Winning with Generation Alpha: Turning Toy and Game Insights Into Action

Gen Alpha marketing is already reshaping how brands connect with families. Born from 2013 onward, this generation is influencing what their parents buy, how they discover products, and which brands they trust.

To help brands prepare, MikMak partnered with Collage Group for the webinar Winning with Gen Alpha: Unlock the Purchase Drivers of Toys, Games, and Gift Giving. Together, we explored how cultural context and real-time commerce data combine to help marketers connect with this digitally native audience to drive measurable results.

Gen Alpha Marketing Starts With Understanding Digital-First Behavior

Gen Alpha represents more than 43 million young consumers in the U.S. They’ve grown up with devices, personalization, and instant access to everything, which means they expect responsiveness and accessibility from brands..

Collage Group’s research reveals three defining behaviors that set them apart:

• Digital first: Nearly 70 percent of Gen Alpha watch YouTube regularly, and gaming has surpassed outdoor play as their favorite pastime

• Co-creators, not consumers: 93 percent want to customize what they buy, whether it’s a toy, outfit, or snack

• Mini-influencers at home: 84 percent have asked for something they saw online or in a game, shaping household shopping lists

These behaviors are setting a new standard for Gen Alpha marketing, one that rewards personalization, interactivity, and authenticity.

Conversions Happen in Owned and Shoppable Channels

The next opportunity isn’t just knowing Generation Alpha, it’s knowing where they buy and what converts. 

Media Mix: What Converts

According to MikMak’s Shopping Index, analyzing more than 2,500 global brands:

• Nearly 50 percent of ad spend goes to paid social (Meta, TikTok, Pinterest)
• Yet the highest-converting channels are organic social, email, and brand websites, owned spaces where brands control the journey through Shoppable Media experiences
• There is whitespace in paid video, display, and digital audio, where CPCs remain low and competition is light
  
  

*Explore more insights in MikMak’s 2025 Toys & Games Commerce Trends

Retailer Insights: Where to Win

• TikTok leads in paid social conversions, followed by Meta, Twitch, and YouTube
• Walmart, Amazon, and Target account for 90 percent of Toy and Game traffic
• Brands that embed shoppable links in social content, using tools such as MikMak Commerce, are turning engagement into measurable ROI

AI Discovery: The Next Frontier

Shoppers are no longer just searching Google.  Increasingly, they’re turning to AI tools like ChatGPT to ask questions such as “What are the best gifts for a 7-year-old?” or “Top trending toys this season.”

MikMak data shows that brands investing in search-optimized Shoppable Media and content are already appearing in these AI-powered discovery moments.

The takeaway? Optimize not just for keywords, but for commerce readiness. Every digital moment should connect directly to a place to buy.

Turning Insights Into Shoppable Media Drives Revenue

Leading Toy and Game brands are proving that when discovery becomes Shoppable Media, engagement turns into measurable growth.

1. Turning organic content into ROI
   Brands making organic social instantly shoppable see real sales impact. One Toy brand drove $35K in verified sales in six months through Link in Bio experiences.
2. Expanding into gaming and connected video
   Adding gaming and CTV platforms to the media mix drives higher Purchase Intent, 2.2× on Twitch, 2.1× on Unity Gaming, and 1.5× on Precise TV, versus category benchmarks. As seen in the case study below.
3. Owning the conversion moment
   Brands that enable shoppable experiences on owned channels, like websites and apps, see the highest conversion rates and full visibility into what drives ROI.

The takeaway? Diversifying channels and making every touchpoint shoppable is how relevant Toy and Game marketers turn attention into action.

Your Gen Alpha Marketing Playbook

Here’s how to turn insights into measurable action and build a Shoppable Media strategy that meets Gen Alpha where they are.

1. Make personalization your differentiator: Enable co-creation to build loyalty
2. Balance your media mix: Complement paid social with owned and organic channels
3. Activate every link: Make every impression shoppable using tools like MikMak Commerce
4. Invest in gaming and video: These are Gen Alpha’s digital playgrounds
5. Leverage your data: Connect insights across channels using platforms like MikMak to show retailers how your campaigns drive value
6. Market to families, not just kids: Gen Alpha purchases start with a kid’s influence and end with a parent’s approval

When every marketing touchpoint becomes shoppable, measurement becomes your advantage.

The Takeaway

Winning with Generation Alpha isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about translating insight into impact. Brands that connect cultural understanding with shoppable media will set the pace for the next era of toy and game marketing.

To see how leading brands are using MikMak to turn Gen Alpha discovery moments into measurable conversions, watch the full webinar on-demand.