Global Smart Toys Market – Analysis and Forecast (2021 – 2027)

Industry Insights by Technology (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID, NFC), by Type (App-Enabled Mechanical Toys, Health-Tracking Toys or Wearable, Voice or Image Recognition Toys, Screenless Toys, Puzzles and Building Games, Toys-to-Life, Others), by Distribution Channel (Offline Stores, Toy Shops, Specialty Stores, Online Stores, Others)

Industry Overview

The global smart toys market is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period due to the increasing internet penetration, increasing disposable income, and a large population base. With technological advancements, smart toy have their own intelligence and are interactive, which makes them popular among kids. Also, manufacturers are introducing new products with several benefits for kids such as learning and developing a skill, thus creating greater acceptance among parents for these toys.

Market Segmentation

Insight by Technology

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID and NFC are the technologies used in smart toys market. Among all these categories, RFID technology is anticipated to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period due to the increasing adoption of RFID for tracking and tagging products. Also, it contains a memory chip and antenna to store data, which result in the better consumer experience. Package and inventory tracking are the two most crucial benefits of RFID that make this technology popular in the smart toys market across the globe.

Insight by Type

The different types of these toys include app-enabled mechanical toys, health-tracking toys or wearable, voice or image recognition toys, screenless toys, puzzles and building games, toys-to-life, among others. Of all these toys, voice or image recognition toys are expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period due to the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence in several developed as well as developing economies.

Insight by Distribution Channel

Based upon distribution channel, the smart toys market is segmented into offline stores, toy shops, specialty stores, online stores, and others. Among all channels, toy shop record the largest sale of these toys, however, online stores are anticipated to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. This is primarily due to the increasing penetration of e-commerce increasing awareness pertaining to online stores.

Industry Dynamics

Industry Trends

All the major players in the toys industry have started investing in the research and development activities. The hotel and tourism industry and coaching centers have started utilizing smart toys to attract the customers and increase their market base. Advancements in technology and adoption of artificial intelligence by the market players to develop their products are other key trends witnessed in the smart toy industry.

Growth Drivers

The increasing internet penetration, increasing disposable income, and large consumer base are the key factors driving the growth of the smart toys market. The increasing traction for these toys is attributed to the marketing campaign run by the industry players promoting their products as key in the development and growth of their kids. This is leading to the increasing adoption by parents to provide their kids with these toys to benefit their children in learning and skill development and also have health benefits as claimed by the manufacturers.

With the increasing disposable income and internet penetration, more consumers are able to afford these toys, thus leading to significant growth in the market. These toys work as an assistant that can wake up the child in the morning, remind them of assignments, answer their questions and get them to bed by time. Parents can analyze the activity of their children through an online dashboard as well. All these benefits are anticipated to lead to significant growth in the smart toy industry in the coming years.

Challenges

The high cost of these toys, and security and privacy concern related to the data collected by these devices are the key factors hampering the growth of the smart toys market. Protection of the privacy of the consumer is the most challenging factor since toys with artificial intelligence involve risk of losing private or confidential records to hackers.

Industry Ecosystem

Globally industry players are leveraging market growth through the development of innovative solutions in smart toys. The vendors of smart toys are providing various solutions to users such as artificial assistance, source of knowledge, entertainment and are further improving productivity with the help of artificial intelligence.

Geographic Overview

Geographically, North America is the largest smart toys market due to the technological advancements, high disposable income, and adoption of these toys as engagement for kids by their working parents. The artificial intelligence sector has witnessed enormous development over the years in the U.S. The manufacturers of toy industry has utilized these opportunities and boosted the sales of their toys with advanced features. Smart toys play a significant role as an assistant to kids helping them in their day-to-day schedule and studies. Furthermore, these toys help the parents to analyze the productivity of their children and are reliable for working mothers.

Asia-Pacific is observed to witness the fastest growth in the market due to the increasing disposable income and large consumer base. Also, popularity of artificial intelligence among the large population in the country such as Japan is enabling the country to extensively invest towards these smart toys. Moreover, the country has amended several norms in order to secure the privacy of the customers utilizing this technology.

Competitive Insight

Key players in the smart toys industry are investing heavily in research and development to improve the quality of the product and are also adopting the latest technologies which are strengthening their position in the market. Moreover, it has been observed that local players are depending upon new technology to develop cost efficiencies in their business operations thus increasing the rivalry in the market to some extent.

Some major players in the smart toys market include Sanrio Company Ltd., Konami Corporation, Fisher Playmates Toys, TOMY Company Ltd., Dream International Ltd., Kids II Sanrio Company Ltd., JAKKS Pacific Inc., Integrity Toys, Inc., Mattel, Inc. and Leap-Frog Enterprises Inc.