Trendy Tots

Just exactly how important is the product name in an advertising and marketing campaign? It’s difficult to tell, but based on one bestselling product it seems to be a huge influence on sales.

If you go to the Amazon “Toys and Games” category and check out the bestseller list, you will see that eight of the top ten places are occupied by Zhu Zhu Pets. These are basically motorized, robotic hamsters which use artificial intelligence combined with sensors to interact with each other, with the children who are playing with them and with their external stimuli.

As well as the hamsters themselves, there is a range of different environments and toys which children can set up in a variety of arrangements for their robot pets. It’s not hard to see why kids in the target age bracket - 4 to 10 years old- are going nuts for these toys. They are small, cute and furry. They make cute little noises. They interact with external stimuli and their hamster environments – tracks, tube and toys, can be pulled apart, “redesigned” and then reassembled in a variety of combinations.

From the perspective of the doting parents there are plenty of plus points as well. They don’t require to be fed and watered, they don’t poop – so there’s no cage cleaning involved – and they don’t shuffle off to hamster heaven, leaving the parents to explain that Hammy has gone to a better place.

So it’s no surprise that, despite being launched only at the back end of August, the Zhu Zhu Pets are a such big hit with both parents and children. They may even be this year’s best selling Xmas toy if sales continue as they are.

On the other hand, if you take a look at the UK version of Amazon and check out the bestseller list in the Toys and Games category, you won’t see the Zhu Zhu hamsters anywhere in the top hundred. Regardless, despite the fact that they are quite a bit cheaper to buy in the UK, the Zhu Zhu/Go Go pets don’t make a blip on the radar.

Cepia, the company who market the Zhu Zhu Pets in the USA, have done a fantastic job of rebranding and promoting these toys. After a trial launch in Phoenix, these toys have been selling like hot cakes since their nationwide release in August. Prices are beginning to creep up as demand seems to be outstripping supply. In fact, as long as stock levels hold out, it really is difficult to see what toy might beat these for the coveted Xmas number one slot.

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