Toys are at the top of the list of most popular products that online shoppers buy, according to Google.
As more brands sell toys online, there’s no doubt you’ll be facing some competition. But by building a brand for a specific audience and selling the kinds of toys that your customers love, your toy business can find success online.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through each step of the creation process for starting your toy brand and how to sell on your online store.
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Is an online toy business profitable?
Toys are products that will always be in demand and require a lot of innovation to sustain.
According to a recent report, the Indian toy market reached a value of US$ 1.5 billion in 2022. And this market is projected to double by 2027. So yes, there is a lot of scope for you to sell toys online.
As for the profit margin of toys, they are as good as 25 to 30% annually.
Moreover, toys are evergreen products. Parents would always buy toys for their kids. Some toys never go out of style like legos and cloth dolls. And there’s always room for innovation in the toys niche. You can bring in creative ideas that appeal to a particular age group.
A trend you should be aware of is that consumers are increasingly becoming conscious of the kinds of products they use and the raw materials that are used to manufacture them. This is true for the toys niche as well. Shoppers are looking for toxin-free and locally-sourced toys.
How to sell toys online and start a successful business
For selling toys online, there are some steps that you should follow. Let’s find out what are they:
Choosing a toy niche
Choosing a niche means narrowing down what kind of toys you want to sell. Your niche separates your toy brand from others and has more chance of becoming memorable.
Remember, your target buyers are parents. Typically, the toys that appeal to parents are:
- The ones that keep the child engaged creatively
- Toys that contribute to the child’s development: improving their hand-eye coordination, learning social skills, and recognising shapes and colours.
- Toxin-free and eco-friendly
- Outdoor toys
- Traditional toys, culturally significant
Toy niches based on gender and age are also common. Here’s an example of niche toy products by age from Kidstack, an Instamojo store:
Being known in the toys market is easier if you have unique products. And that’s the best way to beat the competition in the eCommerce world.
Finances for your online toy business
How much will it cost you to start an online toy business?
You can start an eCommerce business with little to no money.
With your toy products ready to sell, you can start your online business with just an internet connection and a laptop/phone.
You can even create an online store for free.
Other than the basic costs of acquiring products, here are some areas that may require additional investment:
- Packaging
- eCommerce Shipping
- Marketing and advertising
- Maintaining stocks
Calculate all your costs involved, so that you can set the right price for the toys you sell. More on that in the next section.
Source toys
You can contact manufacturers and buy toys wholesale. Your other option is to collaborate with local craftspeople for toys.
Pricing your products
Once you have a clear idea of the costs involved, you can decide on the price for each product.
The key to setting the right price depends on three things:
- The profit you need to make
- What your buyers are willing to pay
- How your competitors are pricing
Here’s a full guide on how to price your products.
Now, it’s time to decide where to sell your toys online.
Start your own online toys store
Once you get your products ready, it’s time to start your online toys store. As mentioned before, you can start an online store on Instamojo for free and start selling products easily.
With a professional eCommerce website, you can build a long-term business, get repeat customers, and stand out from the competition.
Managing your online toys business becomes more efficient with an Instamojo online store:
- Manage shipping with the best courier partners
- Upload product catalogues easily
- Collect payments securely
- Brand your business with beautiful themes
Here’s how you can start an online toys store on Instamojo in 5 easy steps:
- Sign up for free on Instamojo with your email address
- Select the ‘toys and hobbies’ category and name your online store
- Choose a theme that suits your toys brand
- Start adding product images and descriptions along with prices
- Start selling!
Watch this video to get started on setting up your own online store:
Related read: Benefits of an eCommerce website
How Kidstack sells non-toxic made-in-India toys with Instamojo online store?
Simran Lekhi, the founder of Kidstack, is dedicated to spreading awareness about the harmful plastic toys that are predominant in the market. Kidstack, a toys brand that supports local artisans and brings toxic-free toys into the toys market, was born out of this concern.
With its own eCommerce website, Kidstack was able to convey her message to parents and build a toy brand online. Here’s what the founder says about using Instamojo:
“The platform was easy to use and I could set it up in less time than I imagined. Instamojo made the task of running my online business much easier” – Simran Lekhi, founder, Kidstack
After you have created an online toy store, it’s time to get your first customers!
Market your toys business online
In the eCommerce world, you need to get yourself out there to build a successful business.
As an online toys store owner, you need to do two things to get customers: reach your customers and/or make your online store ‘findable’.
Here are some ways you can reach customers who are willing to buy toy products from you:
1. Social media
Set up business accounts on social media channels, preferably Facebook and Instagram.
Your goal is to reach an audience who are your potential customers. So, you need to create content around what your business offers.
Here’s a list of Instagram post ideas for businesses to get you inspired.
How Zoodle Kids uses Instagram to sell toys online
Zoodle Kids is a toy brand that focuses on products that enhance the social and learning skills of children. Through their social media posts, Zoodle Kids resonates with their target audience – parents who are concerned about their kids’ social skills in this stereotypical world.
Their social media posts include educational content as well as posts of the latest toy products on the Zoodle Kids online store.
View this post on Instagram
The brand also has an exclusive online store where they collect orders from social media users who are interested to buy:
Founder, Aarthi, mentions how quickly she could start selling online with the help of Instamojo:
“I was looking for an easy plug-and-play model to launch my own eCommerce presence, and Instamojo was the perfect solution. I was able to launch my website very quickly, without expensive investment.”
Related Read: How to set up social media for small business: a complete guide
2. Paid marketing
Another way to reach your customers is through paid marketing. These include social media advertising and Google ads (PPC).
Here’s a guide to help you create high-conversion digital ads for your toys brand.
When selling toys on your online store, you need to make sure that your customers are able to find you when they’re looking.
3. Make your online toys store search-friendly (SEO)
According to a survey by Google, 41% of shoppers go to Google when discovering a new brand.
So, when your target audience searches on Google for the toy products they want, your online store should rank high on the search engine results pages (SERPs). Making your store more visible is called search engine optimisation (SEO). Here’s how you can get started:
- Find relevant keywords that your target customers search for
- Structure your online store categories
- Create SEO-optimised content on your online store: product descriptions, images, title tags.
If you create an online toys store on a good eCommerce platform, you will have more features to get your store visibility.
Start selling toys online today with Instamojo
It’s never been easier to start a toy store online, but it’s also never been more challenging. But with passion and the right resources, you can stay ahead right from the beginning.
Whichever niche you choose or the children’s age group you decide to serve, the key is to start as soon as possible. Take the first step and create your own online toy store in just a few clicks.
