As I mentioned in my last post, my husband and I recently welcomed our first child into the world. And though he’s still so tiny, this little boy has brought a whole new world of CPG products into my life, as I try to discern the best diapers, swaddles, strollers, and oh-so-much-more for this little guy that has made us a family of three. (A family of six, if you count our fur babies.)
I’m fascinated by the sheer number of products available for babies these days, but as I scroll through baby site after baby site, and scan grocery aisle after grocery aisle, I’m even more intrigued by some of the trends I see emerging among baby CPG these days. Here are just a few:
- Private label baby products are ramping up.
As someone who will sing the praises of private label from the rooftops (may have something to do with my time writing for a magazine focused entirely on private label products) (maybe), this makes my store brand heart skip a beat. The rise of private label products has been something to watch in the past few years, and it just seems to keep getting bigger. Heck, even Amazon is getting into the game, and says its increasing its private label offerings, including private label baby products.1http://mashable.com/2016/05/15/amazon-private-label/#ENniqAulgqqX - Natural and organic baby products are exploding.
I know I talked about this in my last post, but I just have to reiterate how exciting it is to see such a boom in natural and organic baby products. People are increasingly aware of how what they put in their bodies affects bodily function, and now more than ever they’re keenly aware of what they’re feeding their kids, too. According to a 2015 Nielsen report on baby products,2http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/nielsenglobal/de/docs/Nielsen%20Global%20Baby%20Care%20Report%20-%20August%202015.pdf “The organic sector is also experiencing strong growth. Global value sales increased 26% over the past two years, while non-organic products declined 6%. North America is the largest organic market, accounting for 72% of value sales over the past 12 months.” Organic baby food, the report notes, accounted for about 15 percent of sales, and all signs are pointing toward that number will continue to rise. - Convenience still reigns king.
Our lives are busy to begin with, but tack on caring for one or more little humans, and suddenly what was once just active is now carefully controlled (hopefully) chaos. On-the-go products that can make mom, dad, or baby’s life a little easier are welcomed and highly sought after. According to the Nielsen report, products that come in pouches are big business these days, with sales growing 7 percent, while those products in tubs or glass packaging were flat.3http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/nielsenglobal/de/docs/Nielsen%20Global%20Baby%20Care%20Report%20-%20August%202015.pdf And it’s not just food products—baby care items like wipes, burp cloths, or shampoos can do double duty for babies and parents alike, saving time and money—hot commodities these days for all consumers.
There are plenty more trends hitting the baby products market these days, and I can’t wait to explore them all.
