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India is the largest kids market in the world. The Rs 20,000-crore market is expected to grow at 25 per cent per annum. The branded kids wear market alone is worth around $600 million and is estimated to touch $850 million by 2010. Over 90 per cent of the Rs 2,500-crore toy market is unorganised, and there is a huge potential for organised players to expand. An analysis. Now kids have a reason to rejoice. Billed as the largest kids segment market in the world with a significant presence of sectors like apparel, FMCGs, games, gizmos and toys contributing towards its growth, the Rs 20,000-crore market is expected to grow at 25 per cent per annum. Kids retailing is growing by leaps and bounds in India and those in the industry say it is likely to see 30-35 per cent growth per annum. From clothes to stationery, sportswear, outerwear, tailored clothing, eyewear, watches, fragrance, footwear and accessories, the list is endless. Apparel, however, remains the key revenue driver accounting for almost 80 per cent of total sales. The brands are targeting the upper middle class and higher segment, who are educated and are fashion conscious i.e., aware of the latest trend going and available in the international market. In the Indian market, selling branded toys isn't exactly child's play. International toy makers like the $3-billion Hasbro's Indian venture Funskool, and the $5.5-billion Mattel have been in India for more than a decade. Still they have a small share in the play-pen. According to the Toys Association of India, 90 per cent of the Rs 2,500-crore (Rs 25 billion) toy market is unorganised. That means organised players get to share only Rs 250 crore (Rs 2.5 billion). Obviously, Mattel and Funskool need a lot more than their super-hero characters He-Man and Batman to save their world. Toy makers targeting adult Indians itself is noteworthy. But what are their strategies to grow in the Indian market? If the unorganised sector rules in the smaller toy shops, malls have turned out to be undisguised blessings for toy makers since they offer better shelf space to exhibit products. For instance, in the small format toy shops, only top selling toys from a range get adequate display. For a range like Mattel's Barbie, that is bad news. Because if Barbie is displayed minus her accessories, chances are that only the doll gets picked up. However, in a mall, the entire range can be displayed and the add-ons in the range also stand a good chance of being picked up. In the kids' entertainment space, Indian channels have come a long way. Cartoon Network, which has enjoyed monopoly in the Indian market ever since its launch, saw a decline in its market share soon after the launch of the two Disney channels and Hungama TV last year. And even Nickelodeon has shown an aggressive growth numbers in 2006. Television is no kids' stuff but in India, the focus has turned to the very young. Aware of the potential in raising both their viewership and advertising revenue, entertainment companies that target the very young have proliferated. Advertising companies now find it profitable to expand their message to include children when designing campaigns for cellphones, computers and a range of other tech products. Industry experts believe a multi-player market is great as it keeps the channels thinking and only adds to innovation and growth and more importantly, offers choice to the consumer. Also, the Indian pie is still growing, allowing multiple players to co-exist. Several channels have kicked off ambitious marketing and programming strategy in a bid to make their place among the top three channels in the kids' genre.
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