Anna Yudina, director of marketing initiatives at The Toy Association, pointed to zoos as an example. “Thanks to social distancing, these institutions have implemented animal webcams to take kids behind the scenes at zoos—something they would not normally have the opportunity to do.”. Even as parents fret about kids’ screen time, their own usage can be an irritant.

While certain categories—such as toys and hobby, consumer electronics, and home furnishings—will see ecommerce spending make up for lost in-store sales, apparel will not be among them. Apparel and accessories ecommerce sales will be the slowest-growing category this year at 22.2%. That’s significant when compared with the 32.4% growth of retail ecommerce overall.

It’s an unusual time, to say the least. But Americans are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic and resulting stay-at-home orders partially by retreating to a number of familiar activities, including hanging out with other household members and spending time on hobbies. The need to stay occupied and entertained at home has led to a boom in sectors like video gaming—but also lower-tech crafts, toys and games.

"For discretionary categories like toys, furniture, and electronics to achieve any type of growth amid these recessionary headwinds is an enormous feat," she said.