It was an exciting Expo, with so much color, brand reveals and visitor appeal. Asia’s largest trade fair for toys and baby products - the 18th China Toy Expo, and China Kids Expo, held in Shanghai, China - attracted a total of 88,481 trade visitors including 7,898 overseas visitors from 133 countries and regions, achieving an impressive 12% year-on-year growth.

Exhibitor numbers for the four co-located trade shows of China Licensing Expo, China Kids Expo, China Toy Expo and China Preschool Expo grew to 2,508 exhibitors, representing 4859 brands. Operating since 2002, the Expo has experienced significant growth, now representing 20 halls of products, divided among the four trade shows. The number of exhibitors expanded over 80% in the past few years, from 1,364 in 2014 to 2,508 in 2019. Square footage for exhibition space has nearly doubled, from 120,000 square meters (1,291,669 square feet) in 2014, to 230,000 square meters (2,475,699 Square Feet) in 2019.

This significant growth showcases how important this Shanghai trade show has become, not just for export to international markets, but also for manufacturers who want to sell their imported products to the domestic Chinese market.

Currently, over 70% of the world’s toys are manufactured in China, with key exports to USA, Europe, the Asian-Pacific region and growing in importance, to the “Belt and Road” countries. Star-Certified Export Suppliers for the 20 specific manufacturing regions of China were organized in Pavilions and represented by match-making meeting opportunities for both OEM and ODM opportunities.

One of this year's defining trends was the large number of design-decorated stands of young Chinese brands. For Chinese enterprises it became a good platform to communicate with designers from all over the world. Chinese design options have become more prevalent and offer fresh and appealing approaches for new markets.

The major global toy brands were represented at the China Toy Expo and China Preschool Expo, including LEGO, Hasbro, Mattel, MGA Entertainment, Hape, Spin Master, Silverlit, Zuru, and Alpha Toys. Educational powerhouses displayed their ranges of wooden and heritage products, designed for the nursery and school institutions, from MasterKids, Wisdom, Guidecraft, WePlay, Classic World plus more.

Prominent local Chinese and global baby products manufacturers showcased their diverse ranges of prams, baby furniture, and infant and juvenile product merchandise across the China Kids Expo, including GoodBaby, Welldon, MyBaby, Combi, JD, RoomEyes, Richell, Beaba (Ador), Beiens and more.

Global entertainment studios and brand owners celebrated their brands and showcased their licensed properties in the China Licensing Expo Halls. Home-grown Asian brands, such as Doraemon, Pokemon, Kakao Friends, Hello Kitty, and RoboCar Poli, were displayed alongside other globally recognized brands such as Disney, Marvel, DC Comics, the Minions, SpongeBob SquarePants, and L.O.L. Surprise.

We arranged some interviews with the most interesting companies at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) from October 16 to 18, 2019 but we can reflect only a small part of all the outstanding events of this fair. Here are some of the highlights:

 Children’s Baby Products

Beiens
Beiens Rabbit Smart Shake Rattles have been winning the hearts of Russian parents and we were lucky enough to meet the manager of the company in person on an exhibition China Kids Expo and see all the novelties which will be on the market in 2020 with our own eyes. The company was founded in 2012 and entered the international market 4 years ago. According to the manager Jack Zhang they are very interested in finding new partners abroad. Beiens is not distributed in Russia, but their products can be found on AliExpress, where parents can order the Rabbits for their babies. The company produces not only toys, such as singing pianos, rattles and learning desks, but also security cameras, musical soothing lamps which are also teethers, and star sky projectors. Beiens has 36 patents for its products. Moreover, they are the first company in China to use big data technologies in studying customer behavior. Beiens introduced its newest products on the exhibition – Double-Sided Easel, Learn To Climb Robot, and LCD Handwriting Board.

GoodBaby
The most cutting-edge producer of baby products at the exhibition was the company Goodbaby, which has everything you could wish for on the market: from strollers to bottles. The company celebrated its 30th anniversary at the 2019 China Kids Expo and as a long-term partner of the fair has annually shown their latest achievements to the industry.

Roomeyes
The Chinese brand Roomeyes has been a producer of car seats for children since 2011. This brand is successful not only on domestic market, but also in Europe. This year they brought the car seat model zero-G suitable for children from 9 months to 6 years old, which is remarkable not only for its futuristic design, but also for its constructive concept. Roomeye’s engineers were inspired by NBP technology – Natural Body Posture, which is used by NASA in astronaut equipment. The seat is fitted with 5 regimes of height adjustment and Isofix system, it has certificates of safety Gb27887-2011 Security Certification and Eu E04 Ece Certification.

Richell
Japanese multi-brand Richell holds a prominent position in the market of South-East Asia: the company has existed for more than 62 years and is well-known in this region. In the category of childrens’ products it manufactures strollers, nursery furniture and more - every Japanese family has these products at home. Though in China only baby care products of this brand are distributed– nevertheless they are really popular! We liked the learner cups and bottles with bright design and flexible and safe straw, and their baby cookware, which is convenient for travelling as it keeps food warm for a long time.

Ador Group (BEABA brand)
The Chinese conglomerate ADOR Group includes numerous brands, but their stand with diapers BEABA will surely stay in our minds. Diapers of this brand have been produced since 2016, and this year BEABA brought a new collection to the exhibition. It is dedicated to travelling, famous artists and everything that can be referred to as ‘lifestyle’. With such beautiful packaging and branding, it is no wonder that BEABA’s slogan is “AN ARTIST OF LIFE – we are creators of our own lives and we can make it as colourful as we desire.” Sounds inspiring!

About the Authors

Katerina Aksenova is a journalist and contributing editor for Parents Choice Magazine in Moscow,Russia, with experience writing for the trade and consumer markets. Reyne Rice is a global trend hunter, CEO of ToyTrends, and Co-President of the International Toy Trade Magazine Association, with decades of experience in the toys, games, kids’ technology, entertainment & licensing and juvenile products industries.