Kurio forges ahead B
face-to-face
Toy World caught up with Inspiration Works MD David Martin and marketing director Tracey Devine to fi nd out what lies ahead for Kurio in 2013.
y anyone’s standards, Kurio enjoyed an amazing debut year in 2012. When the groundbreaking tablet was fi rst unveiled in Hong Kong, a handful of toy buyers seemed unsure as to whether it was actually a toy or a consumer electronics product (a debate which continues
to this day at NPD, where it is still classifi ed in the latter category). Regardless of classifi cation, many believed it had the potential to be one of the year’s hottest launches. They weren’t wrong. In the end, over 500,000 Kurios were sold across the world last year, and in the UK, every single piece was sold through a toy channel, proving once and for all that children’s tablets would become an integral part of the UK toy market going forward.
TW: You must be delighted with how things went last year? DM: Absolutely, it was a fantastic fi rst year, we established Kurio as a really solid brand. We were delighted that every single major toy specialist embraced Kurio, now we’re moving into year two with a lot of exciting new developments.
TW: So what’s new for 2013? DM: Almost everything is new! We have kept KurioGenius, obviously, as this is what has set Kurio apart from its competiton, but we’ve completely redeveloped the range, from top to bottom. All of the hardware is new, and the software developments are way ahead of where we were last year. TD: The whole range has retained what is important to the Kurio brand but now also offers lots more value for the same price. The 7S and 10S are four times faster; more durable and have twice the memory capacity. The screens are better quality, and we’ve introduced stereo speakers too. DM: Also, Kurio is now a complete series of tablets. Last year we offered two models – the 7 and 10 – but there was no real synergy between them. This year we’re bringing a co-ordinated series of three models to market: side by side, they all refl ect the same quality brand, but each model is positioned to offer something specifi c to different consumers. The Kurio 7S is the mass market product; the 10S is for the more discerning consumer and the brand new 4S Touch – which we’re really excited about – offers all the same great features in an easily portable device. There is also a co-ordinated range of accessories linked to all three devices. TD: We’ve really thought about our brand and we’ve worked hard to develop a complimentary range of licensed accessories, which enables us to offer retail exclusives. We’ve already signed Skylanders, Bin Weevils, Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, and there a couple of other major signings pending, which we should be able to confi rm very shortly. As you know we have established agreements in place with the top gaming licensors, such as Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, but this year we’ve got
26 Toyworld
some more exciting games to pre-load and we’ve also signed a deal with Disney to feature a range of e-books and apps across the range, plus we’ve tied up with Warner Bros for our video app store.
TW: Tell us a little more about the new Kurio 4... DM: The really big news for 2013 is the introduction of the Kurio 4S Touch. It’s an entertainment device for kids on the go. It offers everything which the Kurio 7S and 10S have - video content, music content, internet access and parental control - but in a device kids can take with them absolutely everywhere. TD: We believe the music and gaming elements will help the Kurio 4S Touch appeal to tweens. Whilst our original Kurio campaign was geared to a similar age group, we feel this is a different target market, so we’ve developed a completely separate TV campaign to refl ect the product’s broader profi le.
TW: What price will the 4S Touch come in at? DM: We’re waiting to see where the market decides to position it, but it will certainly come in below £100. Stock of all the models will be available at the end of July, and we really believe year two sales across the whole range will eclipse last year’s numbers.
TW: Some of the independent toy retailers have been a little cautious with certain ‘tech’ lines in the past – where do you see them fi tting into the picture? DM: Regardless of whether you’re a major or an independent, the impact of this new category has been a huge infl uence on toy purchases through 2012/13 to date, and it’s only going to get stronger. This is what today’s kids and parents really want and they’re prepared to pay for quality kids technology which delivers both fun and education in the most advanced
format available. There’s trade margin in it too, and we’re delighted Kurio is at the forefront of the category. The effect has been global too - we’ve won a variety of awards in the UK and Europe and we’ve also won a toy of the year award at Toys R Us in America. So if you are a toy specialist and not yet on board,
then....don’t get left behind!
Kurio 4s Touch
The Inspiration Works team - Tracey Devine, Katie Roberts, Christelle Veerasamy, Mary Stefanovski, Craig Asling, Paul Joyner, David Martin. After 2 years of strong growth, IW recently moved to new premises near London Colney,
St.Albans which is now home to the sales, marketing, fi nance, and administration functions, as well as a new purpose built showroom. David Martin commented: “It’s a very exciting time to be at IW right now. We’ve invested in more people and infrastructure to meet with the rapid growth we are seeing.”
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