November has been a masterclass in LEGO getting you to spend more than ever before

November 19, 2021 | 9

November and December are typically make or break months for the toy industry, and LEGO of course is no exception. Toys for children (and now adults!) are one of the biggest sellers during the Christmas shopping season, and LEGO’s full year revenue is usually predicated on having a successful second half, where they typically make about 40-60% more.

LEGO are absolutely gearing up for a massive way to close the 2021 (after making almost a billion dollars in the 1st half) and I have to highlight just how clever LEGO’s strategy is in maximising purchases in November – all this before even getting close to Black Friday.

The sequence of launches, and reveals have been meticulously planned to specifically target adult LEGO fans, and get them to purchase more frequently than usual through LEGO.com, or LEGO Brand Retail stores.

1st November Launches – the opening salvo

1 November started exceedingly strongly, with the launch of 3 large exclusives – 10294 Titanic (pre-orders), 21330 Home Alone, 76240 Batmobile Tumbler – all of which have sold out, and will be available directly from LEGO.com this year, or until stock replenishes.

No need for any GWPs to incentivise purchase as the only GWP that was applicable with purchases of these big November 2021 releases was this funky looking Flying Car.

8 November – a small fleet of Titanics become available

The 1st of November was a pre-order for the LEGO Titanic, which went really quickly – on launch day, a small number of LEGO Titanics surfaced, and could be ordered, or was on back-ordered with different shipping dates all the way up to the end of December.

Due to the high demand for the biggest LEGO set ever, the Titanic naturally sold out, and of course, this incentivised resellers and scalpers on eBay and the secondary market.

9 November Bricklink Now Pay Later

Another clever move by LEGO and Bricklink was also opening the Bricklink Designer Program Round 2, to crowdfund LEGO sets that you would not receive (or pay for) until August 2022.

LEGO were well aware that their fan’s wallets would be under heavy duress in November, so pre-ordering these sets, and not the bonus of not being charged until they ship does help psychologically – but LEGO still has secured future revenue through these limited edition sets.

9 November – UCS AT-AT announced

Conveniently after all the Titanics, Home Alone and Batman UCS Tumblers sold out, LEGO strategically chose the 9th of November as the date to unveil the gargantuan 6,785-piece UCS AT-AT.

The timing was pretty brilliant, outside of the unfortunate early leak of the box photos a few days prior, but if all had gone according to plan, it was to catch fans unaware as they didn’t want fans to hold off from buying the Home Alone house, or Titanic if they knew a US$800 UCS AT-AT was also on its way.

Oh, and the UCS AT-AT releases on Black Friday, which falls on 26 November 2021… So you can gawk at all the amazing photos and reviews in the meantime.

20 November – VIP Weekend & Double Points

Black Friday is one of the biggest online shopping events of the year, and thanks to the pandemic, more people than ever are more comfortable shopping online compared to the before times.

Competition for your credit card details will naturally reach its peak on the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend, with discounts and offers galore, not just from LEGO and toy retailers, but from every other business out there vying for every single cent in this make or break season.

LEGO’s solution? Go early with their promotions, which is why VIP Weekend 2021 kicks off from 20-21 November, a whole week before Black Friday.

LEGO’s strongest offers will be put on show, such as Double VIP points on LEGO.com, and Gift with Purchases aplenty, such as this free with purchases over US$250, or Santa’s Front Yard with purchases over US$170.

I was originally not planning on purchasing anything, but I did not expect the cool retro LEGO tin plaque to be on offer, and now, I’m wracking my head trying to figure out what I can buy to trigger the purchase threshold – a move that LEGO has no doubt devised to target old-school LEGO fans (heavy buyers) like myself, to buy more than they’re used to (hence the higher purchase threshold).

The worst part, is that it absolutely works!

Conveniently in place a week before the launch of the UCS AT-AT…

26 November LEGO Black Friday 2021 – UCS AT-AT and bargains?

Which brings us to the 26th of November, with Black Friday and the launch of the UCS AT-AT, quite possibly one of the most impressive LEGO UCS sets ever.

At US$899.99 / AU$1299.99, the UCS AT-AT takes the crown as the most expensive LEGO set of 2021, and isn’t exactly a bargain, but hey, LEGO will also throw in a Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber gift with purchase to sweeten the deal.

Not much else is known about what other LEGO Black Friday promotions we can expect, but as we approach 2022, I expect LEGO to discount (not deeply), quite a few old/retiring soon sets to clear their inventory before we start seeing what LEGO’s 2022 lineup will look like.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is LEGO’s masterplan to extract as much cash from your wallet, to their vaults in Billund!

What do you think of LEGO’s promotional plan in November? Have you noticed that you’ve been tempted to spend more than you ever have?

Don’t forget, VIP Weekend 2021 kicks off tomorrow, the 20th of November, and you can read about all the deals in this guide to LEGO’s pre-Black Friday sale weekend!

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