I wrote the fall 2007 Brandjacking report for MarkMonitor, and it is now out today. It has a research focus on the consumer toy market and shows how recalled toy models are readily available at many online sites. Consumers who aren’t aware of the recalls may endanger their children by accidentally purchasing items containing lead paint or small parts. In addition, we found suspicious and recalled toys for sale in bulk by B2B exchanges of toy wholesalers, which is even more of a threat as large quantities of these dangerous toys could enter the retail stream.
This has not been a good year for toy retailers. A number of high profile toy recalls combined with a slower economy doesn’t bode well as the holiday shopping season begins. And shoppers will find an increasing number of online sites continuing to sell recalled toys.