5 ways to boost impulse toy sales and profits

Parents know all about the pressure of pester power, which children seem to intuitively perfect at an early age!

Over 40% of parents say that pester power regularly gets the better of them, and many parents will purchase Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) requested by their children.

Child-driven purchases can come from the desire to make the shopping experience a positive one for everyone, reducing tantrums and in-store stress for parents. However, the new generation of families also proactively prefers to give children more say in purchasing decisions. That’s why appealing to both children and parents is key to improving toy retail success.

Let’s look at how you can use this important family dynamic to your advantage!

1. Appeal to kids, sell to parents

What’s the biggest purchasing influencer for children when they are already in a store?

Packaging! Numerous studies show that packaging is hugely influential for children when choosing products. Bright colours and cartoon characters are a simple way to attract kids' attention. At Keycraft, we’ve got a team of in-house graphic designers who keep the child-appeal front of mind when designing packaging.

Once you have the child’s attention, you just need to remove barriers to sale for parents. This is also something Keycraft keeps front of mind when creating our product ranges. It’s achieved by promoting a toy’s benefits and quality, or keeping the price low.

Our package labelling and hangtag information helps emphasize the qualities of a toy. We also offer pocket money toy collections that catch children’s eyes and which parents won’t usually object to for price reasons.

2. Perfect your displays

Eye-level is buy level! Out of sight is out of mind, so display your toy products at the right height for either children or parents.

Parents typically choose baby toys or gifts, and educational or traditional toys that focus on quality. Children are more drawn to eye-catching toys that offer novelty value. Children have a greater variation of eye levels according to their age group, so bear that in mind when setting up your placements.

Attention-grabbing displays further amplify impulse buying appeal. At Keycraft we often talk about retail theatre, and it’s an important merchandising technique. That’s why we design display solutions that complement our products and grab attention through novelty.

Novelty displays will help you put multiple toys in the spotlight at the same time. For example, we have wooden crates for displaying Living Nature™ soft toy animals, and colourful merry-go-round carousels for small pocket money toys. In addition, full display stands will also help you sell more toys.

3. Optimise store layouts

The need to buy is highest at the front of the store when customer’s hands are empty. Around 42% of items selected in the first quarter of a shopping trip are impulse purchases. This is especially true for kids who have shorter attention spans. Make the most of early enthusiasm by positioning your premium toys in the first display stands customers see.

Items placed near the till point perform well, offering decision-fatigued shoppers an easy opportunity to pick up something before they leave. This works particularly well for low-cost impulse products.

However, you don’t need to rely on solely on the till area. Offer a mix of impulse items earlier in the shopping journey, strategically placed next to high-demand items that get most attention. Complimentary products also sell better when displayed together. For example, table protector mats next to paints, or collectable ranges that can be integrated.

Move things around every month to keep the shopping experience fresh, and also to figure out what works best in terms of placements. Also ensure customers have plenty room to manoeuvre by positioning your shelves and stands a reasonable distance apart. This encourages people to take their time and see all your products.

4. Get price points right

Who is your target market? Do you have busloads of children on school trips with a £5 budget? Or do you have a garden centre where grandparents treat children to toys that are a little bit more special? 

When you know your customers, you can prioritise your product offering and corresponding price points for maximum profitability. Although, whatever your most important customer demographic is, you can still mix price points throughout the store so that everyone is catered for.

Trial a selection of products with varying price points across your displays. Then prioritise building stock levels or introducing new items according to what price ranges sell best for you.

5. Train staff to up-sell

Your staff are a valuable asset for encouraging impulse purchasing. Consumers are generally open to discovery and suggestion, and human conversations or recommendations are perhaps the most effective way to encourage customers to make purchases.

Your staff should be familiar with product locations in-store, and proactively point out featured products or promotions. If resources allow, have a member of staff available to circulate the store and assist customers. They should have knowledge of your products, be able to answer questions about features and benefits, and also suggest complementary products based on customer interests.

Keycraft majors on the Science of Impulse

With over 45 years of toy retail experience, we’ve figured out the Science of Impulse formula!

We’re the impulse toys experts, and our retail consultants can help you get the most from our products with proven merchandising techniques. We can advise on product range selection, display solutions and optimal layout for your stores.

When we helped the Early Learning Centre launch a new product selection, they boosted their impulse sales by 200% within just 2 weeks.