Not A Kiddy Matter!

The scope of baby care market in India has amplified at a prompt pace since last few years. Convenience is the mantra of new-age Indians and new mothers are always on the look out for products that is safe, time-saving, favourable and easy to use. A diaper pant that is easy to slip on or baby wipes that is convenient when on moms are on the go, India is seeing a slew of new products in this category. This market has been segmented as follows: Baby Apparel segment, Baby Toys segment, Baby Cosmetics, Baby Food, Baby Accessories, and Baby Diaper.

According to the research report “Indian Baby Care Market Outlook to 2022”, baby care market in India is still being on the pace of development, and is on a constant transformational phase. The report anticipates that the sector will post a CAGR of over 15% by 2022.

Dominating Brands & New Entrants

As per market reports, Johnson & Johnson (India) continued to be the dominant player within Indian baby and child-specific products in India, other notable players within this category include Dabur India, The Himalaya Drug Co., P&G, Abbott Nutrition International India and Wipro Consumer Care. 

It’s no more a game of monopoly, as the baby care market has new players entering the category everyday.

Growth of Indigenous products

Along with the entry of more international players, new product launches and innovations in the baby care product portfolio by Indian companies have been quite prominent. Natural & organic entrants, even with small market share are creating a stir in the market. Some prime examples of such product developments include Biotique Bio Almond Oil Baby Soft Massage Oil, Patanjali Shishu Care body lotion, and more.

Category presence across all channels

There was a time when shopping for a new-born was almost unheard thing in India as against today. Now, the little ones not only seem to occupy the mind space of the largest FMCG brands/retailers but have been occupying large ‘shelf space’ in every mall and departmental store across India. Baby products are accessible all over the market, be it the neighbourhood kirana, an 

Different types of POSM used by Babycare category

For Modern Trade

• FSU’s
• End caps (lit & non-lit)
• Bay breakers
• Parasites
• Trolley branding
• Pillar Branding

For General Trade

• Danglers
• Posters
• Counter top units
• Parasites

exclusive baby store, online marketplace, pharmacy or the shop-in-shops in malls. An interesting trend noticed in the space is that it is dominated by local retailers, where these multi brand stores are stocking everything a parent needs for babies and infants, all under a single roof. Syncing with our burgeoning population, India has emerged as the most preferred market for the companies involved in baby care product manufacturing and marketing.

What’s impacting at the store and utility of Shopper Marketing Solutions

In this regard, we may sight a case study of the leading baby care brand Johnson & Johnson which launched a shopper marketing blitz with the 'power of gentle' (POG) proposition to connect with new parents. The brand rolled out a slew of in-store branding initiatives, cutting across general trade and modern trade stores, to reinforce the brand's value proposition. Brandmark Solutions executed the branding initiative in both the Metros and key Tier I & II cities, overcoming several challenges along the way. The brand associated POG with a certain transformation in the lives of new parents. Apart from regular POSM’s the concept of gentleness was explained by way of videos, reference images, etc.

Thus, the customer touchpoints are getting highly utilized by the brands as a tool of advisory communication for new moms and young parents at store level to impact their purchase decisions with help of POP’s at the store shelf level.

As per the retail solution providers, this category has been also majorly evolving with their product portfolio and making a buzz at the retail for sure. Yogesh Chawan, Co-Founder & Creative Head of Brandmark Solutions shares, “The brands are making very conscious efforts to make the shopper and consumers aware about the right health and hygiene of the baby and mother through in-store communications. We have been instrumental in such brand launches from the stable of Himalaya Babycare where they have now gradually evolved from catering to the child care to mother care.”