It may be true that Christmas comes but once a year - but when it does it can be a make or break period for many retailers. A high percentage of retail profits are driven by the Festive gift giving bonanza. It's the difference between a good and a bad year for many businesses. Small wonder then that so much energy is devoted to predicting what the top selling gift items will be each year.
The toys and games sector is especially reliant on strong Xmas sales figures. Every year it seems that there is one special must have toy. In the past we have seen toys such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Beyblades, Cabbage Patch Kids, Buzz Lightyear, Tickle-Me-Elmo and Furbies take top spot at Christmas.
Typically most of these toys will enjoy one year at the top of the list. Whilst most of these toys are still around today, they won't be number one this year. Many of them won't even make it into the top fifty.
Of course, there are also some evergreen favorites which are popular choices year in, year out. They have stood the test of time spanning generations of kids. Some of the best known examples - once again in no particular order - would be Scrabble, Monopoly, train sets, Cluedo, Barbie, G. I. Joe, and Lego. It's not likely that any of the toys on this list will be the best seller this year admittedly - but they will sell well and be in the top twenty or thirty every year.
Based upon the current volume of sales, this year's top toy looks like being Zhu Zhu Pets - small, robot hamsters which interact using artificial intelligence. However, as in previous years, demand seems to be outstripping supply. It's already hard to find them in the stores. You can however, find them on eBay - at prices way above the ticket price. This seems to happen every year and toy suppliers have been accused of artificially limiting supply to create a buzz on more than one occasion in the past.
This really isn't uncommon. Whether or not it's a deliberate ploy by the manufacturers is open to debate, but it has practically become an annual event these days. Usually, just a few weeks after Christmas, last year's expensive hot toy will be history. The more traditional toys on the other hand, will still be used and enjoyed for a long time to come. A lot of these toys will actually be passed from one generation to the next. That's why toys like Hornby Dublo train sets, Lego, Scrabble etc. represent such great value for money and are always a welcome addition to any child's toy box. - 30320
The toys and games sector is especially reliant on strong Xmas sales figures. Every year it seems that there is one special must have toy. In the past we have seen toys such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Beyblades, Cabbage Patch Kids, Buzz Lightyear, Tickle-Me-Elmo and Furbies take top spot at Christmas.
Typically most of these toys will enjoy one year at the top of the list. Whilst most of these toys are still around today, they won't be number one this year. Many of them won't even make it into the top fifty.
Of course, there are also some evergreen favorites which are popular choices year in, year out. They have stood the test of time spanning generations of kids. Some of the best known examples - once again in no particular order - would be Scrabble, Monopoly, train sets, Cluedo, Barbie, G. I. Joe, and Lego. It's not likely that any of the toys on this list will be the best seller this year admittedly - but they will sell well and be in the top twenty or thirty every year.
Based upon the current volume of sales, this year's top toy looks like being Zhu Zhu Pets - small, robot hamsters which interact using artificial intelligence. However, as in previous years, demand seems to be outstripping supply. It's already hard to find them in the stores. You can however, find them on eBay - at prices way above the ticket price. This seems to happen every year and toy suppliers have been accused of artificially limiting supply to create a buzz on more than one occasion in the past.
This really isn't uncommon. Whether or not it's a deliberate ploy by the manufacturers is open to debate, but it has practically become an annual event these days. Usually, just a few weeks after Christmas, last year's expensive hot toy will be history. The more traditional toys on the other hand, will still be used and enjoyed for a long time to come. A lot of these toys will actually be passed from one generation to the next. That's why toys like Hornby Dublo train sets, Lego, Scrabble etc. represent such great value for money and are always a welcome addition to any child's toy box. - 30320
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Find out where you can still locate the Zhu Zhu Pets or check out an ever popular Christmas gift - a Hornby Dublo train set.
