Amazon rolls out first toy catalogue in big play for holiday sales

[NEW YORK] No moreToys R Us? No need to fret as Amazon makes a play for shoppers with its first toy catalogue.

The Holiday Of Play catalogue, which features 70 pages of delighted, cozily-clad kids surrounded by toys, will be mailed to millions of customers this month.

When former juggernaut Toys R Us shuttered its last stores earlier this year, it kicked off a scramble among brick-and-mortar giants such as Walmart, Target and Kohl's, along with online powerhouses such as Amazon, for a piece of the American toy market.

The catalogue is just one weapon in Amazon's holiday arsenal, along with its free shipping for all customers during the holidays with no minimum purchase required.

The lack of explicit prices in the catalogue is intentional, leaving Amazon open to shifting its pricing to stay competitive as the season heats up, said Ms Linda Bolton Weiser, an analyst with DA Davidson.

There are no risky, unknown items featured.

"If you're going for a market share grab, you do it with classic brands that are going to be highly purchased at the holidays," she added.

Although they might seem antiquated, catalogues are still a surprisingly successful marketing tool, according to studies from the Data & Marketing association.

It found that more than 100 million American adults made a purchase from a catalogue in 2016.

They are especially popular with millennials, who now wield some of the greatest buying power in retail.

Meanwhile, Toys R Us is still limping along, even past the grave. Last week, the Kroger supermarket chain announced that it would host mini pop-up toy shops, called Geoffrey's Toy Box, at nearly 600 Kroger stores in a partnership with Toys R Us during the holidays.

Geoffrey the giraffe is the Toys R Us mascot.

WP