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Nursery and Baby Equipment - UK - February 2016

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Products covered in this report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
Nursery products see positive growth
Figure 1: Best - and worst-case forecast of UK retail sales of nursery and baby equipment, 2010-20
Birth rates dip 0.4% in 2014
Figure 2: Number of live births in England and Wales, 2010-14
Companies and brands
Specialists struggle
Figure 3: Distribution of spending on nursery & baby equipment, by type of retailer, 2015
Brand research
Figure 4: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, December 2015
Innovation
The consumer
Mothers are the main buyers
Figure 5: Items of nursery and baby equipment purchased for children aged 0-4, November 2015
80% receive items as gifts
Figure 6: Agreement with statements about nursery and baby equipment, November 2015
Specialists most popular among ABs
Figure 7: Retailers where nursery and baby equipment was bought from, November 2015
Low prices most important factor
Figure 8: Most important factors when choosing which retailer to buy from, November 2015
Online is the preferred method of shopping
Figure 9: Preferred method of shopping for nursery and baby equipment, November 2015
Fathers prefer products with latest technology
Figure 10: Agreement with statements about nursery and baby equipment, November 2015
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
How has the market performed?
The facts
The implications
What can specialist retailers do to drive purchasing of nursery and baby equipment?
The facts
The implications
What are the opportunities for growth in the sector?
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Nursery products see positive growth
Car seats drive growth
Birth rates dip 0.4% in 2014
Rising average age of mothers
Breastfeeding rates grow year-on-year
Parents see improving finances
MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Nursery products see positive growth
Figure 11: Best- and worst-case forecast of UK retail sales of nursery and baby equipment, 2010-20
The future
Figure 12: UK retail sales of nursery and baby equipment at current and constant prices, 2010-20
Forecast methodology
MARKET DRIVERS
Birth rate dips 0.4% in 2014
Figure 13: Number of live births in England and Wales, 2010-14
Drop in fertility rate
Figure 14: Total fertility rate, England and Wales, 2005-14
Rising average age of mothers
Figure 15: Trends in the mean age of mothers at birth of their first child, England and Wales, 2005-14
Slowest growth projected for the number of 0-4-year-olds
Figure 16: Percentage change in the age structure of the UK child population, 2010-20
Breastfeeding rates grow year on year
Rocketing childcare costs add to financial pressures
Childcare places increase, providers decrease
Parents are the main car owners
Spending remains cautious
Figure 17: Top categories in which parents spent more compared with last year, by children’s age, January 2015
KEY PLAYERS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Specialists struggle
Online retailers steal market share
Connected nursery system
Designer collaboration pushchairs
£0.5 million uplift in advertising spend
Mothercare is the most trusted brand
Mamas & Papas is seen as worth paying more for
CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION
Specialists struggle
Figure 18: Distribution of spending on nursery & baby equipment, by type of retailer, 2015
Online retailers steal market share
Figure 19: UK estimated distribution of spending on nursery & baby equipment, by type of retailer, 2013-15
New entrants to the market
COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES
Financial outlook
Retail offering and brand positioning
Digital activity
LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
Product launches
Connected nursery system
Figure 20: Motorola and Hubble Connected
3-in-1 baby carrier
Obaby’s versatile stroller
Free box targeting mums and mums-to-be
Organic mattress protector
Nursery furniture designed for modern urban living
Designer collaboration pushchairs
Retail innovations
Mothercare’s in-store play areas
Responsive website launch
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING ACTIVITY
£0.5 million uplift in advertising spend
Figure 21: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on nursery and baby equipment, 2011-15
Chicco tops the list of advertisers
Figure 22: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on nursery and baby equipment, by advertiser, 2011-15
Television advertising surges in 2015
Figure 23: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on nursery and baby equipment, by media type, 2015
A note on adspend
BRAND RESEARCH
What you need to know
Brand map
Figure 24: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, December 2015
Key brand metrics
Figure 25: Key metrics for selected brands, December 2015
Brand attitudes: Mamas & Papas is seen as worth paying more for
Figure 26: Attitudes, by brand, December 2015
Brand personality: Mothercare suffers from an unappealing image
Figure 27: Brand personality – Macro image, December 2015
Britax associated with durability
Figure 28: Brand personality – Micro image, December 2015
Brand analysis
Britax enjoys highest recommendation levels
Figure 29: User profile of Britax, December 2015
Mamas & Papas boasts stylish and socially-responsible image
Figure 30: User profile of Mamas & Papas, December 2015
Mothercare: The most widely-used and trusted
Figure 31: User profile of Mothercare, December 2015
Graco needs to increase exposure
Figure 32: User profile of Graco, December 2015
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Mothers are the main buyers
Seven in ten buy new car seats
80% receive items as gifts
Supermarkets most popular place of purchase
High levels of online purchasing
Low prices most important factor
Online is the preferred method of shopping
Online seen as cheapest option
Fathers prefer products to have latest technology
WHAT ITEMS CONSUMERS HAVE PURCHASED
Mothers are the main buyers
Figure 33: Items of nursery and baby equipment purchased for children aged 0-4, November 2015
Seven in ten buy new car seats
Pram versus baby travel system
C1s buy most items
Figure 34: Repertoire of items of nursery and baby equipment purchased for children aged 0-4, November 2015
STATEMENTS RELATED TO NURSERY AND BABY EQUIPMENT
80% receive items as gifts
Figure 35: Agreement with statements about nursery and baby equipment, November 2015
Older parents receive second-hand items
Engaging fathers
WHERE NURSERY AND BABY EQUIPMENT WERE BOUGHT
Specialists most popular among ABs
Supermarkets shoppers are drawn to low prices
Figure 36: Retailers where nursery and baby equipment was bought from, November 2015
High levels of online purchasing
Repertoire
Figure 37: Repertoire of retailers where nursery and baby equipment was bought from in-store, November 2015
Figure 38: Repertoire of retailers where nursery and baby equipment was bought from online, November 2015
FACTORS INFLUENCING PURCHASES
Low prices most important factor
Figure 39: Most important factors when choosing which retailer to buy from, November 2015
ABs look for wide choice of brands and good delivery
Older parents look for staff expertise
PREFERRED METHOD OF SHOPPING FOR NURSERY AND BABY EQUIPMENT
Online is the preferred method of shopping
Figure 40: Preferred method of shopping for nursery and baby equipment, November 2015
Getting advice online
Stores used to compare quality
ATTITUDES TOWARDS NURSERY AND BABY EQUIPMENT
Online seen as cheapest option
Figure 41: Agreement with statements about nursery and baby equipment, November 2015
Convenient products
ABs drawn to well-known brands
Fathers prefer products with latest technology
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
APPENDIX – MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Forecast methodology

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