eBay Predicts Christmas Shopping Trends
eBay Australia has released its list of top toy trends and predictions for the upcoming holiday season, with kids set to take a trip down memory lane with retro-remakes set to be the most popular.
The online marketplace has analysed its trending data to determine which toys will be most popular on its platform in the lead up to Christmas 2018, with the company’s team of toy experts also weighing in on what’s hot and what’s not.
If you’re wondering what items you should be selling online this Christmas, eBay says you can’t go wrong with Polly Pockets, Tamagotchis and anything Fantastic Beasts related.
“This year, we’ve seen a shift away from screens with kids being encouraged to play in new ways, often involving the rest of the family, and parents couldn’t be happier. What we really love seeing is the resurgence of some retro favourites – from Polly Pocket and Tamagotchi to Betty Spaghetty – allowing big kids to revisit their childhood,” said Julie Nestor, chief marketing officer for Australia and New Zealand.
Holiday Sales Predictions
Looking at sales from the last three months, eBay predicts that interactive and furry friends toys will be big sellers this year, with sales of Promises soaring by 600 percent in recent months as shoppers look to snap up all 50 of the personality-packed pets.
Image Credit: Will Salkeld Photography
The e-commerce juggernaut has also seen a 48 percent growth year-on-year for LOL Surprise, Bigger Surprise and Hatchimals Hatchibabies ranges. The company suggests that Aussie families are starting to cut back on screen time, with a resurgence in board game sales. According to eBay, traditional game sales have surged by 147 percent since 2015, and are set to continue rising over the holiday season.
Hollywood is also leaving its mark on Aussie consumers, with shoppers searching for all things Transformers and Fantastic Beasts. In fact, when filming for the latest Fantastic Beasts film began in August, merchandise sales on eBay jumped by 1300 percent.
Lego, Beanie Babies and the Super NES Classic are also set to be big sellers over the next few weeks, with eBay predicting that these and a host of other toys for big and little kids will dominate sales.
The complete list of eBay’s top toy predictions is as follows:
Research conducted by Criteo last month suggests that online sales will be at their strongest over November, as a number of shopping events, like Click Frenzy and Black Friday take centre stage.
According to Pressy Sankaran, the head of ANZ, consumers are starting to organise their Christmas presents earlier.
“With sales events like Click Frenzy and Black Friday becoming such established parts of the retail calendar in Australia, consumers are beginning to plan their holiday shopping even earlier,” Sankaran said.
“Our data trends show a clear holiday sales uplift when retailers and marketers engage their consumers earlier in the quarter.”
To capture this shift in consumer behaviour, eBay is planning a 20 percent off select toy sales from November 8 to 11.
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