DUBIT RESEARCH
The Parental Focus Group: High Street or Online
With Christmas on the way, this month Dubit hosts a virtual and festive focus group with parents to find out more about their toy buying experiences
shops could replicate this, as Waterstones does with staff recommendations, our group said they wouldn’t trust them and
doubted the ability of shop staff to give
unbiased opinions.
WHAT’S HOT?
The most popular toys with
our group’s
children are Moshi Monsters,
Skylanders and Disney, but LEGO is the toy that all their children are into at the moment, regardless of age or gender. Reasons ranged from the
USING OUR Clickroom software, we spoke with a group of mums about their top buying experiences and how they see the future of toy retail.
ONLINE OR OFFLINE? Our group of eight mothers buy toys both online and offline, moving from the likes of Amazon and Argos to The Entertainer and supermarkets depending on their needs.
In most cases Amazon is
their retailer of choice, with many citing cheap prices and free delivery as being the main draw. eBay proved less popular, with a few mothers wary of counterfeit toys (perhaps they’ve been reading ToyNews) and poor quality. For many, free delivery was
a key differentiator and was a reason for buying direct from Amazon instead of Amazon dealers. Although price is an important factor for our mums, convenience is paramount. All of those involved have little spare time during the day and would often have their children with them when they did go out – this makes buying Christmas presents difficult without destroying the illusion of Santa. Many resorted to toy shopping at times retailers would find it impossible to be open, as highlighted by Helen: “It [toy shopping] can be any time but normally after ten o'clock when work is done and I'm heading off to bed.
Sometimes I sit in bed, on my phone, looking at toys.” Others have equally nocturnal shopping habits, waiting to surf the internet when the children have gone to bed. None of our mothers thought they’d hit the High Street at those hours but did attend late- night shopping events at large shopping centres. Others thought
extended Sunday trading would be an improvement: “It was brilliant during the Olympics,” said Rachel.
ADVICE Many of our mothers are fans of High Street toy shops but seek advice for toys online, looking at customer reviews on Amazon and Argos. When we suggested that toy
child’s sense of achievement, creativity and that some sets are so cheap they are great as little treats.
None of our parents had
any idea of what would be this year’s ‘must have toy’ for Christmas, although one suggested that Skylanders Swap Force could be big.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING All our group have already started buying for Christmas but none were aware of any ‘must have toys.’
If one does emerge most of our parents would rather shop for it online than shop on the High Street. Many cited the
disappointment of having to look around above online
Dubit is a youth research agency and digital development studio. By utilising a deep understanding of young people’s motivations and behaviours, Dubit works with brand owners to create digital experiences that children love. Phone: 0113 394 7920Email:
research@dubitlimited.com
www.toynews–
online.biz November 19
savings. “You go from shop- to-shop and get stressed when you can’t find one,” Kyle said. Vicky added: “It’s easier than shopping on the High Street – saves time, parking and trailing around.” This is one reason why Click-and-Collect is very popular with our mums; most agree that it gives them the best of both worlds, although for some of the more time-poor mums, nothing beats getting toys delivered. A popular reason for choosing the High Street was that they get to see children’s reactions to toys and get their input. “Emily played with a few toys in The Entertainer a while ago that I never would have thought of getting her,” said Helen. However, when it comes to their wider Christmas shop, many enjoy the festive feeling of carrying lots of bags – something they can’t replicate online. Unfortunately poor parking means this isn’t always possible, with many bemoaning parking charges and how it’s cheaper to have items delivered. If you’d like to use Dubit’s Clickroom focus group service, you can find out more at
www.theclickroom.com
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