As one of the most promising areas for society and family in the future, the maternal and infant industry has attracted much attention in both products and services.
However, under the background of negative population growth in developed countries around the world and the repeated increase in uncertainty of the epidemic, the maternal and infant industry has gradually entered the stage of stock game; the landing of relevant laws and regulations such as the "licensing system" for maternal and infant products has changed to the "filing system" has also put forward new requirements for the healthy and sustainable development of the industry. On the demand side, the pattern of shifting the main force of consumption and consumption objects is gradually emerging, the new demand is constantly changing, the consumption field is also changing, and the brand side of the mother and baby industry also needs to adjust the operation ideas and business orientation in time to seize the opportunity.
How to capture the mainstream trend of the market in the midst of the complex changes? Focus Focus Consumer Research Institute conducts maternal and infant market research, integrates industry analysis data and maternal and infant industry observation for in-depth analysis, and sorts out the top ten trends in 2022 based on data facts to support evidence. We also hope that this sharing can provide reference and thinking for players in the mother and baby track to anchor the opportunity points, precision marketing, and refined product services.
01 After 90/95 has become the main force of the market, and the new core population of consumption has gradually taken shape
Source: Tmall Data, Mother and Baby Industry Forum
Among the main forces of buying and buying in the maternal and infant market, post-90s mothers account for the highest proportion, and they are in the golden period of occupation with the strongest spending power, which is the core main force of infant and young child consumption.
When the core population of the new round of maternal and infant consumption has gradually taken shape, how maternal and infant products impress the pain points of the post-90s mother group, which is perceived and then affects consumption, has also become the key point of customs clearance for major brands. Gain in-depth insight into the parenting needs and consumption habits of post-90s mothers, so as to make targeted adjustments and adaptations to marketing strategies.
In addition, the high income of mothers in first-tier cities also makes them have stronger spending power, and their childcare costs are far ahead of other cities.
02 The consumption object has moved backwards, and the new demographic dividend has shifted to the middle and older children
Source: National Bureau of Statistics, Maternal and Infant Industry Forum
In recent years, the number of newborns has been declining year after year, and the stimulation effect of the newly launched "three-child policy" still needs time. In the context of the negative population growth of developed countries and the East Asian region as a whole, at this stage, middle/older children have become a new subject of market attention. For example, according to Tmall International data, the children's nutrition market over 3 years old is rising, probiotics, various vitamins and other sales are considerable, in the booming period of categories, many overseas brands have entered.
With the backward shift of consumer objects, structural changes in the maternal and infant industry are quietly coming, driving supply-side reforms. Brands also need to lay out in advance, such as rapidly expanding the supply chain, building a more malleable product matrix, etc., and at the same time, through category education, reducing the purchase threshold, and actively exerting efforts at both the supply and demand ends.
03 Generation Z mothers pay attention to the "self-pleasing" experience, and the emotional value is worth thousands of dollars
Source: Mother and Baby Industry Forum
As a new force of "hot mothers", post-95 mothers show different values from the pre-95 crowd: no longer blindly selfless dedication, love the baby and love themselves more, and are willing to pay for themselves. For example, more than 85% of post-95 mothers are very concerned about their postpartum recovery, actively adjust their physical and mental state, and devote themselves to a new stage of life.
At the same time, as the indigenous people of the Internet, they are more dependent on social networks, and their love of sharing is easy to be planted. Moreover, as a generation living in a rich material life, they also have greater autonomy in the economy, more pursuit of beauty and taste, more picky, and attach importance to the quality of life and the ratio of quality and price.
In addition, experiencing the baptism of diverse cultures also makes them pursue personality and differentiation more, and they like the appearance of products to stand out, and they are willing to take the initiative to catch up with the tide.
04 To meet the new needs of consumers, trend categories drive industry growth
New consumer demand continues to emerge, and new purchasing power bursts out from the four dimensions of specialization, segmentation, high value and seasonality. Fierce market competition has also prompted brands to develop products based on consumer demand, and the categories that are in the trend of pressure have performed well in the market.
Tmall data shows that trend categories have become an important engine driving industry growth. In 2021, in the double eleven, the growth rate of car seats and cheese will exceed 100%. Among them, there are 28 new brands within three years of establishment that have exceeded 10 million sales on Double 11, and many tens of millions and millions of new brands have been incubated.
With the interaction between new scenes, new people, and new products, brands are working hard to provide functional segmentation, professional/quality upgrades, and fun & SMART product solutions. For example, many parents have "separation anxiety" can not pay attention to the baby's dynamics in real time, the child monitor from the professional dimension of the force, so that the baby with happiness, parents worry, but also let the elders in different places "cloud baby", especially loved by parents in the workplace.
05 Category: Baby and child food has the highest growth rate and the largest clothing scale
Source: Ecdataway Data
From the online performance of the major categories of mother and baby, the growth rate of baby and child food (milk powder / complementary food / nutritional products / snacks) is the most rapid, and the above figure shows that it is as high as 23.7%, the overall growth rate of all categories is the highest, and the market size is second only to baby and children's clothing. All kinds of rations as the just needs of baby parenting, full of growth potential, in the fiery demand, to provide safe, nutritious, high-quality, good flavor, and in line with the new generation of parents with baby convenience, easy to operate and other needs of the baby food may be the major brands to seize the market power point. For example, in the subdivision on the right, the growth rate of baby snacks is 109%, and the growth rate of infant condiments is 101%, which is eye-catching.
Baby clothing (children's/baby/parent-child) is the largest and maintains positive growth. As shown in the sub-category, the growth of children's dresses has reached 128%. Although the wearing occasion is limited and the frequency is low, sales of children's dresses continue to rise with the improvement of living conditions, the rejuvenation of parents and the needs of social media.
In addition, although the toy category (toys / strollers / puzzles / building blocks / models) is large, it has shown a certain downward trend due to factors such as the decline in the birth rate. But it is worth pointing out that with the development of intelligent technology and the popularity of early education, intelligence and interactivity have also brought more possibilities to toys, and children's smart toys have become the first choice of a new generation of parents, and the market growth rate is rapid, up to 400+%.
06 Baby and child food: expand products, health first, children's milk powder, complementary foods, snacks and other outbreaks
Image source: Network
Focusing on the high-growth infant and child food field, children's (3-6 years old) milk powder, complementary foods, snacks, and driving the overall category growth rate to increase.
Many players in the baby and child food category have also further subdivided the population and function by continuously extending the lifeline of the category, and achieved incremental expansion through professional and high-end products and services. Taking milk powder as an example, not only subdivided products such as goat milk powder, A2-β casein are launched in the traditional 1-3 stages, but also extends from the infant population forward to pregnant women's milk powder, and backward to 4-5 children's milk powder, covering the whole stage of growth.
At the same time, with the continuous enrichment of parenting information and the concept of scientific parenting deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, the popularization of the concept of healthy diet and clean formula has also made parents pay more attention to their children's food health. In order to provide more professional and richer nutrition for their babies, more and more parents will choose complementary foods and snacks produced by professional brands as supplements, bringing about the rapid growth of related categories.
07 Baby and child products: exquisite baby raising, safe dolls, skin care, mosquito repellent, car seats grow at a high speed
Among the multi-functional baby and child products, the growth of products such as baby skin care, mosquito repellent products and car seats was higher than that of the category as a whole.
Under the trend of fine baby raising, parents are also seeking exclusive baby and child care products, and selling points such as plants, safety, and organic are highly sought after. It is worth noting that in the washing and care category, e-commerce has grown rapidly, with a share exceeding that of mother and baby stores; in addition, consumption is polarized - international high-end skin care products (Bonpoint, Shiseido, etc.) continue to increase, and domestic brands (red elephants, good children, Qichu, etc.) are constantly enriched to meet the needs of different consumers.
Young parents are also paying more attention to safety factors, coupled with the introduction of children in motor vehicles must use car seats, making the car seat category grow rapidly.
The epidemic has led to the improvement of national health awareness, and women's demand for health has become more prominent at this special stage of pregnancy. Coupled with the popularization of scientific knowledge during pregnancy and the increase in life pressure, the attention of pregnant women to nutrition and health categories has increased, and folic acid, calcium tablets, DHA, etc. have become essential for most mothers during pregnancy.
In addition, children's education has always been an important issue in the family, and popular science knowledge also points out that prenatal education has a positive effect on the growth and development of babies, and many parents pay more and more attention to prenatal education, and related tools and courses are also sought after.
09 Offline is still the main position, and online channels are in the limelight
Source: Nielsen IQ Retail Research
The data shows that due to the influence of the long-term formation of the maternal and infant channel pattern and user consumption habits, offline is still the main position of maternal and infant consumption, accounting for nearly 80%. Among them, the mother and baby store maintains a high competitiveness with one-stop convenient shopping and store experience. At present, some offline stores are also actively seeking transformation, with professional knowledge and service as the link, to provide a communication platform, increase the stickiness of customers and stores, the energy can not be ignored.
However, since the epidemic, for safety and convenience reasons, online shopping has gradually become the channel choice for maternal and infant consumption, with a sales share of 5% increased in 2019-2021, and online is no longer just a twice-yearly e-commerce festival carnival, daily online shopping has become a habit. Moreover, based on the online shopping of parents after 90 and 95, coupled with the pursuit of more high-end, refined and personalized under the influence of Kryptonian Baby, more diversified and differentiated products are provided online.
10 kinds of grass do not distinguish between boundaries, pay the bill rationally first
In the acquisition of parenting experience, novice mothers no longer simply through empiricism to obtain parenting content, rich and diverse information channels also allow them to harvest a lot of information every day, maternal and infant community App / website, e-commerce channels, content platforms and other online channels ranked TOP3, parenting online without geographical barriers, can learn a wider range of experience and knowledge. Among them, Baby Tree, Spicy Mombang, Beibei Network and other maternal and infant community Apps/websites focus on the vertical field of mother and baby, and knowledge sharing is more focused and professional, accounting for up to 62%.
But when it comes to screening information and making decisions, the priorities of pre-95 and post-95 mothers are basically the same. It is worth pointing out that as the native generation of the Internet, post-95 mothers who are accustomed to online social networking are obviously more likely to be planted by social platform advertisements than pre-95 mothers.
In addition, mothers of all ages are more inclined to the guidance of professionals and the real word of mouth of friends and relatives around them, looking for clear directions from the confused mass of information. It can be seen that although mothers are planted through multiple channels, they are often more inclined to be rational in actual decision-making. If mother and baby products want to win the hearts of mothers, marketing can help, but the product strength that can withstand the test of word of mouth is the hard core strength.
At the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics that amazed the world, the clip of the one-year-old cute baby skiing in the "Future Champions" session made a deep impression on everyone. It was difficult to think that babies under one year old could wear ski equipment to the snow field, but this also shows from another perspective that the new generation of parents "slip baby" way to keep pace with the times, the new market demand may be brewing huge opportunities, the mother and baby industry still has a lot of room worth tapping.
The future is not defensive, and we also look forward to the partners in the mother and baby industry in 2022 to bring more surprises and imaginations to consumers.