According to a new survey from Harris Interactive, about half of Americans (51 percent) say they will be purchasing toys as gifts this holiday season, while two in five (40 percent) will not, and one in ten (9 percent) are not sure. About three-quarters of those with a child in the household (72 percent) say they plan to purchase toys compared to 42 percent of those without a child in the household. The poll also shows that toy manufacturers should expect slightly less in sales compared to the last two years. In 2009 and 2010 over half of Americans (54 percent and 53 percent respectively) said they were planning to purchase toys as gifts.
While more than two in five toy purchasers (46 percent) say their spending will be no different than last year, over one-third (35 percent) say they will spend less than they did last year while 16 percent say they will spend more than they did last year. Among those toy purchasers with a child in the household 16 percent say they will spend more than they did last year, over two in five (43 percent) say their spending will be no different and two in five (39 percent) say they will spend less than they did last year.
So what are the items that children want for the holiday season? It seems that video games and arts and crafts projects will top the list. Over two in five toy purchasers (45 percent) say they will purchase children's books, while one-third will buy games for consoles (33 percent) and three in ten will buy arts and crafts (29 percent). One-quarter (25 percent) will purchase board games and dolls (25 percent) as gifts. Just over one in five will purchase building blocks and bricks (23 percent), one in five will purchase handheld electronic games (20 percent) and sports equipment (19 percent) while 7 percent will purchase game consoles. One-quarter will purchase something else in terms of toys for kids (25 percent) and one in five are just not sure (20 percent).
Those with a 6-9 year old in the household, will buy children's books (59 percent), followed by games for consoles (52 percent) and board games (45 percent). Looking at those with a tween (ages 10-12) in the household, they are purchasing games for consoles (67 percent), then children's books (43 percent) and board games (41 percent) while those with a teen (13-17) are buying games for consoles (62 percent), sports equipment (37 percent) and children's books (34 percent).
Over half of toy purchasers will be shopping for toys at large discount stores (56 percent), while over one-quarter (27 percent) will mostly shop online for toys this year. One in ten (10 percent) will mostly shop at a national toy retail chain store while 4 percent will shop at a local, privately owned specialty toy store. Women are more likely to shop mostly at a large discount store for toys (61 percent vs. 50 percent of men) while men are more likely to shop for toys at a national toy store retail chain (14 percent vs. 6 percent of women).
The Harris Poll is based on the responses of 2,463 adults surveyed online between October 10 and 17, 2011 by Harris Interactive.
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