Bringing up baby — and mom

The old adage that if mom is happy, everybody’s happy has never been more true. The success of companies making baby OTC products is increasingly tied to their ability to meet both the needs of a child and its parents. With retailers working to deliver a one-stop shop for all of a baby’s OTC needs, companies delivering on new needs — including education and convenience — could become big winners in capturing an extremely loyal shopper, according to several baby care suppliers.

 

“Moms are increasingly building this aisle into their shopping routine and even stocking up on items they hadn’t previously as a result,” said Joseph Juliano, vice president of marketing at Greenburgh, N.Y.-based Prestige Brands, which markets the Little Remedies products — which include cough-cold, fever and stomach relief offerings.

 

[quote-from-article] Juliano noted that as millennials become parents, education is playing an even larger role in reaching them because much of their preshopping is now being done online.

 

“[Millennial moms] increasingly research baby care products online before making their purchase in store, and nearly 1-in-3 will forego that shopping trip and complete their baby care purchase online,” Juliano said. As part of its push for education, Little Remedies has a regularly updated blog, called A Little More Wisdom, that includes posts about baby development, parenting techniques, common child ailments and food and nutrition tips. It also produces video content for parents.

 

“The Little Remedies brand is continuing to inform and engage moms with meaningful content, [and] we work with our retail partners to leverage this content to drive our shoppers to the retailer’s aisle or e-commerce platform,” Juliano said.

 

Besides requiring education, manufacturers are finding that convenience is another crucial need for busy parents, according to Annette Domnik, chief marketing officer at Draper, Utah-based Zarbee’s Naturals, which markets vitamins and supplements, sore throat relief and immune support products for babies and children younger than 12 years old.

 

To deliver on convenience, Zarbee’s has recently launched its Baby On-the-Go cough syrup sachets to make cough relief an easier option for busy moms. The on-the-go cough syrups, which will carry a suggested retail price of $10.99 for 10 sachets, feature an option for both babies and children. Domnik said they offer an incremental addition to the basket.

 

“It’s a convenient way for mom to not only place a serving into her diaper bag, but she can leave the pre-dosed serving with a sitter and not have to worry about it,” Domnik said.