Kota Dinosaur | Kota The Triceratops

With just 60 days to go until Santa dusts off his big red suit and visits towns up and down the country, I’ve started thinking about how the world financial crisis will affect families this Christmas.

Sure, people are likely to spend less. But I don’t think that’s the be all and end all. A recent article in the observer suggests the emphasis this Christmas will be on value-for-money as we all feel the pinch.

“Santa Claus is still on his way and parents will still buy their children toys - we just have to make sure we have choice and affordable options” says Emma Sherski, marketing director at Vivid Imaginations.

Another expected knock-on-effect of the hard times we’re facing is an increase in online shopping, as people try to find the best possible price for toys.

The internet should continue to exert pressure on high-street rivals. Amazon UK’s managing director Brian McBride is predicting its ‘biggest Christmas ever’ as it goes head-to-head with bricks-and-mortar retailers on eagerly anticipated electricals and toys. “In tough times people will do without a couple of pints or a night out to buy their children something for Christmas,” he says. “Very few retailers come out of a recession unchanged, but it’s up to you whether you are the agent of change or a victim of circumstance.”

So it’s not all doom and gloom this Christmas, just a change in shopping patterns. I have no doubt that overall sales will be down on last year, but the advantage for the consumer is that retailers should be more competitive as bidding wars break out on certain products.

Let’s hope this is the case with Kota the Triceratops and his price tag of around £300 falls due to intense competition. Only time will tell.