LEGO under pressure from smart toy market

New technology is putting the toy industry, including the LEGO Group, under pressure according to new research.

Silicon Republic reports that smart toy sales will increase to over $15 billion by 2022, three times the current annual sales. The article states that, ‘Hasbro, Mattel and Lego are battling hard to maintain significance as the toy industry faces more and more challenges. As the toy industry undergoes emphatic change, the proliferation of connected devices is putting particular strain on the market.’

Smart toys are expected to do best in the USA and China. The report comes alongside the LEGO Group’s recent flat sales figures in the USA.

Despite the construction toy sector having been deemed less relevant before, the LEGO Group bucked wider industry trends to grow. New innovations such as LEGO Boost and LEGO Dimensions show that the company is willing to embrace technology, but is trying to do in a way that complements the physical brick.