The State of the Toy Business.

[kup]

Hasbro should take note of what Nintendo is actually doing. While the toy market is decreasing, Nintendo actually wants to break into it:

http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/14/th...rate-nintendo/

I actually think Nintendo is on the right path here. They are basically aping Skylanders but with neater figurines that actually have a purpose within any Wii U game.

If Hasbro were smart (Yeah..), they would be doing something similar by incorporating chips into their toys so they can be scanned online onto games. The potential would be limitless as they could have 'make your own episode' apps in which you scan characters in or simply have decent video games in which you can play or interact with your favourite characters.

If they want to keep it simple like Nintendo are first starting off with, juts have them as virtual Trophies you can show off on social media as owning once you scan your toy.

The gimmick would be totally non-intrusive to the toy design and reasonably cheap to execute since the chip would be tiny and only contain what is basically a code with numbers.

There you marry both the digital age and physical toy interest back into the children mainstream. However you need forward thinking and willingness to innovate which Hasbro apparently do not.

[Lint]

However you need forward thinking and willingness to innovate which Hasbro apparently do not.

A very true statement. Their attempts to break into the electronic market have been half-arsed at best.

They haven't been doing too badly at focusing on their core strength though, which is selling toys marketed through media. I'd say that majority of my recent purchases have been more greatly influenced by characters/likenesses portrayed in comics/shows/nostalgia rather than the actual quality of the toy itself.

[kaiden]

Hasbro should take note of what Nintendo is actually doing. While the toy market is decreasing, Nintendo actually wants to break into it:

http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/14/th...rate-nintendo/

I actually think Nintendo is on the right path here. They are basically aping Skylanders but with neater figurines that actually have a purpose within any Wii U game.

If Hasbro were smart (Yeah..), they would be doing something similar by incorporating chips into their toys so they can be scanned online onto games. The potential would be limitless as they could have 'make your own episode' apps in which you scan characters in or simply have decent video games in which you can play or interact with your favourite characters.

If they want to keep it simple like Nintendo are first starting off with, juts have them as virtual Trophies you can show off on social media as owning once you scan your toy.

The gimmick would be totally non-intrusive to the toy design and reasonably cheap to execute since the chip would be tiny and only contain what is basically a code with numbers.

There you marry both the digital age and physical toy interest back into the children mainstream. However you need forward thinking and willingness to innovate which Hasbro apparently do not.

when skylanders first came out, my first thought was that it would be more awesome for transformers in a moba style game(dota/lol)

[kup]

when skylanders first came out, my first thought was that it would be more awesome for transformers in a moba style game(dota/lol)

Even if they do catch on to try it, they would probably stuff it up. Just look at their sorry attempt to compete with Lego. It seems that they misunderstand what actually makes Lego fun or they don't invest well enough on artists and designers to come up with good concepts.

I think Hasbro will continue to deteriorate until someone buys them out as they clearly have no motivation to change the current course despite diminishing returns.

[GoktimusPrime]

It's a pity that Hasbro pretty much have to tailor their product to sell to the retailer, not the end consumer.

Do they have to, or do they choose to? Cos it seems that Takara are more inclined to cater for the end consumer.

[CBratron]

Do they have to, or do they choose to? Cos it seems that Takara are more inclined to cater for the end consumer.

Well, I was under the impression we were supposed to have Generations and movie toys on shelves at the same time but the super-retailers in the US wanted it changed, hence the 'miscommunication' with the generations release dates.

[kup]

Do they have to, or do they choose to? Cos it seems that Takara are more inclined to cater for the end consumer.

Technically they don't have to but the present retailer centric business model they use which they refuse to divert from limits them.

[Lint]

Technically they don't have to but the present retailer centric business model they use which they refuse to divert from limits them.

Would you risk losing a multi-million dollar contract with a retail giant where all you have to do is deliver stuff that doesn't harm people on time at a unit price of $0.XX? Your shareholders would murder you overnight.

I don't want to be a Hasbro apologist but sometimes I marvel that we manage to we get what little we do get given such constraints.

[kup]

Would you risk losing a multi-million dollar contract with a retail giant where all you have to do is deliver stuff that doesn't harm people on time at a unit price of $0.XX? Your shareholders would murder you overnight.

I don't want to be a Hasbro apologist but sometimes I marvel that we manage to we get what little we do get given such constraints.

It's hard to marvel at much these days given the current state of the toy shelves, specially TFs. There is clearly diminishing returns every year with the present business plan and quickly getting worse.

Shareholders will murder them anyways given how it's going, only delaying the inevitable unless course is changed.

[Dimi194]

I was at Toys 'R' Us today, and thinking how outdated Hasbro's model is in terms of case assortments. Toys that are going to be shelfwarmers are now doubly so, because toys that people actually want will be a.) bought first by people who want them, and b.) bought by scalpers to sell online. At Woolworths, if they run out of oranges, they can order more oranges. They don't have to buy the oranges in an assortment that contains one orange, two apples, three lemons and a mandarin.

Just had the privilege to have a look at a yet to be placed on shelves box of AOE deluxe figures. Despite there being no Drifts (I bought the last one), Crosshairs or Bumblebees, the box of about 20 had only 3 Bumblebees, 1 Crosshairs (mine!) and the rest were Dinobots... which were still on the shelves... silly Hasbro!