The market research firm gave a presentation at the ongoing PCHi trade show in Guangzhou, China, on the segment, and discussed some of the key shifts being seen in consumer demands in the country.
These include: a focus on spending upgrades by consumers looking for more premium-feel products, a greater emphasis on trust and new products, and the importance of staying relevant to young families.
Rising prevalence of safety claims
Mintel’s director of research for China, Ruyi Ju, explained that until recently, consumers only looked for general claims regarding safety of products, but in the past few years, this has shifted.
According to the firm, baby care products have begun to include specified safety claims on their labelling recently in China, with an increase particularly over the past year in the instances of paraben-free, hypoallergenic, dermatologically-tested and ethical/environmentally friendly claims.
Alongside labelling and marketing claims, we are also seeing entire brands being launched that are heavily based on the safe and natural profile. Petit Pai skin care is one such range.
Mums over babies
While baby care is designed and aimed at use on young infants, we’re seeing a shift in marketing messages to target new mothers rather than the babies themselves.
According to Ju, campaigns the centre on the idea of remembering the importance of the mother are seeing increasing success in the Chinese market.
Dads on the scene
Mintel notes that more and more, the industry in China is seeing a shift in the role fathers are playing in the family setting, with young dads particularly more hands-on with childcare.
According to the firm’s data, 30% of 20 – 29 year old fathers are involved in childcare, while among 40 – 40 year olds, this figure drops to 23%.
This shift has led to a rise in the number of products and marketing campaigns within baby care aimed at fathers. Mintel picked out Unilever’s Dove campaign, ‘See all the ways dads care’, and Skinfood’s Goodfather range as two key examples, along with a recent Huggies campaign.