The summer holiday is what many families look most forward to during the year, with 28% of parents from our ‘Little Voices’ study suggesting that booking a holiday is one of the first things they will do when restrictions are lifted and a further 4 in 10 families saying they wanted to go straight to the beach.[1] However, with public spaces not expected to return to normal until 2021 and growing anxiety of mass public gatherings; it may be longer than we expect before holidays can be what they once were.[2] So, what will families do this year as the summer holidays are fast approaching?
Well, summer will be coming home! With the back garden the new hottest destination this summer, outdoor toys sales have surged according to latest NPD data. In the USA, outdoor toy sales have seen a growth of 53% whilst in the UK a fifth of parents had purchased outdoor activities in the month of April.[3] Normally bested by the indoor games market, outdoor toys such as ride-ons, water and sand toys and outdoor sports are finding themselves ever more popular this year. With summer starting and the weather getting warmer, you can expect that these numbers will only increase as families utilize outdoor spaces to escape indoor self-isolation.
Mums are also getting creative in the hope of keeping the kids entertained during these summer months. Online parenting forums, such as ‘Mumbler’ have been sharing ideas on how families can create that ‘holiday feel’ whilst maintaining social distancing.[4] Recreating music festivals using Glastonbury highlights from BBC iPlayer, turning gardens into the Costa Del Sol using sand pits and paddling pools and virtual trips to Disneyland are just some of the effort’s parents are going to, to make sure their kids are not missing out. As social restrictions are likely to continue for some time, now has never been a better opportunity for outdoor entertainment to take the lead within the toys and games market. After all we are all looking for that taste of summer even if it is limited to our own back garden!
Here at Giraffe Insights we will be keeping a close eye on parents spending habits and future predictions through ‘Little Voices’, speaking to kids and parents every other month. It will be crucial for brands to understand which of these trends are here to stay and which are more of summer romance when travelling abroad is not possible. Thinking ahead to what this means for Christmas purchasing is also important, with new categories rising in popularity and increased spend during the summer months there will undoubtedly be a knock on effect to trends we have identified in previous years.
References:
1. Giraffe Insights: Little Voices Wave 2
2. https://www.seniorsnews.com.au/news/lockdown-trend-we-didnt-predict/4007084/
3. https://kidscreen.com/2020/05/20/outdoor-toys-sales-surge/
4. https://harrogate.mumbler.co.uk/summer-holidays-on-lockdown/
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