No.3166
Toy Market in Japan: Key Research Findings 2022
Scale Model Kits/Toys for Hobbies and Trading Card Games Continue to Lead Toy Market in FY2021
Yano Research Institute (the President, Takashi Mizukoshi) carried out a survey on the domestic toy market and found out the current status, the trends by category, the trends of market players, and future perspectives.
Market Overview
The domestic toy market (as a total of 9 major categories) for FY2021 attained 715,300 million yen, down 1.5% from the preceding fiscal year (based on the shipment value of manufacturers). As a total of 8 major categories, i.e., excluding TV games, the market rose to 382,300 million yen, up 12.0% on year-on-year basis. As the mood for voluntary lockdown faded and people became less interested in improving quality of time spent at home, the jigsaw puzzle market, which had grown significantly in the previous year under the pandemic situation, saw a double-digit decline (down by 15.1%). On the other hand, the market of scale model kits/toys for hobbies remained strong (up 9.7%). The most noteworthy trend is the growth of the trading card game market. It ballooned the boys’ characters & toys market by 40.1% from the previous fiscal year, as well as the entire toy market size as a total of 8 major categories. Meanwhile, the market size as a total of 9 major categories declined in FY2021 as a repercussion of the preceding year, where some toys were demanded highly as tools to enjoy time at home.
Noteworthy Topics
Rapid Expansion of Capsule Toy Specialty Stores
Large-scale capsule toy specialty stores operated by toy manufacturers and toy wholesalers are expanding. Some of them have installed more than 1,000 capsule toy machines. In addition to large-scale specialty stores, commercial facilities that suffered low occupancy rate during the COVID-19 crisis increased capsule toy machine installations to fill vacant spaces. The unit price of the capsule toy is low, but it requires little manpower to sell. The capsule toy business was favored not only from infection-prevention perspective, but also from the standpoint of sales efficiency.
Future Outlook
The domestic toy market as a total of 9 major categories is forecasted to attain 719,900 million yen for FY2022, up by 0.6% from the preceding fiscal year. As a total of 8 major categories (meaning not including TV games), it is projected to rise by 4.6% from the previous fiscal year to 399,900 million yen. Even though consumers are increasingly inclined to go out more often, the demand for scale model kits/toys for hobbies is expanding. In addition, an increase of market entries in the trading card games market is uplifting the boy’s characters & toys market.
Research Outline
2.Research Object： Manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of toys, scale model kits/toys for hobbies, video games, etc.
3.Research Methogology： Face-to-face interviews by our specialized researchers (including online interviews), surveys via telephone/email, and literature research
What is the Toy Market?
The toy market in this research refers to a market of the following major 9 categories:
1) Electronic toys, 2) scale model kits/toys for hobbies, 3) boys’ characters & toys, 4) girls’ characters & toys, 5) analogue games, 6) seasonal & miscellaneous toys, 7) basic toys (intellectual training toys, jigsaw puzzles, blocks, etc.), 8) stuffed toys & plushies, and 9) video games. The market size is calculated based on the domestic shipment value of manufacturers, excluding exports.
“High targeted toys” refer to toys in general that are targeted to adult customers, which refers to the major 8 categories (the major categories mentioned above, except for video games) plus figurines, toys bundled with confectionaries, and capsule toys.
Please note that toys bundled with confectionaries, capsule toys, and figure toys are not included in the major 9 categories.
*Since the market of toys packaged with confectionaries and the market of high targeted toys have been redefined this year, the figures in this research partly differ from that of our past reports.
The major 9 categories include:
1) Electronic toys: Electronic games, electronic soft toys, PC for kids, toy smartphones, VR games (including high targeted toys)
2) Scale model kits/ toys for hobbies: Plastic models, radio control models, model guns, and other toys for hobbies (including high targeted toys)
3) Boys’ characters & toys: Toy radio controls, other toys for boys (including trading card games and high-targeted toys), toy smartphones featuring boys’ characters
4) Girls’ characters & toys: Dress-up dolls, other toys for girls (including high targeted toys), toy smartphones featuring girls’ characters
5) Analog games: Board games, analogue games, general games (including high targeted toys)
6) Seasonal toys: Traditional dolls and toys for seasonal event and festivals, fireworks, pools & water toys, etc.
7) Basic toys: Intellectual training toys, toys for babies and infants, blocks, jigsaw puzzles, etc. (including high targeted toys)
8) Stuffed toys: Plushies, stuffed animals, dolls and other soft toys (including high-targeted toys)
9) TV games (video games): TV gaming console, mobile gaming devices, gaming software (including some online games)
＜Products and Services in the Market＞
Electronic toys, toys for building scale models and for hobbies, boys’ characters & toys, girls’ characters & toys, analog games, seasonal toys, basic toys (intellectual training toys, toys for babies and infants, jigsaw puzzles, blocks, etc.), plushies & stuffed animals, TV games (video games), toys packaged with confectionaries, capsule toys, figurines, railway collections, trading card games
Published Report
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