Gift Guidance For Grandparents

The term “grandparent gift” has become an accepted part of our industry's vernacular. We assume that grandparents will pick up the big ticket items (and lots of them)—but how do they know what to buy? A recent survey by kids' marketing firm Funosophy Inc. asked 200 moms of kids ages 6 to 8 how they communicate gift ideas to grandparents.

Roughly 60 percent of mothers guide their kid's grandparents in their gift selections. But they're not always very clear! In fact, nearly half of those moms suggest a particular category of toys that their kids might like, then leave the selection of the specific toy to the grandparent. This is a huge opportunity for marketers in these categories to reach out to grandparents and help them make the best choices for their grandkids. Another third of the moms surveyed offer a few SKU names to choose from, while just 25 percent of mothers suggest specific SKUs by name.

The toys most likely left up to grandparents' choice include some of the least promoted categories—creativity kits, games, puzzles and outdoor toys.

Categories with better known, television-promoted brands, like dolls and electronic learning aids, are more likely to be requested specifically by name, making these categories ripe for a grandparent marketing effort in retail and by manufacturers.

• Roughly 15 percent of mothers report that they do not make any kind of gift suggestions to their kids' grandparents.
• About 10 percent of mothers reported that their kids' grandparents give cash or gift cards instead of specific holiday gifts.

As the survey shows, moms are definitely making suggestions when it comes to grandparent gifts, but they're not always very specific about particular toys they would prefer were purchased for their children. With that in mind, there is definitely room for marketers and retailers to guide grandparents—who are often the gift-givers with the largest discretionary budgets—in their gift selections.