Licensing Expo: What's Next for Toy Retailers?

During the presentation, the panelists all agreed when it came to retailers shifting their focus toward a new demographic of parents, as well as using 360-degree touchpoints such as content, experiential activities and an omni-channel approach to reach consumers. The panelists also touched on social media influencers and how they can benefit brands in the ever-changing retail landscape.

“You have to recognize the demographic change in terms of today parents,” says Wissink. “You’re talking about a Millennial cohort, digitally native and certainly digitally savvy. They are looking for experiences

“The second thing is content convergence,” continues Wissink. “You can’t have an experience in the toy space today without some form of storytelling, whether that’s movies, TV or digital content. One of the things that we’re particularly focused on is this idea of ‘kidult,’ where we see entertainment expanding beyond the traditional kid range. For example, over the last two years or so, we’ve taken a slightly different view–it’s not online or offline, it’s online and offline. We think this is a new governing model that will really drive the industry over the next decade or so.”