Report: Amazon Planning Holiday Toy Catalog
Amazon.com is planning to publish a holiday toy catalog in an effort win the toy business that has come up for grabs after the demise of Toys“R”Us, according to a report in Bloomberg. People familiar with the strategy told Bloomberg that the catalog will be mailed to millions of U.S. households and handed out at Whole Foods locations, the grocery chain Amazon bought last year for $13.7 billion.
Total Retail's Take: A holiday toy catalog is yet another example of how Amazon is trying to reap benefits from the Toys "R" Us bankruptcy. For one, Amazon started looking at acquiring some vacant Toys“R”Us locations earlier this year as it expands its brick-and-mortar footprint. A print catalog also shows that Amazon is willing to test more traditional marketing channels. For all its woes, Toys“R”Us was still a force during Christmas. Its “Big Book” toy catalog was a holiday staple, with toy makers often starting their holiday advertising to coordinate with its arrival in late October. Even with the emergence of screen time and smartphones, kids still enjoy searching through toy catalogs — which Walmart and Target also produce — to make their wish lists.
