“P” is for Prizes!

Before coming to PIA Products, several members of our team were involved in the plush toy marketplace. We’ve got folks who made plush toys, people who bought plush toys, some who sold plush toys, a few who licensed plush toys, and even a team-member who designed plush toys.

For many years, when looking for products for the amusement industry, plush was synonymous with “Prizes” in dominating the merchandise offerings for those in the games business from theme parks, to boardwalks, fairs, and carnival circuits.

Plush is still a major player for “Prizes” in midway games, cranes, and even arcades. A visit to any local amusement park or family entertainment center will probably confirm this, as there is no shortage of stuffed animals on display to entice those prospective players.

But for our team, and some of our clients and customers, “P is no longer just for Plush. The “P” in PIA Products stands for prizes, and even those in the games business are starting to look for some alternatives to plush toys.

Edward Frakes, an Account Director with Global Amusement Consulting, who operate games and provide revenue consulting to amusement and theme parks throughout North America, recently shared the following with us;

“Plush is still vital, and the predominant category for our prize selection, when outlining our purchasing strategy for any season. We’re buying plush from $1.00 to $100.00, so we have a wide range of price points to cover the various games we operate, or consult on.

Several years ago, we noticed a small shift in player/customer preference. It started with the advent of MP3/4/5 players, Apple I-pods, Nano’s and such. As those items became more prominent at retail, and in popular culture, we began to integrate them as prize offerings on our product plans.

The trend continued with tablets, smartphones, digital active wear like fitbits, drones, and bluetooth items to name a few. Gradually we introduced more and more of these items, and noticed people really did want to play for them.

I believe there is a generational component to this, meaning the kids, teens, and young adults of today have grown up surrounded by technology. Teddy bears are nice, but a waterproof bluetooth speaker is both cool and functional. We’ve noticed it can have a higher perceived value for the player.

We really noticed traction on higher end price points. Players were more inclined to continue playing for electronic items compared to plush in the $35 - $100 range. While we use electronics $10 and above, it really has been the largest plush price points where we’ve had success integrating alternate prize options.

Of course as with anything, you need to do your homework. We select items based on the games we operate and the demographics of the players. My Little Pony, Minions, DC Comics, and Disney headphones are great on our “kids” games, while Sony or Beats are more appropriate for the teen and adult market. Likewise, how you merchandise and display the product is just as important.

The great thing with PIA Products is the amazing selection of items, and variety of price points available. We also operate in some parks with high season pass utilization, so the rotation of new product into our program is great for us.” ~ Edward Frakes, Account Director, Global Amusement Consulting.

We agree with Edward. Plush isn’t going anywhere any time soon, but if your prize selection in any price point is entirely dependent upon just plush items, you may want to consider testing a few non-plush items to see how your customers and players respond. Based on what we see and hear, you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.