Objective:
This session will provide toy industry professionals with actionable insights into the ways shifting economic conditions, evolving play patterns, and cultural forces are shaping the toy market today and in the future. Topics include how brands can stay relevant, resilient, and resonant with kids, families, and kidults alike, while demonstrating the power of real-time data to anticipate change, future-proof strategies, and protect revenue streams.
Who Should Attend:
This session is designed for professionals shaping brand, product, and growth strategy in the toy sector, including those responsible for:
- Marketing & advertising
- Licensing & brand partnerships
- Product development & design
- Content strategy & storytelling
- Sales & retail strategy
What You Will Learn:
- How economic and cultural forces affect toy demand and may shape distribution decisions.
- How kids’ play behaviors evolve, from aging out earlier to embracing trend-driven, digital-first, and hybrid play experiences, and how to adapt products accordingly.
- Why nostalgia, licensed products, and kidult audiences transform the market, and how to leverage these trends to drive engagement and sales.
- How to innovate, differentiate, and connect with families in real time to stay ahead of global competition.
Topics we’ll cover:
- The World in Flux
We'll first take a macro view of the social, and economic uncertainties shaping the toy industry globally. While tariffs, costs, and supply challenges create ripple effects for manufacturers, we’ll ground the discussion in our data on parental and gift-giver spending, alongside the non-monetary drivers and deterrents influencing toy purchases. By combining the big-picture context with actionable consumer insights, we’ll explore how toy companies can navigate turbulent waters and make informed strategic decisions.
- The Expanding Audience Potential
Learn how the definition of “toy consumer” is broadening, in addition to how to engage kidults and cross-generational audiences to make toys part of lifestyle and fandom, and identify international markets where demand is growing, opening new avenues for engagement and growth.
- Evolving Play Patterns and the Opportunities They Present
We’ll then zoom into the micro view of kids’ behaviors, play patterns, and cultural influences, which are shifting fast. From nostalgia and licensed products to creative and digital play, discover the forces shaping a new generation of play and how to adapt products, licensing strategies, and production to meet demand.
- Strategic Insights for Growth and Innovation
Learn how to anticipate change and future-proof your strategy, using real-time insights to make proactive decisions across marketing, licensing, product, and sales that unlock growth and global reach.
Moderator: Anne McConnell, senior director, market research & educational initiatives, The Toy Association
Presenter: Adam Woodgate, vice president, research solutions, The Insights Family
Woodgate leads a team of kids and family research specialists, providing tailored insights and in-depth reports to help clients stay ahead of the curve. He has over 30 years' experience in the industry and previously led research roles at BBC Worldwide and Dubit.
About The Insights Family
The Insights Family is the global leader in the next generation of consumers and their families, providing real-time data on their attitudes, behaviours, and consumption patterns.
By speaking to 800,000 family members from 22 countries each year, we provide a voice to 60% of the world's population, and 85% of the global economy.
Clients include Amazon, BBC Studios, Disney, Finsbury Foods, Merlin, LEGO, Outright Games, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.
For more information, visit: www.theinsightsfamily.com.