Why young women are loving Lego
6.12.2024
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
It’s no longer just kids who’re heavily into Lego. At Galaxus, the number of under 35-year-olds buying colourful building bricks has tripled since 2019. And female customers are increasingly among them. While competitors in the brick business tend to focus on cars or fighter planes, Lego continues to wow with creative sets and strong licences.
Lego has pulled off what its competitor Playmobil has yet to do: attracting an increasing number of adults to its sets – be it a bouquet of orchids, Notre Dame Cathedral or Milky Way wall art.
Just how much the Danish brickmaker’s target group has changed in recent years is reflected in Galaxus’s sales figures. In the early 2020s, buyers under 35 were buying just ten per cent of all Lego sets. These days, that number’s tripled. «I assume that most people in this age group are buying Lego for themselves and not for children,» says Viktor Wiesinger, the man in charge of the toy range at Galaxus. Nowadays, Lego’s considered cool by many young adults: «The sets are used to decorate shared flats, and assembling complex and attractive models has become a hobby for many.»
This shift has been similar for other manufacturers of click bricks. Galaxus customers are particularly into racing cars, fighter planes and tanks, as well as LED bricks for Lego sets. In 2010, a number of Lego’s patents expired, allowing other manufacturers to produce building bricks and accessories compatible with Lego.
Lego has also gained popularity with women. In 2019, women made up one third of Lego customers. These days, they account for almost half of demand. This is where Lego competitors are lagging behind: «With its Botanical series launched in 2021, Lego introduced sets designed to appeal to women in particular,» Viktor explains. It seems the Danish company has recognised the market potential of women. «Brands including Mould King, Cada and Cobi, on the other hand, continue to primarily target men.»
With its focus on adults, Lego’s managed to maintain its market power in the Galaxus Community. Of all brick brands available on Galaxus, Lego was the brand of choice in 93 out of 100 sets sold this year. In 2022, this wasn’t the case yet. «Lego’s certainly been boosted by its growing number of licences. Think Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Animal Crossing, Minecraft or Harry Potter,» adds Viktor. Recently, the company’s also included sets to its range featuring characters and locations from Wicked The Musical. «This will help Lego appeal to an even broader group of adults, including many women.»
In 2023, Galaxus customers bought more than three times as many Lego sets as in 2019 (+238%) and almost 15 times as many sets from competitors (+1,385%, at a comparatively low level). Internationally, Lego’s increased its turnover tenfold since 2003, as a chart on the Visual Capitalist website shows.
Lego has also made tweaks to other areas of its business, namely its price tags. While Galaxus customers had to pay 76 francs per set on average in 2019, this year, costs have been reduced by a quarter and are now down to an average of 57 francs per set. At the same time, customers are paying an average price of 60 francs for sets from competitors, which is almost two thirds more than in 2019. «The price is an important factor, especially for younger target groups,» says Viktor.
It also seems that age groups who mainly buy brick sets for themselves are generally more willing to splash out. In other words, under 35-year-olds, who often don’t have children of their own yet, and over-55s, whose children are usually already adults. On average, men are also willing to spend more money on a set than women.
Viktor’s sure that Lego will be putting an even stronger focus on young people and women in the coming years. «And the competitors will follow.» So it’s high time to make space in your living room for your next building project.
Did you recently buy a Lego set for yourself? Which is your favourite model? What do you make of the fact that more and more young adults are turning into Lego fans? The comments section’s all yours!
Header image: Shutterstock
Alex Hämmerli
Senior Public Relations Manager
Alex.Haemmerli@digitecgalaxus.chAt Digitec and Galaxus, I’m in charge of communication with journalists and bloggers. Good stories are my passion – I am always up to date.
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