population growth slowing and moderate GDP per capita growth rates around the world, toy market growth has been slowing since 2016. This has led to higher competition between toymakers. The high capital investments made by leading toy companies in order to undertake large-scale production create high exit barriers, thus reinforcing competition. Segmentation is key to reducing fierce competition between toymakers, who can either target an age group or gender, or specialize in a specific toy category. In the US, Mattel historically specialises in the girls' segment, while Hasbro leads in the boys' one. In this competitive environment, toymakers aim to gain brand visibility by creating media content such as movies and TV shows.

0. Conclusions

1. Market Fundamentals

1.1. Overview

1.2. The Industry

2. Market Environment and Prospects

2.1. Market Environment

2.2. Demand

2.3. Supply

2.4. International Trade

3. Corporate Strategies and Competition

3.1. Competitive Environment

3.2. Leaders' Recent Performances

3.3. Structure of Competition

3.4. Corporate Strategies

4. Case Studies

5. Statistical Appendix

6. Sources

7. Annexes