Industry marketing

Toys and Games marketing

How can Amazon Ads fit into the marketing strategy for your toys and games business? Whether you're seeking to drive brand awareness or conversion, learn about the advertising solutions we can offer your business, anywhere customers spend their time.

illustration of a mom and child playing with toys

It’s playtime, all the time

Amazon Ads can help brands connect with customers looking for toys year-round, in the moments that matter most.

The toys and games industry today

Marketing toys and games requires understanding the rapid evolution of the industry. Global revenue is projected to reach $357 billion USD by 2023.1 Sales increases in many categories are partially due to more adult consumers purchasing for themselves, and some toy brands are creating new products just for them. Meanwhile, sales of toys and games based on popular characters from cartoons, TV shows, and movies are also helping to propel growth.

Customer attitudes are also shifting, with many toy manufacturers focusing on eco-friendly toys and packaging to address customer sustainability concerns.

woman taking selfie with child around shoulders

Toys and games marketing trends

$357 billion projected toy industry revenue (2023).2

$35 billion worldwide sales of licensed toys (2019).3

38% of US parents say their children prefer toys featuring well-known characters.4

Challenges facing toys and games brands

Greater variety of options

Over two-thirds of toy shoppers make their toy purchases online.5 Online browsing offers shoppers more selection than brick-and-mortar, which means that product discoverability is key.

Adapting to shifting customer behaviors

As toy shoppers increasingly move to online purchases, adults are less likely to make impulse buys driven by child requests.6 Find new ways to engage shoppers and drive purchase intent by telling your brand and product story.

Thinking beyond the holiday season

Over 80% of toy purchases are gifts,7 but marketing toys shouldn't be limited to the holiday season. Brands need to keep their products top of mind when year-round gift-giving opportunities arise.

Insights for toys and games marketing

44% of toy shoppers say they research their purchase on Amazon, regardless of where they make their purchase.8

A toy purchase on Amazon is 3x more likely than the average Amazon purchase to be a gift.9

97% of global e-commerce sessions end without a purchase,10 so it's important to treat each touch point as an opportunity to build a relationship rather than just drive an immediate sale.

A recent Amazon Ads analysis found that brands who combined display advertising with sponsored ads for their toy advertising achieved a 33% uplift in conversion, compared to the toy brands who only ran sponsored ads.11

Toys and games advertising strategies

Reach toy shoppers at scale

Maximize consideration and conversion on Amazon, both during seasonal shopping events like Prime Day and when audiences are shopping for gifts year-round, by maintaining an always-on approach for your toys advertising.

Create cross-channel experiences

Amazon Ads offers solutions that can help you reach toys and games shoppers who engage with Amazon across devices and channels, such as video, audio, and out-of-home.

Make data-driven decisions

Use Amazon shopping insights on Amazon DSP to reach new relevant toys audiences, anywhere customers spend their time, across desktop and mobile devices. Use Amazon first-party data to accurately measure your advertising’s impact on how consumers discover, research, and purchase toys across touch points.

  • Sources

    1 Statista, Consumer Market Outlook 2020
    2 Statista, Consumer Market Outlook 2020
    3 Global Licensing Industry Survey, 2019
    4 Statista Global Survey: Toys & Games, 2020 (Numbers are 33% for UK and 27% for DE)
    5 Kantar custom toy shopper study, US, April 2020
    6 The Toy Association, 2020
    7 Kantar custom toy shopper study, US, April 2020
    8 Kantar custom toy shopper study, US, April 2020
    9 Statista, benchmark for global ecommerce conversion rate, 2018
    10 Amazon internal, US, June 2020
    11 Amazon internal, US, June 2020
    12 Kantar custom toy shopper study, US, April 2020