What you need to know

US retail sales of baby durables totalled $9.2 billion in 2016, a decrease of about 1% versus the prior year. Small but positive growth is projected through 2021, when sales are expected to reach over $9.5 billion. While most households are growing smaller, there’s some upside from the increasing Hispanic population, which typically has above average size households, especially since Hispanic women are outpacing non-Hispanic women in birth rates. Additionally, there continues to be a shift to more shared financial and parental responsibilities between males and females, who tend to have different shopping priorities. Most consumers acquire baby durables new, but women are more likely to buy second-hand while men prefer to buy new. Online has become an important part of the baby durables market, with many consumers opting not only to research products online, but also to actually complete their transactions, making the online presence critical for brands and retailers in the market.

Definition

Baby durables are products made specifically for baby care. Excluded are baby items that are disposable (eg diapers), clothes, toys with no added functionality, and food/formula or anything else directly related to feeding like bottles, sippy cups, baby/child utensils and dishes.

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel categorizes baby durables into three main groups defined as follows:

  • Baby mobility – car seats, strollers, systems, baby carriers

  • Baby’s room furniture – cribs, bassinets, dressers, changing tables, rockers and gliders (excludes linens and accessories)

  • Baby care items – bouncers/infant positioners, gyms, stationary entertainers, walkers/jumpers, swings, play yards, bath tubs, diaper disposal systems, high chairs, potties, gates, monitors, thermometers, humidifiers/vaporizers, bottle/food warmers and sterilizers, breast pump/nursing pillows

This Report builds on the analysis presented in Mintel’s Baby Durables – US, April 2016, April 2015, September 2013, February 2012, and March 2011.

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