Christmas in June: Seasonality in the Custom Plush Toy Industry

t may be the first week of summer but because of the lengthy lead times to produce and ship a custom toy manufacturers and designers are already thinking about Christmas. Last January I wroteabout how the Chinese New Year celebration creates month long delays in the toy industry worldwide. As you can imagine production schedules and the shortage of shipping containers can cause Christmas product deliveries to be even tighter. That's why it is important to understand how seasonality affects your order and the toy industry as a whole.

We're often asked "how long will it take before I have my order?" While a standard turnaround time of ninety days is a good gauge, the reality is that it depends on two things: what you order and when you order. Consider our recent case study on the custom plush toys we created for Audi of North America. This bear required additional safety testing to ensure that its jacket zipper was kid safe. This project was delivered on time despite the additional testing because we planned for this delay from the beginning.

Factory production schedules and international shipping can cause delays, too, especially during the busiest shipping time of the year which is the 3rd quarter for 4th quarter deliveries. The logistics of producing and moving hundreds of thousands of products around the world is difficult at any time but never more so than around the holidays. A well-planned project will account for potential shipping slowdowns to ensure that you order is delivered on time.

These are examples of how an experienced partner can make a difference in the custom plush industry. Don't leave your next project open to delays and setbacks which can be avoided with proper planning.