The Licensing Letter

Consumer Electronics

Licensed Back-to-School Sales Expected to Rise 2.0% in 2020

Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Licensed back-to-school sales are expected to climb to $9.6 billion in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Licensing Letter’s estimates. With licensed retail sales up 2.0%, or $188 million, the back-to-school season is expected to help bolster recovery following a difficult second quarter of 2020 and lackluster -0.9% growth … [Read more...] about Licensed Back-to-School Sales Expected to Rise 2.0% in 2020

CES Highlights

Some of the most interesting innovations to come out of CES 2017 embrace this year's top each trends—including voice-activated AI assistants (Amazon's Alexa takes the lead based on the number of products using the tech), self-driving cars, even bigger and thinner display screens (including TVs whose width is just under 4 mm and curved screens on laptops), and robots. Mattel … [Read more...] about CES Highlights

Pumping Up Brands

By Karina Masolova Despite our love for athleisure and all things healthy, a recent study by Nautilus shows that Americans and Europeans fail when it comes to general health and fitness knowledge (scoring an average of 42% and 39%, respectively). But it can't be denied that fitness is a big business, even if it is more aspirational than not. The 2016 update to Inc.'s 5000 list … [Read more...] about Pumping Up Brands

Licensed Consumer Electronics Up 3.5% in the U.S./Canada

According to TLL's Annual Licensing Business Survey, U.S./Canada retail sales of licensed consumer electronics merchandise grew 3.5% to $5.41 billion in 2015. Although it makes up only 5.2% in market share, the category is one of the most stable we track—and has been trending upwards for the last 10 years. While most electronics licensing historically emerged from the … [Read more...] about Licensed Consumer Electronics Up 3.5% in the U.S./Canada

Shopping for School Supplies, Electronics Moves Online

Back-to-school shopping—including school supplies and electronics—is expected to grow dramatically in the ecommerce channel in 2016, mirroring the growing channel share for ecommerce in licensed product sales overall, as consumers shop for savings. While back-to-school shoppers are still heading primarily to bricks-and-mortar stores, they are increasingly purchasing … [Read more...] about Shopping for School Supplies, Electronics Moves Online

Store Check: Target at Culver City, CA

By Marcy Magiera A week before Disney’s Zootopia scampered into theaters accompanied by predictions of a $67 million opening weekend, limited merchandise was on the shelf at Target stores. A local Target in Culver City, Calif., gave the new IP a toy aisle endcap, sparsely filled with small action figures, playsets and plush. It was unclear whether the selection was already … [Read more...] about Store Check: Target at Culver City, CA

Wearable Technology, VR in the Spotlight at CES

By Marcy Magiera Continued consumer adoption of connected devices and technologies, collectively known as the "Internet of Things" or IoT, is forecast to push the U.S. consumer technology industry to a record $287 billion in retail revenues in 2016, creating ample new licensing opportunities along the way in products for home and personal use. The Consumer Technology … [Read more...] about Wearable Technology, VR in the Spotlight at CES