Vacation Trends to Watch: Adult Play-Doh; store this ship



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NEW YORK – The pandemic turns this into a holiday shopping season like no other.

Toymakers are targeting adults stuck at home with Play-Dohs and Latte-smelling Legos that turn into Warhols. Those who added a puppy to their family during the pandemic will see tons of gift options for their new furry friend. And with more and more people shopping online, stores are doubling down as shipping centers to try and get the gifts delivered as quickly as possible.

Here’s what to expect:

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TOYS FOR ADULTS

Children aren’t the only ones who need to have fun. Toymakers are targeting bored adults stuck in their homes during the pandemic. Need something to do at your next Zoom meeting? Hasbro has new moldable Play-Doh strains that smell like the things adults recognize: lattes, fresh cut grass, and smoked meats.

Lego, meanwhile, wants adults to put on their headphones and “forget the rest of the world” while turning the plastic pieces in their new kits into hanging art, like Andy Warhol’s famous Marilyn Monroe portraits.

Marissa DiBartolo, editor of the toy review site The Toy Insider, says she’s seen more coloring books and challenging puzzles designed for adults.

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FROM YOUTUBE TO TOY STORE

The “Paw Patrol” dogs watch their tails better. YouTube stars with millions of viewers make their way to the Toy Alley, a place where TV cartoon characters reigned supreme.

All because kids spend so much time watching YouTube instead of cable TV, says DiBartolo. This made the stars of the video streaming site just as recognizable as Nickelodeon’s.

Figures of Blippi, a man who wears orange suspenders and hosts educational kids videos on YouTube, are sold at Target and Amazon. At Walmart, toys featuring Ryan Kaji, a kid who reviews toys on his Ryan’s World YouTube channel, have been hot sellers. Toy company VTech is playing on the trend in another way, selling a KidiZoom Creator camera that features a green screen so kids can add special effects and pose as YouTube influencers themselves.

And if you need another sign of the heights of YouTube stars, a 42-foot-tall (13-meter-tall) balloon based on Ryan’s World’s Kaji appeared in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on Thursday, floating next to TV icons like SpongeBob and, yes, Chase from “Paw Patrol.”

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STORES AS SHIPPING CENTERS

Retailers including Walmart and Best Buy, which previously used their locations as hubs to ship e-commerce orders, are now coming up with new strategies to go even faster. These changes come as they face a holiday crisis that is expected to tax shipping networks and lead to delivery delays.

Walmart launched a special holiday program this week. Some of its online orders are processed directly from stores using delivery services like Postmates and DoorDash instead of carriers like FedEx or UPS. The goal is to ensure that customers can receive their orders quickly, even the same day.

Meanwhile, Best Buy says 340 of its stores are specially designated to handle a higher volume of online orders, although all of its stores offer e-commerce packages. Its objective: to have the 340 stores with more than 70% of its ship-from-store units shipped during the holiday quarter.

And then, many small and medium-sized businesses are increasingly turning to operators of micro-warehouses – mini-shipping centers located in urban areas – to help pack and deliver goods. Ben Jones is the CEO and founder of Ohi, which operates five micro-warehouses for various brands like the sparkling tonic Olipop, or provides software to third parties at 115 ecommerce sites across the United States. saw more brands using its software as many are unable to guarantee pre-Christmas delivery via standard delivery if items are ordered after the first week of December.

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GIFTS FOR THE POOCH

More people have adopted puppies and kittens during the pandemic, and stores are rushing to cash. Petco sells matching pajamas for dogs and their humans with snowflakes and Christmas trees. And Chewy, the online pet store, is getting more and more personal, writing animal names into bandanas, bowls or beds.

Consulting firm Deloitte expects half of shoppers to spend some of their money on pet treats and other supplies this holiday season.

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FORGET THE IMPULSE SHOPPING

It’s not just the frenzied crowds that will be missing this holiday season. The same goes for impulse buying – the practice of throwing out extra items like toys or bath balms as shoppers enter and exit aisles.

According to Marshal Cohen, senior industry advisor at NPD Group, a market research company, 25% of vacation purchases are typically impulse. This year, Cohen said he expects that figure to drop to around 10% as shoppers dramatically change their online purchases to avoid physical stores. And when they go to stores, customers will buy for a purpose, picking up the things they need while trying to minimize exposure to COVID-19

“Impulse buys are the icing on the cake,” Cohen said. “It’s the difference between a successful and a successful vacation.”

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