Argentinas Christmas toy sales down 7% this year

Over the Christmas holidays, 6.9% fewer toys were sold in Argentina compared with the 2024 season, reflecting more cautious consumption and tighter household budgets, the Argentine Toy Industry Chamber has reported. “The result was better than expected, especially compared with November, which had shown a sharp and unexpected drop,” said the organization’s president, Matías Furió. “There was an improvement in the pace of sales in the days leading up to Christmas Eve, although it was not enough to offset the decline from Children’s Day or the downturns in the months that followed.”  The most popular toys in Argentina included: Early childhood toys: educational items, stackable toys, building blocks, and sensory products Outdoor and summer toys: water guns, beach and pool games, balls, tricycles, and ride-on toys. Board games Creative toys and arts and crafts Dolls  Interactive plush toys and simple technology, such as electronic pets and toys with sound and movement. Premium products such as LEGO, Playmobil, Barbie, and Cry Babies clung to the market, albeit with low turnover, as did licenses tied to films and major international brands. According to the chamber’s survey, 95% of transactions used electronic payment methods such as credit cards and digital wallets. Traditional brick-and-mortar retail sales fell by almost 10%. Online sales, which account for about 25% of the market, remained stable, affected by the expansion of international platforms such as Temu and Amazon.  At neighborhood toy stores, purchases averaged AR$19,000 (US$12.88) per toy. The figure was about AR$10,000 at supermarkets and AR$45,000 at specialized chains. This shows Argentines are buying mostly low- and mid-priced presents. Toys made in Argentina posted a very strong performance, supported by predictable pricing and a price–quality ratio aligned with current purchasing power, the chamber said. On the other, imported products performed poorly, marked by distorted pricing and oversupply, which generated confusion and mistrust among consumers. The Undersecretariat for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade has imposed more than AR$100 million in fines on importers for marketing toys without complying with current regulations. “The most effective way to protect our boys and girls is to choose safe toys, purchased at formal retail outlets and bearing the Conformity Mark,” Furió said. In Argentina, Three Kings Day, on January 6, is celebrated as a day when children receive presents from the Three Kings. The sector is betting on the date to cushion the downturn.  With information from Ámbito