Retailers Bet Big on Sofia the First as 2013’s “It” New Holiday Toy

Data from Panjiva finds Furreal Friends, Zoomer and Chasin Cheeky Also in High Demand

Shipments of New Toys 2013 (Graphic: Business Wire)

NEW YORK--()--With initial reports from last week’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday painting a negative picture for this year’s holiday shopping season, Panjiva, the B2B platform powering the business of global trade, today released data on the hot, new holiday toys that retailers are betting will be in high demand throughout the coming weeks. Based on an in-depth analysis of the shipment trends of various buzzed-about toys, Sofia the First emerged as the top new toy retailers are betting will sell. Shipments of the Disney princess doll and associated merchandise reached 364 from August through October, the months when most holiday shipments arrive at U.S. ports in order to be at retailers in time for the holiday sales push.

Citing increased optimism among retailers in 2013, Panjiva noted that Sofia the First shipments were more than double that of last year’s “it” toy, Doc McStuffins (154 shipments in Aug.-Oct. 2012). Following retailers’ conservative approach to procuring goods for the 2012 holiday push, the popular stuffed-animal doctor doll appears to be an even stronger choice among retailers this year. 2013 shipments of Doc McStuffins merchandise increased more than three times from 2012 to 2013, reaching 521.

None of the other newer toys on this year’s list reached the 300 shipment mark, which has historically indicated a strong performance and wide availability on store shelves. The anticipated toys that retailers have cautiously invested in this year include:

  • Animatronic pet animals Furreal Friends: 152 shipments, more than doubling last year’s shipments of 64
  • Robotic dog Zoomer: 107 shipments, up from 10 and 27 in 2011 and 2012, respectively
  • Board game Chasin Cheeky and colorful rubber bands craft Rainbow Loom: debuting on the toy shipment charts in 2013 with 51 and 49 shipments, respectively

Earlier this week, Panjiva released data that pointed to the strong performance of classic toy brands that introduced new versions or variations ahead of this year’s winter holiday season, such as Elmo, Barbie and Furby. All experienced an increase in shipments over 2012, most notably Tetris which saw more than a nine-times increase in large part due to a co-branded offering with popular wood block game, Jenga.

“Typically what we see, and what this year’s data suggests, is that retailers take a portfolio approach to toys,” said Josh Green, CEO, Panjiva. “They heavily stock known, reliable toys they feel confident will sell, and then they also place smaller bets on newer toys that don’t yet have a proven sales track record but that they anticipate will be atop children’s wish lists. Sofia the First is one of the biggest bets they’ve made in recent years. This shows optimism, but the diversified approach is a reminder retailers are always keen to reduce the risk of being stuck ringing in the new year with surplus supply.”

To access Panjiva’s complete list of holiday toy shipment trends, visit http://panjiva.com/about-panjiva/press/santas-scroll. Custom shipment analysis is available to customers and press upon request.

About Panjiva

Panjiva powers the business of global trade. The company’s B2B platform combines content and communication to fuel 21st century trade by enabling serious buyers and sellers to connect with one another quickly and easily. By combining diverse data sets that enable decision making with robust technology that makes the process of analyzing the data more efficient, Panjiva provides an unmatched level of insight on the companies, products and trends shaping global trade. With more than a million unique online visitors each month and 5,000 paying users across a wide variety of industries, Panjiva is a trusted resource to gain insight into, and make contact with, more than 6 million companies that make 35 million unique products. Panjiva was founded by CEO Josh Green and CTO James Psota. Panjiva has received equity investments from Battery Ventures and Harrison Metal. For additional information, visit: http://panjiva.com.

Contacts

Version 2.0 Communications
Katelyn Holbrook, 617-426-2222
kholbrook@v2comms.com
or
Libby Fortier, 617-426-2222
lfortier@v2comms.com

Release Summary

Retailers are betting on Sofia the First as 2013’s “It” new holiday toy. Data from Panjiva finds Furreal Friends, Zoomer and Chasin Cheeky are also in high demand.

Contacts

Version 2.0 Communications
Katelyn Holbrook, 617-426-2222
kholbrook@v2comms.com
or
Libby Fortier, 617-426-2222
lfortier@v2comms.com