Tmall International Maternal and Infant Industry and Mintel Consulting Released "Global Maternal and Infant Industry New Product Trend Report"
As a more vertical field, the innovation trend of mother and baby has always been relatively distant for audiences outside the industry. However, it is worth noting that in 2019-2021, whether it is overseas or domestic markets, the maternal and infant industry is very active in product innovation. From behind these rich new products, we can observe the changes in the consumption concept of a new generation of parents.
In March 2022, Tmall International Maternal and Infant Industry and Mintel Consulting will release the "Global Maternal and Infant Industry New Product Trend Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"), summarizing the four innovative trends of "diversified feeding, precise care, self-feeding, and high-quality companionship" in the global maternal and infant industry.
As the first stop for overseas mother and baby brands to enter China, Tmall International Mother and Baby Industry will contact and introduce thousands of international mother and baby brands to enter the platform every year. In this process, Tmall International Mother and Baby Industry stands at the forefront of maternal and infant consumption, and has a deeper understanding of product innovation trends and the needs of Chinese parents.
Overall: "Over the past three years, global baby and child product innovation has been dominated by baby snack supplements and bath skin care products. The Chinese market has released the most new products in the baby care category, followed by complementary snacks. In terms of baby and child nutrition, there are more innovative iterations of international brands represented by the United Kingdom and the United States.
Global maternal product innovation is focused on the personal care and nutrition categories. Product innovation in the Chinese market is mainly concentrated in maternal skin care makeup, while the distribution of innovation in maternal nutrition products is mainly in overseas markets."
So, from a global perspective, what product innovation trends are worth paying attention to? Which overseas mother and baby products are popular with Chinese parents?
Not only milk powder, but also more options for the new generation of feeding
In baby and child food, milk powder products are still the core, and many brands upgrade products from the aspects of ingredients and formulas; at the same time, baby and child snacks and complementary food products have also become innovative hotspots, in addition to supplementing nutrition, they can also promote the cognitive development of babies.
1. From raw materials, ingredients to formula innovation, milk powder consumption continues to upgrade
As a necessity for mother and baby families, milk powder is still the largest category in the mother and baby industry. The report also pointed out that North America and asia-Pacific have become hot spots for high-end infant milk.
Especially in the Chinese market, although the birth rate continues to decline, Chinese parents have more refined requirements for baby feeding and their needs are more segmented. This also promotes the upgrading of milk powder consumption, to the segmentation and specialization of innovation.
First of all, the most mainstream innovation trend in the milk powder field is "formula upgrading", including better raw materials and more advanced scientific formulas.
For example, the milk powder brand "Bellamy's Bellamy" has chosen a better and rarer milk source to launch the world's first organic A2 milk powder. This milk powder uses only 0.01% of the world's Australian organic A2 milk source, of which "A2 β-casein" has been a popular ingredient in high-end milk powder in recent years because its structure is closer to the composition of breast milk and convenient for babies to absorb, while Bellamy's choice of pure organic A2 milk source is even rarer.
In addition, international milk powder brands have been investing in long-term scientific research on milk powder formulas. For example, NUTRICIA's "Nutricia" and "Nurtett" series use a deep hydrolyzed formula for babies with milk protein allergies.
Wyeth Wyeth's "Enlightenment Illuma" series and Aptamil's "Platinum German Edition" series both use immunity-boosting HMO ingredients. HMO ingredients are currently unique to cross-border milk powders, and according to the Report, the number of new infant formula products containing HMO ingredients has increased by 207% in the past five years.
Second, for babies with special needs, it is becoming more and more important to launch targeted products. For example, "Aptamil's Apatamil" Platinum Harbor version of toddler formula is aimed at a subdivided group: infants and young children born by caesarean section.
The Aetami research team found that because the infants and young children born by caesarean section were born in a sterile environment and lacked contact with beneficial bacteria, the milk powder of Aitamei adopted a special formula and added 3 billion key strains of the same kind in the birth canal of mothers to stimulate the self-protection of the caesarean section baby.
Third, age extension is also the key innovation direction of milk powder and milk liquid products. According to the report, the number of new formulas for children over the age of four has increased by nearly 200% in the past three years.
2. Food supplement products are more abundant in form and can exercise the baby's development ability
In the baby and child snack food supplement products, there have been more abundant and diversified innovations: not only can supplement additional nutrition, but also exercise the baby's eating, cognition and other developmental abilities.
The "graded pasta" of the Italian national food supplement brand "Plasmon Pyrrh" uses different shapes such as gems, stars, animals, etc., which not only corresponds to the chewing ability of infants and young children of different months of age, but also allows children to recognize shapes while eating, and the eating process is more interesting.
Many brands have also launched more complementary food forms such as grain sticks and walnut oil, which can be matched with different cooking and feeding methods to provide more convenient feeding methods for novice parents at different stages.
From nutrition to toiletries, a new generation of parents is more "precise" in their choice of products
In the two categories of baby and child nutrition products and toiletries, product innovation is more targeted and precise, and there is a trend of "special problem solving".
Baby and child nutrition products put more emphasis on bone development, brain and eye development and other subdivision health needs; baby and child washing innovation has seen significant growth in more sub-categories such as face, hands, lips and so on.
1, focus on the breakdown of health needs, baby and child nutrition products should be efficient, but also delicious
Product innovation in the baby and child nutrition category emphasizes the health benefits of segmentation.
The report shows that among the innovative nutrition products that appear in 2019-2021, immune system health and bone health are the fastest growing innovation directions in the new nutritional products for infants and children in the past three years. At the same time, the brain and nervous system, digestive health, stress reduction and sleep aids have also increased significantly. In Asia, eye health growth is even more pronounced.
Focusing on bone health, Ostelin Ostelin has launched a vitamin D3 + calcium children's dinosaur calcium chewable tablet product, which can not only supplement two nutrients at a time, but also promote calcium absorption through vitamin D3. Children's calcium tablets of Swisse Svice also take a nutritional combination of vitamin D3 and calcium to promote bone development.
There are also many brands that improve the taste of products to make children more active in eating nutritional products.
For example, "algal oil DHA" products can assist brain development, but algal oil is prone to fishy smell, and children often do not like to eat. As a result, the "Little Umbrella" "Algal Oil DHA" product innovated the gel-free candy skin technology, turning the capsule that could only be swallowed in one bite into a flowing heart fudge. The bouncy texture is more interesting, while the sweet and sour lemon flavor masks the fishy smell of algal oil DHA, making the product more popular with children.
Similarly, "ChildLife" and "Nature's Nutra Rethynuca" have also developed sweet and sour flavors that infants and young children love in liquid supplements, making the taste more acceptable to children.
2. Senior skin care "ingredient party" parents, the pursuit of "natural purity", "scientific research upgrade" of baby and child care products
The field of baby and child care has always attached great importance to the "natural purity" of product ingredients, and this trend has been rising rapidly in recent years.
"45-61% of Chinese parents are willing to pay more for baby personal care products that contain natural ingredients, contain no additives, are considered safe enough to be edible, or have reputable natural certifications (e.g., ECOCERT, ECARF, GMP)."
In the summer of 2022, Aveeno, a personal care brand that focuses on natural skin care ingredients, launched its "Oat Essence" product, using two major plant ingredients, "Oat Prebiotics" and "Egyptian Blue Water Lilies". In addition to the pure and natural ingredients, the product can also solve the baby's various needs in a variety of summer scenarios, such as summer sun protection, cooling, soothing, repair and other functional needs. Launching diversified products in combination with multiple scenarios like this is also a major trend in baby and child care products.
The "Toofruit Multi-Fruit Skin" Children's Organic Facial Cleanser also emphasizes its full-chain organic properties, focusing on the core ingredient "Plant Sebaceous Film" composed of pure natural plant ingredients, which can also strengthen the skin barrier while cleansing the face.
On the basis of natural and pure ingredients, a new generation of parents has also begun to pay attention to the scientific research technology upgrade behind baby and child care products, paying for products that can solve specific skin problems for babies.
For example, the baby moisturizing body lotion product of EllaOla, a high-end baby care brand in the United States, was jointly developed by three Experts from Harvard Medical School and a child dermatologist, specifically targeting the problem of baby eczema. Its body lotion products do not add any allergens on the basis of natural raw materials, and add squalane ingredients for long-lasting moisturizing, solving baby's skin sensitivity and eczema problems.
Bunjie Botu, a care brand from Australia, helps babies balance the skin microecology and build a skin barrier through the 2-specialty technology of "Triple Probiotics".
Whether it is the focus on the natural and pure ingredients in the ingredient list, or the pursuit of professional skin research techniques, it reflects the higher autonomy and rigor of the new generation of parents in product purchase: not only relying on the efficacy of the product advertised by the brand, but also conducting a more scientific and detailed examination of the product.
The concept of parenting of a new generation of parents is changing, and product innovation pays more attention to the parents' sense of experience
Compared with the past, the new generation of parents also has a different thinking from traditional parents in the process of conception.
Young mothers have a stronger sense of self, and at the same time want to take care of themselves while raising children, and pursue more exquisite maternity care products; young families pay more attention to high-quality parent-child companionship, and also hope that products can be combined with parents' living habits to make parenting easier.
1, parenting at the same time should also "please themselves", pregnancy product brand more concerned about the mother's experience
Young families are gradually paying more attention to the experience of pregnant women, hoping that mothers can enjoy a pleasant life while taking on the burden of childbirth. Therefore, many products also innovate in the form and function of products from the detailed needs of pregnant women and different stages and physiques.
For example, the stretch mark ampoule product of the French brand "LIERAC" provides the effect of lightening and repairing the common stretch mark problems of pregnant women.
The phased active folic acid products of "Femibion Ivian" have launched folic acid tablets with different nutrients according to the physical needs of different stages of pregnancy. The brand also designed folic acid products that do not contain iodine for women with high daily iodine intake in the southeast coastal areas.
2. Parenting products improve the quality from the details to make parent-child companionship easier
The new generation of parents has a faster pace of life and busier work, and also hopes that parenting products can be more intelligent and more integrated into the parents' lifestyle.
For example, "4moms" has launched an electric baby rocking chair product for common babies and children crying before going to bed. This product simulates the natural shaking of parents and plays soothing music to make children fall asleep faster, saving parents time to fall asleep. The AI intelligent robot dog launched by "Lexibook" can assist parents in early education interaction and also help develop children's programming thinking skills.
There are also many parenting products that combine parent-child companionship scenes with the exercise habits of young parents. For example, "BOB Gear" launched a "jogging stroller" that increased the smoothness of the frame and tires, allowing parents to push the stroller while running leisurely. Micro Megamigo has launched scooters for adults and children, allowing parents and children to play together.
In the face of the changes in the concept of parenting of the younger generation, the design of maternal and infant products has gradually jumped out of the original idea, paying more attention to the daily behavior and needs of young parents at present, so as to optimize and upgrade the product.
Write at the end
As the first stop for overseas mother and baby brands to enter China, Tmall International not only introduces more unique and novel products for domestic mother and baby groups, but also promotes and assists overseas mother and baby brands to better expand the Chinese market.
As early as September 2020, Tmall International established the "Tmall International Quality Alliance", which unites 69 professional organizations around the world to conduct quality inspections on merchants and goods to ensure the safety and quality of products, while also building consumer trust in overseas brands.
Tmall International has also launched a "global traceability code" for imported goods, where domestic consumers can scan anti-counterfeiting labels to obtain information about raw materials, factories, warehousing, logistics and other links of goods, breaking the information gap at home and abroad.
At the same time, Tmall International Maternal and Infant Industry also launched the "Grow Up with the World" public welfare project with 33 international brands to help 5 rural schools in Yunnan-Guichuan area renovate music classrooms and build multi-functional sports fields.
Through the "Global Maternal and Infant Industry New Product Trend Report" released this time, Tmall International summarized and refined the product innovation trend of the global maternal and infant market, providing more directional guidance for future domestic product innovation, and also helping overseas maternal and infant products to be better recognized by the Chinese market. In the future, Tmall International hopes to continue to bring more useful, material, beautiful and loving parenting products to Chinese consumers.