Numbers game
Maria Weiskott -- Playthings, 5/1/2002
Help! At first glance, comparisons of annual statistics on the official Web site of the Toy Industry Association (TIA) look like they don't quite add up. But a new strategy more accurately depicts the industry's state, claims NPD Group, the consultant used by the TIA to track sales of playthings.
NPD's 2001 figures represent sell-through numbers, rather than wholesale purchases as in the past, says Reyne Rice, director of marketing and communications for NPDFunworld. "Most retailers and manufacturers prefer the sell-through statistics," she tells PLAYTHINGS, because they represent real movers.
"We are reflecting what's going on in the industry, and it is a morphing process," says Rice, of the change. Hot products, for instance, are often counted separately so that they don't weight a category. Yo-yo's and robotic dogs would be prior examples. This year, Rice tells PLAYTHINGS, there will be a separate category for spinning tops.
During the past year, industry pundits have questioned the accuracy of NPD statistics, especially after Wal-Mart—the largest toy retailer in the United States—pulled its stores out of the NPD data collection program. According to NPD, however, the company now has demographic participation to counter the Wal-Mart loss.
