Online toy purchases in Qatar have surged amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the stay-at-home orders last year when parents were most concerned about which puzzles or board games to use to play with their children.
According to Yalla Toys Director Thomas Jacob, their toy sales have more than doubled during the pandemic in 2020 compared to their 2019 sales. A 100 percent Qatari e-commerce company, Yalla Toys is dominating the country’s online toy sector. The company’s holiday shopping sales which usually peak during Eid, Ramadan, Christmas, and the New Year seasons, have also increased fourfold last year compared to the previous year.
“Online toy purchases were very high. There were days when we had over 700 deliveries per day. Previoulsy in 2018, on an average we were having only 19 deliveries per day. Toy online purchases in previous years were very minimum because online deliveries were mostly on electronics, perfumes, and luxury watch items. But last year, our online toy sales have grown by double digit compared to 2019,” Jacob said while talking to The Peninsula yesterday.
Puzzles and board games were also very popular during the pandemic, with many families resorting to online purchases to find certain items which were not available in physical shops.
“There was a roaring demand for puzzles starting from April and May. People were bored and were looking for ways to interact with family members. We might have sold puzzles in two months what we would have sold in a year previously. We sold nothing less than 30,000 puzzle items in a span of just two months."
Also, we cater the largest collection of outdoor toys in Qatar. During the pandemic, portable swimming pools were also in huge demand,” added Jacob.
He said several online traders have also shifted to toy products because of the growing popularity of the items during the pandemic.
“Now we’re focusing on outdoor products. We’re seeing a big demand for trampouline products, which are not cheap items. They are premium outdoor products which cost between QR9,000 and QR30,000. This is the time for the outdoor products until the end of February. Regular toys will also have their own share,” said Jacob.
Globally, the e-commerce segment received an unexpected surge in demand from early 2020 amid the global outbreak of COVID-19, which led to an increased use in home delivery services as physical stores were temporarily closed.
The outlook for the global toy industry continues to be positive, with research reports indicating a significant rise in the overall toy market year-on-year. The global toy market, which is forecast to reach revenues of more than $120bn by 2023, is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 4.5 percent during 2019-2024.
However, industry experts have warned that with the reopening of malls and brick-and-mortar toy stores, the booming online toy sales witnessed by the toy industry last year, may not be the same this year. But Jacob is hopeful.
“Earlier, people were reluctant to use an app or make online orders. But during the last several months, people were forced to use online stores. The future is going to be e-commerce for its availability and convenience. Of course brick and mortar toy stores are not going to go away as such. But definitely e-commerce will have a good market share,” he added.
Most recently, Yalla Toys has relaunched its new mobile apps in both Android Play Store and iOS App Store. The company is also planning to enter foreign markets, such as the Kuwaiti market, soon.
