Why do people still buy Jellycat even though it is so expensive?
As a London-based toy brand that started in 1999, Jellycat seems to have a clear understanding of the psychology of today's young people.
"Little Penguin Climbs to the Top of Yulong Snow Mountain", "Little Dinosaur Who Loves to Travel", "Emotionally Stable Capybara", "Travel with Jellycat Internet Celebrity Eggplant"... The trend of Generation Z has changed again. Young people who once scrambled for Pop Mart blind boxes are now frantically buying Jellycats.
According to e-commerce brand data, in the first half of last year, the sales of plush fabrics increased by 30.4% year-on-year, and sales volume increased by 12.1% year-on-year. The China Toy Association tracked the sales data of the Tmall platform and showed that during the 618 period last year, the sales of plush fabric toys increased by 29.2% year-on-year, and sales volume also increased by 32.7% year-on-year. In addition to the increase in sales, the price of plush trendy toys also increased. An e-commerce platform shows that the average sales price of plush toys increased by 16.4% year-on-year in the first half of last year.
Not only Jellycat, some plush dolls now cost 40 or 50 US dollars, and those plush toys with IP popularity can even sell for hundreds or even thousands of US dollars. Why do young people buy plush trendy toys when the volume and price are rising?
Is it just because the brand is playing the game of price increase, out of stock, and hunger marketing? Or is it just waiting for appreciation as an investment? Plush toys, which originally targeted children as the main consumer group, have gradually become adult-oriented, accounting for about 70%-80%
Plush toys have become an emotional sugar substitute for young people. In recent years, under the influence of the market and social media, from IKEA Shark to Bing Dwen Dwen, from Lingna Belle to Jellycat Internet celebrity Eggplant, playable, personalized, and ugly and cute doll avatars have become the best way for young people to express their personalities. Through these plush images, countless strangers have fully exerted their creative inspiration and found resonance on the Internet.
Currently, the two keywords Jellycat and IKEA Shark have accumulated nearly 600 million views on Xiaohongshu. Some industry insiders believe that immersive experience and interaction, coupled with the widespread promotion of short videos, have contributed to the rapid popularity of some trendy toys.
Popular culture always keenly reflects the characteristics of the times.
High pressure and anxiety are the common emotions of this generation of urban young people. The healing and companionship brought by plush toys have become the original intention of most young people to choose plush toys. When loneliness needs to be eliminated and the need for emotional sustenance becomes strong, the healing economy with plush toys as carriers has become a popular industry.
And the "healing economy" that can alleviate loneliness is undoubtedly the outlet. Among the many subcategories of trendy toys, plush toys that can provide companionship and help people achieve personalized expression are gradually becoming popular for a reason.
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