Heading into Black Friday 2016, Walmart and Amazon have the best prices online for the season’s hottest toys. Profitero’s analysis, conducted on November 10, looked at the 16 toys on Walmart’s “Chosen by Kids” toy list 2016 which are also available through three other major online retailers: Amazon, Target, and Toys R Us. For the 16 products reviewed, Walmart’s toy prices are an average of seven percent lower than the other retailers.
The chart below shows the average price index for a basket of toys by retailer:
The Profitero analysis also showed that the price for the same product can vary greatly between online retailers. Price disparity across the four major retailers is captured in the table below.
Wamart’s Chosen by Kids for Christmas 2016 – Prices Across Retailers
| Walmart’s Chosen by Kids – Favorite Toys 2016 | Average Price | Amazon | Target | Toys R Us | Walmart |
| Doc McStuffins Hospital Care Cart | $39.94 | $39.88 | $39.99 | $39.99 | $39.88 |
| FurReal Friends Torch, My Blazin’ Dragon | $60.74 | $58.99 | $64.99 | $59.99 | $59.00 |
| Little Live Pets Puppy | $49.94 | $49.88 | $49.99 | $49.99 | $49.88 |
| My Little Pony Explore Equestrian Crystal Empire Castle | $33.35 | $32.99 | $32.99 | $32.99 | $34.44 |
| Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck | $27.69 | $24.88 | $32.99 | $27.99 | $24.88 |
| Paw Patrol, Zoomer Marshall, Interactive Pup | $53.99 | $51.97 | $58.99 | $52.99 | $51.99 |
| Pie Face Showdown Game | $18.69 | $17.63 | $19.49 | $19.99 | $17.63 |
| Pom Pom Wow Decoration Station | $26.88 | $24.76 | $27.99 | $29.99 | $24.76 |
| Sky Viper v2400 HD Streaming Video Drone | $94.99 | $103.99 | $87.99 | $99.99 | $87.99 |
| Vtech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Treasure Mountain Train Adventure | $42.83 | $42.53 | $49.99 | $39.99 | $38.82 |
Source: Profitero Basket consists of toys available across all four retailers from Walmart’s Chosen by Kids Toy List for Christmas 2016, on November 10th
“As the busy holiday season heats up, brands and retailers that want to remain competitive must closely monitor their performance online,” said Keith Anderson, SVP of strategy & insights at Profitero. “After all, consumers know to compare prices across multiple sites, and a difference of five percent or more could be the difference between success or failure.”
Profitero also analyzed consumer ratings for products across retailer sites, showing that the same product can have a higher or lower rating depending on the site.
“Higher numbers of reviews and better quality star ratings can lead to higher sales, so brands must also focus on driving positive shopper engagement this season,” added Anderson.
The chart below captures consumer ratings for products on the top four sites:
Wamart’s Chosen by Kids for Christmas 2016 – Ratings Across Retailers
| Walmart’s Chosen by Kids – Favorite Toys 2016 | Average Rating | Amazon | Target | Toys R Us | Walmart |
| Doc McStuffins Hospital Care Cart | 4.6 | 4.0 | NA | 4.8 | 4.9 |
| FurReal Friends Torch, My Blazin’ Dragon | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 46 |
| Little Live Pets Puppy | 4.1 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.2 |
| My Little Pony Explore Equestrian Crystal Empire Castle | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 5.0 |
| Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Paw Patrol, Zoomer Marshall, Interactive Pup | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Pie Face Showdown Game | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.1 |
| Pom Pom Wow Decoration Station | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Sky Viper v2400 HD Streaming Video Drone | 4.3 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| Vtech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Treasure Mountain Train Adventure | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 |
Source: Profitero Basket consists of toys available across all four retailers from Walmart’s Chosen by Kids Toy List for Christmas 2016, on November 10th
Profitero offers global retailers competitive price monitoring on an automated basis daily. More holiday related insights from Profitero are available at our Holiday 2016 Microsite.
Notes about the analysis: This analysis is based on toys on Walmart’s “Chosen by Kids” toys list 2016 that are available across the four major online retailers: Amazon, Target, Toys R Us and Walmart. The source of the analysis, compiled on November 10, 2016, is Amazon.com, Target.com, Toysrus.com and Walmart.com. All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners.