Toys R Us: Strategies To Manipulate Children

For the toy store observation, I went to Toys R Us to find toys available for children under 3. Children influence their parents’ decisions and are the consumers of the future.

I found out that toy companies are now using several strategies to manipulate children’s natural curiosity into influential buying power in the economy. First, toy companies use bright colours on products in order to sell to children. My first impression of the toy section was that the toys were very colourful and bright. The toys stood out amongst other products in the space such as clothing and strollers, which were mostly light and dull colours. Toy companies took advantage of children’s interests in colours and tried to sell products to them. Second, when I examined the toys closer, I noticed that many toys either makes sound or moves, some both. Most of these toys have battery inside already so when children press the button, the

I tested out a few toys and found that the songs/sounds are generally alphabet songs, counting numbers, or animal sounds. When moving, the toys generally vibrate and some parts of it light up. Again, the toy companies are using sounds and movements of toys to manipulate children’s curiosity. Third, almost every toy I found is a character or has a face on it. Animal characters and cartoon characters are among the most popular. As the children grow older, TV characters start playing a more important role. In the toddler section, the toys are beginning to be associated with popular TV shows. With children today immersed in popular media, TV characters become a huge selling feature for the toy companies. In conclusion, toy companies are selling their products by bringing