The benchmarks: 2.09% median CVR, $337 median AOV. Toys & Hobbies ranks fourth in CVR across the 10 published industries — the highest of the bottom seven categories and well above the cross-industry median of 1.74%.
The headline Q1→Q2 CVR figure is −10.0%, the steepest same-store decline in the dataset alongside Consumer Electronics. It warrants a caveat: the matched cohort is 15 stores, the smallest of any industry in this benchmark series. With a cohort that small, a handful of stores can move the figure significantly. The direction is probably real — Q2 was softer than Q1 — but the magnitude should be read with that context in mind.
AOV tells a steadier story. The H1 2026 median is $337 and Q1→Q2 movement was essentially flat (−0.2%, $337 to $336). This is a category where order values held consistent even as conversion volume softened.
Toys & Hobbies ranks fourth in CVR at 2.09% — meaningful for a category often associated with considered, gift-oriented purchases. The strongest months in the 18-month window are November and December, consistent with what you’d expect from a gift-category — though the data supports that pattern as observation, not certainty.
The median Toys & Hobbies CVR in H1 2026 was 2.09%, fourth among the 10 published industries.
A 2.09% median CVR places Toys & Hobbies in the top tier of the dataset, separated from the repeat-purchase leaders (Health & Wellness, Beauty, Food & Beverage) but well above the considered-purchase categories. The P25-to-P75 range is 0.84%–3.49%, a 4.2× spread — wider than Health & Wellness (3.7×) and suggesting real variation in performance across the cohort.
The relatively high CVR for a gift-oriented category may reflect a few things. Toys and hobby products often have clear gift appeal, which can drive decisive purchases. Hobby enthusiasts — collectors, model builders, gamers — also tend to know exactly what they want before they arrive at a product page, which shortens the session-to-checkout path. These are possible contributing factors, not confirmed explanations.
At 2.09% median CVR with a P75 of 3.49%, Toys & Hobbies outperforms the cross-industry median by 35 basis points. If your store is in this category and converting below 0.84%, you’re in the bottom quartile — a meaningful gap from where most peers are landing.
The graph below shows monthly median CVR and bounce rate for active Toys & Hobbies stores in Shogun’s conversion tracking network.
The 18-month CVR data shows a category with pronounced peaks in late 2025 and early 2026. November 2025 (2.32%) and December 2025 (2.44%) are the two highest months in the window. July 2025 (2.03%) and February 2026 (2.15%) also stand out above the surrounding months. The category appears to convert at higher rates during certain periods — whether driven by gifting occasions, promotional activity, or the timing of product launches is hard to isolate from aggregate data.
H1 2026 shows a mixed picture. Q1 was uneven — January (1.32%) was one of the weaker months in the window, February (2.15%) recovered strongly, and March (1.74%) settled in the middle. Q2 came in softer on balance, though May (1.77%) and June (1.98%) both improved from April (1.40%). The H1 2026 aggregate of 2.09% (from the CVR report’s period cohort) is higher than most individual months suggest, because the period calculation weights each store’s full six-month performance differently than a monthly median does.
Bounce rates are the most stable of any category in this benchmark series. The range across 18 months is 32.1%–42.3%, with most months between 33% and 38%. May and June 2026 saw a small uptick (42.3% and 40.5%), consistent with what other categories showed in Q2, but the magnitude is modest compared to categories like Health & Wellness or Consumer Electronics.
Toys & Hobbies has the most stable bounce rate trend in the dataset across 18 months. While CVR moved around considerably month to month, bounce rates barely shifted — suggesting that traffic quality remained fairly consistent even as conversion outcomes varied.
The H1 2026 median AOV for Toys & Hobbies was $337. This data covers full-store Shopify order data, separate from the CVR cohort above.
The graph below tracks monthly median AOV for the 75 qualifying Toys & Hobbies stores.
The AOV trend is more volatile than the bounce rate trend, but less volatile than categories like Consumer Electronics or Autos & Vehicles. The 13-month range runs from $278 (October 2025) to $349 (July 2025) — a $71 spread. No single month stands dramatically apart from the others.
September and October 2025 were the two lowest months ($281 and $278), sitting notably below the July 2025 high ($349). What drove that mid-period dip is unclear from the data. November through December 2025 recovered to $309 and $288 respectively — not the dramatic AOV spike seen in some other categories in the same period, which may reflect that Toys & Hobbies gift purchases tend to be at more moderate price points than, say, Consumer Electronics.
H1 2026 has been broadly consistent, running $283–$337. March 2026 ($337) matches the H1 period median exactly. The Q1→Q2 same-store matched movement of −0.2% ($337 to $336) confirms what the monthly trend shows: AOV was essentially unchanged across the two quarters.
On a matched same-store basis (n=31 stores active in both H1 2025 and H1 2026), median AOV moved from $346 to $337 — a −2.6% year-over-year decline. Toys & Hobbies is the only category in the H1 2026 dataset to show a year-over-year AOV decrease on this measure. The matched cohort is small (n=31), so treat this as a directional signal rather than a precise figure — but the direction is consistent with the flat-to-soft AOV trend visible in the monthly data.
Toys & Hobbies presents a relatively straightforward picture in H1 2026 — at least on the AOV side. Order values were stable throughout the period. The $337 median, the flat Q1→Q2 movement, and the $71 monthly range all point to a category with consistent pricing dynamics.
CVR is more variable, and the small cohort (n=17 in the period snapshot, n=15 in the matched Q1→Q2 cohort) amplifies that variability. The −10.0% Q1→Q2 CVR decline is the same magnitude as Consumer Electronics and is the steepest in the dataset, but with 15 matched stores, the confidence interval around that figure is wide. The directional signal — Q2 was softer — is probably real. The specific number should be read loosely.
The category’s strongest months — November and December in CVR, July in AOV — align with periods of elevated gift and hobby purchasing. That pattern is plausible and consistent, but with sample sizes in the 12–18 range, any single month can move on very little data. The 18-month trend is more useful than any individual data point.
The Toys & Hobbies benchmarks come with a meaningful small-sample caveat throughout. The CVR cohort is 17 stores — the smallest in the dataset. The AOV cohort (75 stores) is more robust. Treat the CVR figures as directional guides rather than precise targets.
The P25-to-P75 AOV range of $162–$680 covers a 4.2× spread — wider than most categories in the dataset. That range reflects how different the underlying businesses can be. A merchant selling trading cards or small hobby accessories sits at a very different price point than one selling model kits, musical instruments, or high-end hobby equipment.
CVR likely varies just as much by sub-market. A store selling low-cost, impulse-friendly products may convert at rates well above 3.49% (the P75). A store selling $500+ hobby equipment — RC vehicles, scale models, professional art supplies — may convert closer to the P25 or below. The 2.09% median captures the middle of a wide distribution.
For merchants in this category, the most useful benchmark comparison is within your own sub-market rather than against the category headline. If you know your AOV sits near the P75 ($680), compare your CVR against considered-purchase categories. If your AOV is closer to $150–$200, the repeat-purchase category benchmarks may be more instructive.
The $337 median AOV and 2.09% CVR are the right starting points for Toys & Hobbies benchmarking — but with a 4.2× AOV spread and only 17 stores in the CVR cohort, the sub-market you’re in likely matters more than the category aggregate.
