The NPD Group Shares Good News for Digital Play

Anita Frazier, analyst for The NPD Group, had good news for conference attendees this morning: first quarter ’08 toy sales are up around 1%, with sales of Web-connected toys increasing during a 12-month period from $67 Million in 2007 to $411 Million in 2008.

What’s more, 93% of all households bought toys last year, with the average household expenditure around $191. (Households with children ages 6 and under spent $485.) The fastest distribution channel for these toy sales is the Internet, where sales grew in a 12-month period from $1.5 Billion in 2007 to $1.6 Billion in 2008 – an increase of 6.7%.