Toy Aisle Tips for Retailers to Help Holiday Shoppers

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- More than half of U.S. consumers (53 percent) say they will buy toys this holiday season, according to a recent Maritz(R) Poll. And, gift-givers in Gen X (62 percent) and Gen Y (61 percent) say they will buy toys at significantly higher levels than Baby Boomers (42 percent).

However, recent toy recalls will impact buying decisions across all generations this season:

    -- More than eight out of 10 of those buying toys (82 percent) were aware
       of the recalls of toys from China involving lead paint.

    -- Of those buying toys and aware of the recalls, 77 percent stated that
       the recalls will affect their holiday shopping this year.

"Toy safety is clearly a concern for consumers this holiday season and you wouldn't know it by looking at American toy aisles," said Gloria Park Bartolone, vice president, Maritz Research's Retail Group. "There's little or no signage to restore customers' confidence in toy safety, and most associates are not informed about the recalls. Retailers need to prepare, and fast."

Toy Recall Impact

The survey analyzed the effect of the recalls on toy shopping. Among the 77 percent saying it will affect their holiday shopping:

    -- Nearly four in 10 (38 percent) say they will check the label and
       country of origin of the toy.
    -- Nearly one quarter (22 percent) say they will not buy toys from China.
    -- Nearly one in 10 (9 percent) say they will only buy American-made toys.
    -- Only 8 percent say they will check the recall list.

"Retailers should be very concerned about 60 percent of shoppers saying they will check the label or avoid toys from China, since most toys -- especially at big box retailers -- are made in China," said Bartolone. "It's possible for shoppers to change their minds and simply buy a toy from China, but many could become frustrated and look to alternative gifts or retailers."

According to Bartolone, retailers could improve the customer experience in the toy aisle this holiday season by:

    -- Informing store associates about the recalls and training them to
       address questions and concerns from customers.
    -- Creating signage to assure customers that shelves are regularly
       inspected to ensure toy aisles are "recall-free."
    -- Keeping an updated list of toy recalls on hand for store associates to
       use as a reference.

About Maritz(R) Poll

Maritz(R) Poll is a national consumer opinion survey conducted periodically by Maritz Research. This online Maritz Poll, which was conducted Oct. 8 - 11, 2007, featured responses from 993 randomly selected adults from an Internet panel survey on topics related to holiday shopping, buying behaviors and gift-giving trends. Respondents for this market research poll were split evenly between males and females, and results were weighted to match census demographics (on age, income, race, education and children in household). Margin of error for the overall poll is +/- three percent.

About Maritz

Founded in 1894, Maritz is a sales and marketing services company which helps companies achieve their full potential through understanding, enabling, and motivating employees, channel partners, and customers. Maritz provides market and customer research, communications, learning solutions, incentive initiatives, meetings and event management, rewards and recognition, travel management services, and customer loyalty programs.