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A third of toys sold on the Czech internet are building sets, and they are succeeding across Europe

27. 02. 2024 | Lucie Dlouhá

    The development of toy sales on the internet in recent years shows dynamic changes. According to data from Heureka company, in 2023, their sales mirrored the development of the entire Czech e-commerce, which ended the whole year with a 6% decline, with the toy category dropping by 4%. The most commonly purchased items are building sets and board games.

    Toy sales in the Czech Republic in recent years reflect the results of the entire e-commerce sector. While there was a year-on-year increase of 19% in the strong year of 2021, the trend slowed to 3% in 2022, and 2023 saw a decline of 4%. Czechs most frequently purchase toys in November and December, with these two months contributing to 44% of annual toy revenues for the second consecutive year.

    A decline in interest is evident in almost all countries of Central and Eastern Europe where Heureka Group operates. Besides the Czech Republic, toy sales have also declined in Slovakia, Romania, Slovenia, and Croatia. Hungary and Bulgaria are exceptions, with increased year-on-year interest.

    Year-on-year development of the toy category on the internet

    CZ

    SK

    HU

    RO

    BG

    SI

    HR

    2021

    +19 %

    +26 %

    -11 %

    -46 %

    -4,5 %

    -7,5 %

    +29 %

    2022

    +3 %

    -14 %

    -18 %

    -15,7 %

    118 %

    -2,7 %

    +6,5 %

    2023

    -4 %

    -1 %

    +4 %

    -6,8 %

    +27,1 %

    -8,5 %

    -19 %

    "Toys used to be bought mainly in November so people would get them in time for Christmas. As courier services improve and delivery times shorten, there's no longer a need to order gifts so far in advance. Also, as a result, the main wave of interest in toys has shifted to December," says Michal Buzek, chief analyst of the shopping advisor Heureka.cz.

    In all the mentioned countries, Lego building sets have made it into the top 5 categories with the highest level of interest. Besides them, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, plush toys and dolls made it to the top 5. In the Czech Republic, interactive toys, figures, and animals also make the top 5, while in Slovakia, children's carnival costumes and electric cars complete the top 5. In the Czech Republic, these five largest categories account for 38% of toy interest, and in Slovakia, 21%. In Hungary, board games, car models, interactive toys, and Playmobil account for 73%.

    The top 5 largest categories and their share of overall interest in the toy category

    CZ

    SK

    HU

    RO

    BG

    SI

    HR

    Lego

    Lego

    Lego

    Lego

    Chess

    Lego

    Lego

    Plush toys

    Plush toys

    Board games

    Tricycle

    Lego

    Board games

    Board games

    Interactive toy

    Children's carnival costumes

    Model car

    Puppets

    Swing

    Play centers

    Play centers

    Dolls

    Dolls

    Interactive toy

    Board games

    Doll stroller

    Puzzles

    Puzzles

    Figures and animals

    Electric cars

    Playmobil

    Model car

    Children's kitchen

    Plush toys

    Plush toys

    38 %

    21 %

    73 %

    72 %

    47 %

    53 %

    33 %



    "Lego building sets are an absolute phenomenon, making it into the top 5 most sought-after categories in all the monitored countries. Plush toys are evergreen, making it to the top five in 4 countries, and they are popular toys in the others as well. It's interesting that in countries somehow close, whether historically or otherwise, the largest categories are similar. We see three identical categories in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Croatia and Slovenia even have all categories the same. Conversely, in the remaining countries, there's always a category missing from these two pairs, such as chess in Bulgaria or puppets in Romania. It's a question of whether it's a different culture reflected in the types of toys we buy for children," reflects Buzek on the data.

    Similarly, the highest amount spent on a toy in the past year is notable. In the Czech Republic, it was 20,000 crowns, while in Slovakia, it was 1,000 euros. In both cases, it was Lego building sets, specifically LEGO® Star Wars™ 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer in Slovakia and LEGO® Creator Expert 10276 Colosseum in the Czech Republic.

    Differences are evident in the leaps and plunges of the year, i.e., in the categories that customers most or least searched for in 2023. In the Czech Republic, water guns saw a leap (+118%), as did yo-yos (+114%) and plush microbes (+79%). On the other hand, the biggest decline was seen in fingerboards (-65%), followed by Montessori tools (-50%) and puzzles (-42%). The biggest boom in Slovakia was seen in water guns (+71%), interactive robots (+61%), and inflatable castles (+46%), just like in the Czech Republic, fingerboards and puzzles also declined here.

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