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For Social Media Stars, Christmas is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Ding dong merrily on high, the merch cash registers are ringing
We are 35 days from Christmas, and just over a month out from one of the biggest orgies of consumerist spending in the entire year. The U.S. National Retail Federation forecasts holiday sales will be somewhere around four percent higher in 2019 than in 2018, with cash registers ringing up $730 billion of sales.
And YouTubers — who are influencers are driving much of the purchasing intent of the general public — want their share of that income.
Christmas is the biggest time of the year for creators like Ryan Kaji, the eight-year-old behind Ryan ToysReview, which has recently rebranded to Ryan’s World. In August, in an exclusive in-depth interview, we revealed that Ryan has 80 unique licensees of his likeness selling everything from oranges to videogames. With many YouTubers boasting a young fanbase, the pester factor come Christmastime is a potentially fruitful market.
“It’s very important,” says Laura Edwards of Viral Talent, a social media management agency. “I was just speaking to a parent who was saying how they had Christmas presents full of YouTuber merch. It’s what are in Christmas sacks.”
