Here are my thoughts on some recent toy news:
KB Toys Announces its plan to open 1,000 pop up toy stores!
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/40053/owner-kb-toys-brand-hopes-open-1-000-pop-up-toy-stores
https://www.retailwire.com/discussion/kb-toys-plans-a-christmas-comeback/
There seems to be a great deal of wishful thinking on the side of KB Toys in the wake of the TRU collapse. Though it sounds like this holiday season may be saved for toy retailers, the idea of ‘we’re creating a physical shop with a grander experience’ is dead. Unless you can create Disneyland, there is no retail experience that i can think of that can motivate people to go to a physical shop anymore. And that should say a lot coming from a guy whose sole livelihood depended on engaging retail experiences for over 10 years. Some more service based businesses can pull this off, but if the bottom line of your physical business is to sell actual products, its not going to work.
Long term customer loyalty and community are the keys to any physical business, and its extremely difficult to do that in this very expense age. If the idea of a toy shop is simply going to be seasonal pop up shops like the Halloween store, it’ll be sustainable, but with a limit and a much lower market relevance.
The only way any new physical brick and mortar operation will succeed will be when retail real estate prices collapse. Products are already being produced at the lowest possible cost with the cheapest possible quality before becoming toxic, and the cost of employees is rising, but that’s a resource that is directly responsible for income for the business and can be tuned to grow substantially in a relatively short amount of time. retail real estate prices both purchasing and renting, will need to adjust in order to make shops a viable business opportunity. As online sales continue to take market share, the cost of retail leases needs to adjust along with the diminishing profits of a business. It won’t ever happen because managing land is a business in itself, but maybe this is just a sign of the times where toy stores are simply not needed.
Even the comments in these articles hit on some common sense hurdles that a ‘guest KB Account’ tries to counter, but falls into that ‘wishful thinking’ category with answers with no real substance. Each answer had already been debunked by failed business attempts in years passed. The most positive point is echoed as ‘that’s an good idea.’ Good idea, yes, but a bad business.
Amazon buys into LotR TV Series deal
Massive deal considering the movies hold up well today almost 20 years later. Even the Hobbit trilogy stands up against time even those the story and musical numbers were lame.
With this mega video license will also come a windfall of opportunity for licencors if Amazon doesn’t own all of them for the TV series as well. What better advertising on Amazon can you get than from a property owned, viewed, and already promoted on the biggest selling platform in the world?
Amazon could probably quite easily produced every single product in a licensing catalog if it really wanted to with all the intel its gathered over the years from white label manufacturers from all around the world and the insight that tells what the hottest type of items sell to specific age demographics for specific licenses. I’m expecting this to be THE next must-binge series after Game of Thrones.
Toymakers struggle to crack the code of what kids want
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-big-toymakers-troubles-20180402-story.html
This isn’t new news. This is what the toy industry does on a daily basis. More attention is given now that the primary leverage toymakers once had with TRU and other larger retailers looking to try new things disappearing, and the great retail expanse of the online world is still a unbelievable mystery to long time industry veterans who’ve fallen far behind other industries like gaming.
The article highlights for me a few glaring realities: toys nowadays have fallen victim to the ‘fast-fashion’ production model where cheap, disposable products are the norm. Toymakers need to find a new model in building a brand from there own marketing efforts and be less reliant on retailer marketing. Movie toy tie ins just don’t seem to have the same effect as they once did, and Makers need to go global to find growing markets. There is a point at the nd where it mentions parents will want to give their kids STEM toys or share Star Wars, but that sounds like buying toys more for the parents than for the kids. I’ve never heard a kid as for a STEM toy, and if it were so popular, then why is Lego falling? Regarding Star Wars, after the last movie, my kids want no part of it.
So long Minecraft: Fortnite passes Minecraft in YouTube viewership
https://www.vg247.com/2018/04/02/fortnite-officially-surpassed-minecraft-youtube/
Finally, that repulsive, beta-looking, blocky ‘game’ design can be laid to rest and finds its place among other dying Microsoft gaming products in the shadows of greater titles and experiences.
I’m guessing this is where the early Minecraft audience went after growing up. They made Minecraft big then, and the same generation is now moving on to Fortnite. This is a generational trend someone needs to take notice. Minecraft is really old hat nowadays, and with no true innovation coming up, I can’t see it growing any larger for Kids than it already has. It may have buy in with the educational system, but as far as kids and the passion kids have, that phase has passed. If I had to give an example: its like when I was given a Captain Planet figure from my school because it endorsed the TV show. You didn’t really want it, but the idea was good from the school. What you really wanted was the new TMNT Casey Jones figure. That was passion.
I expect Fortnite to continue to grow as it fosters stronger community through open channel communication as well as competitive play which is addicting by human nature.
Small business and how to do it
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/40003/mining-outside-diamond
Great article that puts many touchy subjects for small business owners out in the open including a list of distribution resources. Definitely worth checking out for any small business owner.