- Piper Jaffray thinks holiday toy sales will be "back-end loaded" this year as e-commerce continues to play a bigger role.
- The investment firm reels in its forecast for year-over-year seasonal growth to 4% to 5% against a tough comparison to last year's Star Wars-infused holiday.
- Some reads on e-commerce toy sales have arrived more encouraging than the anecdotal Black Friday store checks by firms like PJ. Overall YTD toy sales are up +6%, according to NPD Group.
- The pace of holiday toy sales is still something to watch for investors of Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT), Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS), JAAKS Pacific (NASDAQ:JAKK) - but if you're long Spin Master Corp (OTC:SNMSF) it's already shaping up as a great holiday season. Intense demand for Hatchimals has Spin Master trading at an all-time high on the Toronto exchange. Shares are up 74% YTD. This Google Trends chart of searches for "Hatchimal" explains it all.
- What's a Hatchimal? The official Hatchimal website offers the best display of the innovative toy. Big sellers of the coveted $60 toy include Wal-Mart (WMT +0.7%), Target (TGT +0.6%) and Toys "R" Us.
- #BlackFriday