A file picture of senior citizens playing a brain-stimulating game at an elderly care service centre in Yunhe county, Zhejiang Province. — Xinhua
Guan Weijiang, a veteran children’s toy merchant based in China’s Yiwu for over a decade, is fielding surging online orders this year, not from children, but a surprising customer cohort: seniors.
At his online store, Xinyu Toy Flagship Shop on China’s leading e-commerce platform, Tmall, a significant portion of sales now comes from fitness and brain-training toys favoured by elderly consumers. Customers aged 50 and above now make up 30% of the store’s consumer base, up sharply from previous years, according to the store’s demographic data.
“Our top sellers in 2024 are wrist exercise balls and rotating bead puzzle cubes,” Guan said. “These toys combine low- intensity physical activity or mental stimulation with entertainment, making them ideal for older adults seeking daily exercise or leisure.”
For Guan, the pivot to senior-friendly toys began after a conversation in 2023 with Cheng Xin, an operations manager overseeing the toy and collectibles sector at Taobao and Tmall, who showed him the promising potential of this niche market. Over the past year, the platform saw searches for elderly toys jump 124%, with sales up 70%.
Boardgames like backgammon allow players to stay mentally engaged. — Pixabay
Manufacturing hubs from Yiwu, known as the “world’s supermarket” for small commodities, and cities like Chenghai and Shantou in China’s Guangdong in the south, actively follow the rising trend. While some are new entrants, most are established children’s toy brands expanding into ageing-focused niches, Cheng said.
Intrigued, Guan researched senior-oriented toys and found overlaps with children’s products – many toys designed to improve reflexes, grip strength, coordination, or logic could be adapted for older users with minor tweaks.
Leveraging his decade of experience in design, production, and sales for children’s toys, Guan launched more than 10 senior-oriented toys within three months, which far exceeded sales forecasts, prompting him to double down on refining and expanding the line.
“During the Spring Festival holiday last year, my store hit a record of over 10,000 daily orders,” Guan said, adding that elderly-friendly table tennis training devices have also become popular recently.
An emerging market
As Guan’s success illustrates, China’s demographic shifts are reshaping consumer markets, said Zhang Jinsong, secretary-general of the Elder Education on Ageing Committee of China Gerontological Society.
China’s official data shows that around 310 million people – 22% of the population – are aged 60 or above. The demographic is projected to grow by 10 million yearly over the next decade as the silver economy expands to 9% of China’s GDP by 2035, according to the country’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, amplifying demand for age-specific products.
For consumers like Li, who recently bought stress-relief squeeze toys and an AI chessboard for his father, such products address physical and emotional needs. “My father’s hands tremble when eating, and he used to just watch TV alone. These toys help him exercise his grip and stay mentally engaged,” Li said.
As retirement often shrinks social circles, engaging with toys provides seniors with joyful distraction, and social interactions facilitated by multiplayer toys stimulate oxytocin while reducing stress levels, said Li Simin, attending traditional Chinese medicine doctor with geriatric medicine department from the Third Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Zhongshan Hospital).
A gyroscopic exercise tool or wrist exercise ball that's good for improving wrist and hand strength, is popular among seniors. — JB/Wikimedia Commons
“Also, seniors can select toys tailored to their lifelong hobbies to ensure both engagement and personal resonance – rhythm-based options for former music enthusiasts, for example,” she added.
Noting that toys can be lifelong companions for people, Cheng said that Taobao plans to create a dedicated category for elderly toys, offering targeted support to capitalise on the trend.
Data from Qichacha, a leading platform offering company information inquiry services, shows that in 2024 alone, a record 83,000 silver economy-related companies were registered – the highest annual figure in 10 years.
“As spending shifts from essentials to premium experiences among cohorts aged 60-70 in recent years, innovation opportunities have emerged in ageing-focused sectors like adaptive smart home devices, customised tourism services, functional foods, and senior-friendly toys,” Zhang said. – Xinhua
