Amazon launches a subscription service for STEM toys

Amazon today unveiled a new subscription program aimed at parents called STEM Club, which delivers educational toys to your home for $19.99 per month. The retailer says it will hand-pick which toys are shipped, and will ensure the items are age-appropriate. And by “STEM,” of course, Amazon means the toys will be focused on the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.

The subscription program won’t feature just any ol’ STEM toys, however, but will rather only include those that have recently launched or those that are exclusive to Amazon.

To sign up, parents visit the STEM Club homepage, then select the age range of their child (3-4, 5-7 or 8-13). The first toy will arrive in under a week’s time with free shipping. From that point forward, a new item will arrive on a monthly basis. The service is only available in the U.S., the website notes.

This isn’t Amazon’s first attempt at highlighting STEM toys on its site. In 2015, the retailer launched the STEM Toys & Games Store as a destination for browsing through this type of product in a dedicated area.

Of course, for Amazon, the launch of the new storefront wasn’t so much about trying to spark young minds and encourage learning, but to better capitalize on parents’ interest in the STEM toy trend in order to impact Amazon’s own bottom line. At the time, STEM toys were the second-most visited section and had seen the highest sales volume during the prior holidays.

Similarly, Amazon’s interest in launching a subscription service for these toys is also motivated by being able to capture a recurring revenue stream. Like its “Subscribe & Save” program, the hope is that the new subscription service will encourage a sort of “set it and forget it” mentality among shoppers.

But whether parents will sign up in the first place remains to be seen. After all – I don’t know about you – but we certainly have enough toys around here. I can’t imagine wanting to receive one more every month.