Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Overview
- Issue: expected growth is minimal
- Opportunity: encourage incremental purchases by appealing to the whole family
- Issue: parents prefer multipurpose retailers
- Opportunity: offering purchase alternatives to attract more parents
- Issue: parents have different priorities
- Opportunity: appeal to dads’ sartorial desires
- Issue: kids influence purchases
- Opportunity: engaging with kids to build long-term relationships
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Slow growth attributed to fewer births
- The internet is changing how parents shop
Market Size and Forecast
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- Minimal growth anticipated over the next five years
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of market, at current prices, 2013-23
- Figure 2: Total US sales and forecast of market, at current prices, 2013-23
Market Factors
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- Population of children faces growth challenges
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- Figure 3: Annual births and general fertility rate, 2007-17
- Figure 4: Households, by presence of own children, 2008-18
- Future population will become more diverse
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- Figure 5: Population by race and Hispanic origin, 2013-23
- Who are parents, and how are they shopping?
- Gen X and older parents
- Millennial parents
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Mass merchandisers are the favorites
- Casual clothing creates disinterest for dressy clothes
- Rethinking purchase options to engage price-conscious parents
What’s Happening?
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- Mass merchandisers’ efforts to improve are winning with parents
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- Figure 6: Walmart email campaign, October 2018
- Figure 7: Target email campaign, September 2018
- Figure 8: Retailers shopped (net), November 2018
- Popularity of PJs could encourage more adult purchases
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- Figure 9: Old Navy email campaign, December 2018
- Kids, especially daughters, as influencers
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- Figure 10: Purchase influencers (any rank), by age of girl in household, November 2018
What’s Struggling?
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- Kids’ clothing is not exempt from the casualization trend
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- Figure 11: Athleta girl email campaign, November 2018
What’s Next?
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- Dads: the untapped style-seekers
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- Figure 12: Gucci email campaign, March 2018
- Figure 13: Neiman Marcus email campaign, December 2018
- Alternative ownership and purchasing options provide some shoppers with the flexibility they seek
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- Figure 14: Secondhand retailer and subscription service shopped (net any shopping), moms vs dads, November 2018
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Age and gender of children impacts purchases
- Parents continue to shop online and favor mass merchandisers
- Replacement and price drive purchases, but children are also influential
- Moms are thrifty, while dads emphasize style
Items Purchased
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- Key takeaways
- Gender influences the types of clothing bought for children
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- Figure 15: Items purchased (net any purchase), November 2018
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- Figure 16: Items purchased, gender shopped for, November 2018
- Moms are primary shoppers
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- Figure 17: Items purchased (net any purchase), moms vs dads, November 2018
Retailers Shopped
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- Key takeaways
- Parents increasingly turn to mass merchandisers and shop online for kids’ clothes
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- Figure 18: Retailers shopped (net online/in-store), November 2018
- Younger parents turn to the experts
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- Figure 19: Department and specialty children’s clothing store shopping (net online/in-store), 18-44s vs over-45s, November 2018
- Amazon is winning with dads
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- Figure 20: Shopped at Amazon.com, moms vs dads, November 2018
- Different priorities prompt multicultural parents to shop different retailers
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- Figure 21: Urban outfitters email campaign, July 2018
- Figure 22: Retailers shopped (net online/in-store), by race and Hispanic origin, November 2018
Reasons for Buying and Acquiring
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- Key takeaways
- Replacement and price are top motivations for purchases
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- Figure 23: Reasons for buying, November 2018
- Moms are more strategic, while dads are persuaded by kids
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- Figure 24: Reasons for buying, moms vs dads, November 2018
- Older children prompt purchases
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- Figure 25: Children-related reasons for buying and purchase influencers (any rank), by age of boy/girl, November 2018
- Hispanic parents make special occasion purchases
Purchase Influencers
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- Key takeaways
- Children are most influential
- Older parents seek guidance from retailers
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- Figure 26: In-store displays as a purchase influencers (net any rank), parents 18-44 vs over-45s, November 2018
- Dads turn to trusted sources
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- Figure 27: Purchase influencers (net any rank), dads vs moms, November 2018
- Traditional and word-of-mouth endorsements influence some multi-cultural parents’ purchases
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- Figure 28: Select purchase influencers (net any rank), by race and Hispanic origin, November 2018
Preferences for Buying
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- Key takeaways
- As parents and kids age, children become more involved in shopping
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- Figure 29: Preferences for letting children have their say in their clothing, by age of parents and children, November 2018
- Convenience and ideological values draw in dads
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- Figure 30: Preference for buying – Dads, by age, November 2018
- The in-store experience is still important to older generations
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- Figure 31: Preferences for buying, Millennials vs older generations, November 2018
Attitudes toward Shopping for Children’s Clothing
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- Key takeaways
- Most parents are open to new or unfamiliar brands
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- Figure 32: Attitudes toward shopping for children’s clothing, November 2018
- Moms demonstrate a thrifty attitude
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- Figure 33: Attitudes toward shopping for children’s clothing (select), moms vs dads, November 2018
- Dads prioritize style
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- Figure 34: Attitudes toward clothes shopping, dads vs non-dads, February 2018
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- Figure 35: Nordstrom email campaign, December 2018
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 36: Total US sales and forecast of market, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2013-23
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Appendix – The Consumer
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- Figure 37: Retailers Shopped, November 2018
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