Study of Toy and Hobby Market Potential in UAE & KSA

Client Overview

Goodsmile, a top Japanese manufacturer of anime and manga figures, has a strong global presence, especially in Japan, the U.S., and Europe.​ The company was looking to expand into the UAE and KSA, Goodsmile aimed to assess market size, potential, and competition.​ To support this, Goodsmile engaged with Nexdigm for an in-depth analysis of the Toys and Hobby market in UAE and KSA.​

Our Approach

• After gaining valuable insights from our Market Research on Hobby products in India, the client extended the study to evaluate the overall Toy and Hobby Market in UAE and KSA.​
• Defined the Toy and Hobby market scope, focusing on movie and comic figures, anime and manga figures, and video game figures.​
• Market sizing analysis projected the hobby market to reach ~11% of the toy industry by 2028, driven by factors like an increasing expatriate population, the lifting of the cinema ban in KSA, and Saudi Vision 2030.​
• Conducted primary and secondary research to assess major retailers, distributors, hobby events, popular characters, key OTT platforms, and the acceptance of Japanese content in the GCC region.​
• Performed competition benchmarking and provided brief profiles of major market players in KSA and UAE.​
• Delivered a detailed value chain analysis, outlining the margin structure and sourcing model of hobby products compared to toy products, from import to end-customer sales.​

Impact We Created

• Similar to India, several key insights from our analysis impressed the client in evaluating their market entry into UAE and KSA.​
• Few insights which the client appreciated were toy sourcing regulations, duty structure, profit margins, and the rise of hobby events like Comic Con.​
• Our in-depth research provided a comprehensive understanding of the UE and KSA hobby market and supported the client’s expansion strategy.​