Boardgame Sales Soar as Pandemic Rolls On

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Many of us feel like we’ve spent the past six months in front of one screen or another – be it remote working on your laptop, Zoom quizzes on your PC, binge-watching yet another Netflix series on your tablet, gaming on the living room television set or scrolling through social media on your smart phone. We’d be forgiven for becoming a nation of technology addicts.

But recent research by toy-makers and sellers would suggest otherwise. In fact, searches for – and sales of – traditional toys and retro games have reached new heights this summer as more of us spend more time at home and look for different ways to amuse ourselves.

Boardgames in particular are having a renaissance with buying and selling platform eBay seeing a rapid rise in demand. Searches for Mouse Trap, first released in 1963, have soared by 136 per cent this summer (June-July) compared to the same period last year. And Scrabble, originally conceived in the 1930s but only released in the UK in 1954, has seen interest rise by 127 per cent according to eBay.

Retro brands that have stood the test of time are also back in favour – 80s favourite Sylvanian Families was searched for up to four times every minute by eBay users between June and July this year and LEGO was looked for a whopping 13 times every 60 seconds.

1930s games that became popular during the Second World War, like Scrabble (then known as Criss Cross Words), Monopoly and LEGO, all feature in eBay’s current top 20 most-searched toys, as people opt for games that encourage shared experiences and have a track record of seeing us through difficult times. They also provide a valuable alternative to screen-based activities.

Family fun

Nouman Qureshi, Toys Category Manager at eBay UK, said: “Everyone is undeniably spending more time at home this summer, and so looking for inspiration on how to keep the whole family entertained. While we would expect digital games to see the biggest spike, it is interesting that we are returning to our old faithful classics.

“Games like LEGO, Scrabble and Monopoly were all invented in the 1930s, and became popular during the war. They are games that bring the family together and help you to build and create positive shared experiences that can go on for hours. These are all things that we need in uncertain and challenging times, so it’s no surprise they were popular during the war, and they’re popular now.”

And we’re not just searching for inspiration – shops and manufacturers say sales are up too. While physical shops were forced to close during the nationwide lockdown announced on 23 March, customers instead turned to online outlets.

A spokeswoman for John Lewis said: “Board game sales saw an increase of 52 per cent during lockdown, with a focus on the nostalgic game of Monopoly. We also saw a 61 per cent increase in sales of LEGO during lockdown as parents looked to purchase sets that they can build together as a family during this time.”

Educational entertainment

At Orchard Toys, a leading British manufacturer of educational games and puzzles, sales have also soared. The company, based in Wymondham, Norfolk, says the increases have been driven by demand for educational products while children were missing so much school.

Marketing manager Ali Brown said: “Orchard Toys saw a large increase in sales in the first few months of lockdown and momentum has maintained month on month. Sales in August have seen an increase of 116 per cent compared to last year.”

Recent research by toy retailers Argos revealed that the time we’ve been spending at home has generated a strong sense of nostalgia with half of parents admitting to reminiscing about their old toys at some point during lockdown. As a result, more than one fifth (22 per cent) plan to gift their child something that conjures memories of their own childhood this Christmas.

The toy-maker says that this nostalgia has led to a number of well-known brands making it on to their list of the predicted best-sellers this Christmas, with LEGO, Nintendo and gifts from the Star Wars franchise all featuring. The John Lewis top-10 Christmas lists predictions also include Monopoly Mega Edition Exclusive and a LEGO gingerbread house.

Rachael Larkman, toy buyer for John Lewis, said; “This year has been incredibly different for all of us and we’ve seen a change in the way parents have been purchasing toys for their children. They’re thinking of ways that will help their children further their learning through play.

“We’ve also seen a nod to nostalgia with traditional board games making a comeback such as Monopoly proving particularly popular as families make time to play together.”

And Naman Agarwal, head of vendor management for toys at online retailer Amazon, agrees. Among his predictions of what will top the Christmas wish lists this year are updated takes on Uno and Scrabble alongside products from veteran brands LEGO, Fisher Price and the Star Wars franchise.

Suzie Howes, marketing manager at EPOCH Making Toys, makers of Sylvanian Families, added: “Sylvanian Families is marking its 35th anniversary this year and, sadly, while we have had to put off our plans to celebrate, the popularity of the brand has stayed strong. The Sylvanian brand has remained true to its roots and still holds dear the core values of family, love and nature – and thankfully those will never go out of style.”

Game-makers Hasbro, home of Monopoly, Cluedo and Trivial Pursuit among others, said that from April to June this year, gaming sales were up globally by more than 50 per cent in comparison to the same time last year.

Louisa Parast, marketing director at Hasbro UK and Ireland, said: “This is a huge increase, and one that indicates to us that gaming is an activity that families, friends and people all over the globe value at a time when more time is being spent indoors, and we’re looking to escape an oftentimes concerning news agenda. With so much of our social life online, boardgames offer the opportunity for people of all ages to come together and make memories. It’s escapism, enjoyment and the chance for everyone to focus on one thing and achieve the same goal.”

A modern take on traditional play

There was a similar tale at toymakers TOMY UK who said the family favourite Pop-Up Pirates has seen sales increase by 36 per cent year on year. But there is also evidence that the way we play together is changing – a spokesman said: “Following the launch of virtual Articulate! back in April, the online cards have been accessed nearly 115,000 times. It’s so lovely to see everyone enjoying quality game time year-round, and not just at Christmas or on special occasions.”

Toyologist Peter Jenkinson, editor of the toys news and reviews website toyology.co.uk, says sales are being driven by a wider trend of nostalgia among toy-buying parents.

“During these times of uncertainty, it has been perennial favourites from parents’ childhoods that have performed best as adults turn to toys they remember fondly and share their childhood experiences with their own kids. We’ve also had to put up with home-schooling which, in many cases, slid slowly off the routine radar so parents turned to stealth learning. As a result, the education through play sector has seen stellar growth.

“There’s also lots to be said for anything collaborative, we’ve been spending more time with each other so board gaming, crafting and construction play have all seen a boost. Many brands have been around since the grown-ups were kids, with some modern updates, which shows that classic family play is as important today as ever.”

‘Weekly sales rose up to a peak of 304 per cent’

Ginger Fox specialise in creating games, puzzles and gifts with a twist. The company is based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Lewis Allen, 44, product development director said: “We’ve experienced a significant increase in our online sales, primarily via our Ginger Fox Amazon Store, since lockdown started in March. With us all stuck at home, unable to meet friends and family, games and puzzles have proven a welcome distraction, as well as a fantastic way of reconnecting.

“Over the summer, weekly sales rose up to a peak of 304 per cent versus the previous year’s results. This was driven predominantly by our Amazon store sales. This has started to level off but is maintaining an 80 per cent uplift on last year. We also launched on eBay and saw healthy sales there too.”

He said the hero products have included a range of boardgames based on popular TV shows. “Taskmaster – The Board Game has been a stand out success for us since its launch last Christmas. Our card game tie-ins with Who Wants To Be A MillionaireThe Chase and CatchPhrase have also done really well and capture the excitement of the shows perfectly in a small package.

“Pre-lockdown there had absolutely been a drive for people to reduce screen time. Families have also been staying in rather than going out due to the economic uncertainty. These factors have driven a bit of a renaissance for card and board games. Lockdown has further amplified this but also encouraged people to use games to reconnect and engage with family and friends at home or virtually via video chat applications.

“Keeping our hero products in stock, during what is normally the quiet time of the year for Games, has been challenging but we have an incredibly dedicated team here in Cheltenham and strong, long-term relationships with our manufacturers that have helped us overcome these challenges.”

Orchard Toys, manufacturer of educational games and puzzles, based in Wymondham, Norfolk, says sales were up more than 100 per cent last month compared to August 2019

Marketing manager Ali Brown said: “The main driver of the sales has been the thirst for overtly educational lines. The most frequently purchased game was Match and Spell which saw an increase of 2,061 per cent in sales over the past five months. From the games launched in January, Times Tables Heroes and Mammoth Maths massively outperformed the others nearly 10-fold indicating a real appetite for educational board games especially at primary school age which is a trend we are continuing to see.”

During lockdown itself, parents were clearly keen to keep their children busy with Orchard Toys’ literacy games enjoying a 1,458 per cent increase in sales and Maths games a 1,006 per cent rise.

‘People have used games to connect with their friends and family’

Hazel Reynolds, 33, is the founder of Brighton-based Gamely, who make family-friendly card games

Gamely celebrates its fifth birthday this month. Hazel sells her products on Amazon and uses their Fulfilment by Amazon service to handle storage, delivery, customer service and returns.

“In the first month of lockdown alone, on Amazon, we sold 3,477 games (up 472 per cent from last year). And from March-June, we sold £125,672 worth of games. In total now, over the past five years we’ve sold more than 130,000 games and turned over more than £1.3m.

“Sales are still up year-on-year which is really exciting as we go into autumn and approach the run up the Christmas – which is always our busiest time of the year.

“Over the last year, the game Soundiculous has become our new bestseller. It’s super simple – you have to make the sound of whatever is on your card – and the results are often hilarious. You soon realise that what you can hear quite clearly in your mind comes out quite differently from your mouth! The Amazon reviews we get because of this are brilliant. And the fact that it works so well over video chat has definitely contributed to its recent success. Sales of our newest game Frozen Unicorns have also been increasing recently – it also works well on video chats and is great for making kids and grown ups laugh together.

“While lockdown has been incredibly challenging for lots of people, it has also provided an opportunity to spend more quality time with the people you live with – and through video chat, your loved ones who you don’t live with. I think many people have embraced this opportunity and used games to connect with their friends and family and make the time they’ve had together a lot more fun. Games give you the perfect reason to put your phones away and hang out with other human beings, in person, for fun. That shouldn’t feel like a radical activity, but in a world in which we often see our friends and loved ones more on social media than in real life, this quality time is becoming increasingly rare.”

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