Kids’ speakers are the new stars on the radio play block
27/5/2024
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Back in the day it was cassette recorders, now it’s kids’ speakers – these innovative devices are bringing back radio plays to Swiss families. This spring, Galaxus customers bought a third more radio plays and kids’ speakers than in the same period in 2023. But it seems parents don’t wish to listen in, instead diligently combining them with children’s headphones.
Pop open the cassette player, insert the tape, press play and let the radio play begin! Be it a tape of The Three Investigators or Swiss classics like Globi or Kasperli, many adults had this routine down to a T.
These days, cassette players are a rare find. But that doesn’t mean the radio play market is dead. On the contrary, from January to April, customers of online retailer Galaxus bought 35 per cent more radio plays and speakers compared to the same period in 2023. In contrast, sales in 2023 had shrunk by 2 per cent.
The main driver of this boom is the Düsseldorf-based company Tonies. Its Tonieboxes and figures accounted for more than 80 per cent of all sales in this segment at Galaxus in 2024.
Radio play and toy in one
But first things first, what even is a Toniebox? The concept is simple: place a Tonies figure on the Toniebox speaker, and music or a story will start to play. The figure matches the content and serves as a normal toy when not being used as an audio medium.
«The demand for Tonies figures in particular – that is new stories and songs – continues unabated,» says Sara Pavlovic, who, among other things, is responsible for the radio play range at Galaxus.
Galaxus’s bestsellers include figures loaded with nursery rhymes as well as well-known Disney stories like The Lion King or Frozen. Recently, educational programmes were added to the Tonie range. «These so-called Clever Tonies have been selling well for us from the get-go,» says Sara. With its Clever Tonies, the company has tapped into a new market; the figures appeal to a slightly different, older target audience than the previous repertoire.
Competition? More like concurrence and concorso
When it comes to German-language programmes, Tonies are the undisputed top dog. Competing products such as the Tigerbox from Tigermedia have a fraction of the Tonie range’s sales volume at Galaxus.
It’s a different story when it comes to French- and Italian-language alternatives. Faba (French and Italian) boasted sales of 130% more this spring than last, while Lunii (French) sold 50% more in the same period – and this despite the fact that Tonies also offers French radio plays.
Beats for children
Let’s look a little further at the children’s entertainment sector. As schools and homes go digital, Galaxus customers are investing in headphones for their kids. Children’s headphones are designed for small heads and generally don’t play as loud as adult headphones. In the first few months of 2024, more headphones for boys and girls were sent out to Swiss mailboxes than in the previous year. At 12%, however, sales growth is lower than in previous years.
The bestsellers are from the manufacturers Belkin and JBL. Children’s headphones can be used for everything from listening to radio plays to watching Netflix on an iPad.
What’s your favourite radio play series? Do you even listen to radio plays or do you consider it a pastime for kids? Let us know in the comments!
Header image: Tonies
Tobias Heller
Communications Manager
Tobias.Heller@digitecgalaxus.ch