PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2008 – Girls age two to 14 are spending more time this year on entertainment related activities than they did in 2007, with more than half saying they spend more time using CE devices, and playing PC games and video games, according to Girl Power: Understanding This Important Consumer Segment, the most recent report from leading market research company, The NPD Group.
The new report, which provides insight into how girls ages 2 to 14 spend their time in a typical week, also delves into what they and their moms are buying for them, as well as the categories that engage them the most. It uncovers what categories are poised for growth as girls continue spend time and money on traditional toys and games, but are broadening their engagement with and spending on categories such as apparel, consumer electronics, books, music, movies, and video games.
Pre-schoolers age 2-5 are highly engaged with Toys including plush/stuffed toys, dolls, fashion role-play, puzzles, and educational toys. First Readers (age 6-8) are more inclined to play with board games, arts & crafts, and virtual world games.
For pre-teen girls age 9-12, playing with traditional toys is still the activity of choice. Despite the natural progression away from traditional toys to games and electronics, many older girls report they are spending more time this year playing with traditional toys compared to last year.
“Some very traditional play patterns still are the most popular among girls, even in this digital age,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “Over 50 percent of girls ages 2-14 engage with dolls, plush, and arts & crafts in a given week which is a testament to the evergreen nature of these types of activities for girls.”
According to the report, tweens (age 9-12) are migrating to computer and video games, especially virtual world online games. Socialization is gearing up among the pre-teens, and the advent of interactive gaming really hits home with these girls who are looking for friends from the confines of their homes. Young Teens (age 13-14) are also gamers, but many girls this age are also now listening to music on portable digital music players and talking/texting on their mobile phones.
“Girls, in general, are famously social creatures,” said Frazier. “The growth in use of social networking and virtual world websites by girls is a natural extension of this core value which needs to be recognized by manufacturers who count girls as primary market for their goods and services.”
But not all activities are as age-specific as consumer electronics and video games. When looking at spending penetration, Fashion Apparel & Accessories, and Books, Music & Videos are the top two categories that maintain a high level of popularity across all age groups, and appear to be insulated from the age-factor. In terms of favorite gifts, gift cards are the top choice for most girls, with gift cards being purchased 50 percent of the time, though toys are often given to younger girls and apparel to older girls.
Methodology
An online survey was fielded to female members of NPD’s online panel who have a daughter age 2 to 14 in the household. Respondents with more than one daughter in this age range were asked to answer the survey as it related to a randomly selected daughter. The study is based on 1,541 completed surveys. Moms were asked to have their daughters join them while taking this survey. Final survey data is weighted to be representative of girls age two to 14.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit https://www.npd.com.