The Indian baby care products market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.02% during the forecast period (2022 – 2027). The baby care industry on the whole is growing at 17% CAGR and is expected to grow from 15 Billion USD in 2022 to 40 Billion USD by 2029. Amid such tremendous growth in baby care industry projected by experts, parenting in India has undergone a massive transition over the last few decades. Indian parents today want to parent on their own terms and are no longer blindly following practices that have been going on for generations. With rising nuclear set ups, dual income households and digitisation, parents are increasingly seeking support and guidance from peers and other like-minded folk.
With the globe shrinking via digital platforms and social media, online platforms are making it easier to access renowned international brands within a shorter period of time. To know more about the shift in parents’ behaviour and approach, FE Lifestyle got in touch with Tejal Bajla, Co-founder of All Things Baby, a curated platform for mother and baby products that offers curated products from global and Indian brands. Excerpts:
How do you think the baby care industry has shaped up during the pandemic and what the future holds for it?
The pandemic and the consequent travel bans as a result of lockdowns, further cemented our belief that there is a huge market in India for high quality international products. It was during the pandemic that we went from 2 exclusive brand partnerships to 22. The pandemic also witnessed a huge shift in consumer purchase behaviour and with online shopping becoming the norm, our webstore Allthingsbaby.com gained a lot of traction. Solving for authenticity, availability, convenience, and personalised service in a market that was largely dominated by the grey market supplies, we continue to remain a preferred shopping destination for parents even post pandemic.
With rising health concerns towards infant care, how successful do you think digital platforms are in addressing parents’ concerns about qualitative care?
With rising nuclear set ups, dual income households and digitisation, parents in India are increasingly seeking support and guidance from peers and other like-minded folks. While digital platforms are a convenient solution for essentials, one cannot undermine the importance of brick-and-mortar retail outlets where parents can touch and feel products, talk to an expert before making a purchase decision especially for categories like baby gear and nursery furniture. At All Things Baby have adopted a hybrid model. Our physical nursery that we have set up in our Mumbai headquarters is a step in that direction. We further plan to strengthen our retail presence through the Shop In shop model and experiential stores soon.
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What are the changes you see in consumer behavior as an industry leader? What is the scope of international babycare brands in India for the next couple of years?
Parenting in India has undergone a massive transition over the last few decades. Indian parents today want to parent on their own terms and are no longer blindly following practices that have been going on for generations. With the world having shrunk and easy access to information, parents are now fully aware of best-in-class global products and solutions. Parents today have disposable income & are willing to experiment, Peer groups play a huge role in influencing and decision making, and fathers are getting increasingly involved and hands-on. Parents today are well read and well-travelled and are fully aware of the plethora of products that are available that assist them on their parenting journey. They are aspirational in their purchase patterns and there’s a shift towards equal parenting today, where fathers too are equally involved in buying decisions as well as infant care. The baby care industry on the whole is growing at 17% CAGR and is expected to grow from 15 Billion USD in 2022 to 40 Billion USD by 2029. Unlike the past where the demand for international baby products was being fuelled by major metros only, today we are seeing an increasing demand for these products from Tier 1 cities like Coimbatore, Pune, Ahmedabad too. To meet this surge in demand we aim to onboard over 200 International and select Indian Brands our existing suite over the next 2 years.
Tell us about All Things Baby. How did the journey start and what are you doing to be seen as unique from the crowd?
During the early stages of my motherhood, I travelled the world in search of the best baby gear and infant care products for my child. India was a supply starved market when it came to international brands in the mother & baby segment. The demand was usually fulfilled by the grey market or by family and friends living abroad who would fill their travel bags with diapers, formula and other baby gear when coming to India. Having identified this gap and the multi-fold demand for authentic and curated international baby products and gear in the country, Akshay Jalan and I founded AllThingsBaby.com
All Things Baby is a curated platform for mother and baby products that offers parents in India with some of the best curated products from the world’s leading global and Indian brands. We established All Things Baby in 2019 with the goal of making parenting easier by providing the best solutions through carefully curated products and content. What started with just 2 global brand collaborations has now culminated into exclusive distribution agreements with over 25 global iconic international brands in India.
In addition to our website, we also distribute these products to Amazon, Flipkart, TataCliqLuxury, Firstcry, Nykaa, PharmEasy BigBasket, Myntra, and NykaaFashion and are also made available through our network of over 60 key retail outlets pan-India. What sets us apart is our content and solution driven approach to sales. With digitisation and the changing face of Indian parents who are driven to provide the best-in-class products and solutions for their little ones, there is a great need for support and direction. Our platform offers a content-driven commerce approach that prioritises providing parents with improved options & knowledge. Our trained baby crew assist parents to make well researched choices suited to their lifestyle and not just sell products.
How the Indian baby care industry is expected to grow?
The Indian baby care products market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.02% during the forecast period (2022 – 2027). Additionally, parents today make well-informed and researched decisions when buying infant care goods to provide their children with the best possible, giving further impetus and fuelling greater opportunities for the industry in the future.
