41.6% of parents in Europe’s key markets are unfamiliar with any brand of baby car seats. This is a low figure for a product responsible for the safety of loved ones and frequently used on a daily basis. Low brand loyalty serves as an opportunity for cheap products and second-hand goods. The industry must leverage the crisis to strengthen its profile.

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On the occasion of the Children and Youth Fair, Interconnection Consulting, a leading market research institute for baby products, has released its latest study titled “Customer Insight – Baby Products in Europe 2023.”

The study reveals that despite the geographical proximity and cultural ties in Europe, significant differences exist in brand awareness and preferences for 1st- and 2nd-hand baby strollers and car safety seats. While Italy leads in brand awareness for strollers, France has the highest brand awareness for safety seats.

This study is based on a comprehensive survey of 1,000 parents from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain, focusing on baby strollers and safety seats.

Brand Awareness for Strollers is Highest in Italy at 66%

A key finding of the study is that brand awareness for baby strollers and safety seats varies significantly across different countries. Notably, in Italy, brand awareness for strollers is with 66% the highest, while it is lowest in the United Kingdom. The brand Chicco has achieved the highest brand awareness in Italy with impressive free recall values of 43.0% and also leads in France, with a free recall of 32.0%. In contrast, top stroller brands in the UK only have a free recall value of up to 16.5%.

A similar pattern emerges for safety seats, with brand awareness in Italy, Spain, and the UK, being lower than that of strollers. France leads with the highest brand awareness at 69.0%, while the UK ranks last again.

Spain Leads in the Market for 2nd-Hand Strollers and Safety Seats

The study also highlights interesting differences in purchasing behavior and reasons for buying new or 2nd-hand baby products in different countries.

For example, the UK has the highest proportion of 1st-hand products (baby strollers 83.5%, safety seats 84.1%), while Spain leads in 2nd-hand strollers (31.2%) and safety seats (31.9%). In Spain, 41.4% of used strollers and 27.1% of used safety seats are given to parents by friends and relatives. In contrast, in Germany, parents primarily purchase 2nd-hand strollers and safety seats on online platforms like eBay.

The main reasons for buying new strollers and safety seats across all countries are higher product quality and novelty. For used products, cost savings, environmental considerations, and rejection of the disposable society are the primary factors.

The European Buyer of Baby Products is not in Sight

The study emphasizes that Europe still exhibits a variety of market differences in baby products and underscores that brand strategies must vary significantly in different countries. Companies operating in this sector should carefully consider regional preferences and brand awareness to successfully establish themselves in various European markets.

Panorea Kaskani, the author of the study, emphasized the relevance of these findings for businesses: “Our research shows that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for baby products in Europe. Brands need to be aware of how different the markets are and adjust their strategies accordingly to succeed.”

For the second year in a row, the European strollers market have decreased by -0,9% in 2019 as a recent study by Interconnection Consulting shows. Interconnection predicts that the market will loose on average -1,8% units per year until 2023, in part due to a strong decline in 2020 in part offset by an increase in 2021. Only in France and Northern Europe, the study recognized an increase in quantity sold, while the German and Spanish markets declined for the first time in the last 5 years and the UK market failed to rebound after a sluggish 2018.

Parents more sensitive to prices as competition intensifies

Average prices  failed to grow in 2019 for the first time since the 2010 crisis. Parents have become more sensitive to price differences in the high-end premium segment as competition to gain shares in this segment has increased in the last 3 years. The high-end segment (>1000) lost  shares again in 2019 in part due to the impact of second-hand market, while shares of strollers in the medium-range (250€-500€) have now reached 33,7% quantity shares.  The temporary fall in demand caused by the COVID-19 crisis is forcing producers to offer one-off sales in the first part of 2020. As a consequence, total turnover is expected to fall below 800 million Euros in the next 3 years.

Lighter, cabin-proofed stroller on the rise…  before and after COVID-19

The rise of ultra-light compact in the last few years has been astonishing and more companies are now offering this type of solution. Interconnection expects this segment to grow further in the long-term by taking shares from both compact and buggies, but the COVID19 crisis could reduce their  demand until  travel restrictions are lifted. “This crisis have been put a lot of pressure on the strollers industry in the first half of 2020 and has the potential to modify parents’ approach to mobility and their consumer preferences”.  Comfort is the product group with the largest share (42,8%) and overperformed in 2018, reflecting also the rising shares of multi-travel systems.

COVID19 favors the long-term rise of online sales

Growing trend for online sales set forth and this channel have now reached a market share of 25,8%. Their growth rate is expected to rise even stronger  in 2020, as the off-line channel has been heavily impacted by the current crisis in some countries were forced to restructure due to financial problems. Especially, sales through boutiques and mass market will keep declining in the next 3 years.  Market concentration have been decreasing in the last few years as some newcomers have gained shares and the trend has been confirmed in 2019 with the top 10 companies controlling now 35% of the total market. Three of the largest companies are Artsana, Britax and Dorel.

The rise of more expensive type of seats (i-Size and Extended Convertibles) keep driving the overall value growth (+0,2% in 2019), but the new study by Interconnection predicts that the market will lose on average -1,1% units per year until 2023. Demand for safety seats have been relatively less impacted by the COVID-19 crisis than for stroller, but still  the aggregated market in the 7 major European markets is still forecasted to fall by 4-4% in 2020.

„Economy and premium segments are increasingly diverging in terms of product characteristics” explains Dr. Stefano Armandi, the author of the study.  Some parents are attracted to multi-year seats as an opportunity to buy only one seat per child and save money in the long-run. At the same, product innovations affecting the high-end segment, as i-Size and spinning and rotative seats, are becoming increasingly popular in the last 2 years.  For example, i-Size seats in the categories 0/0+ and 0+/1 cover now respectively 37,4% and 44,2% of each group’s shares and are already above that level in the medium and premium segment.

Multi-stage seats more popular in Southern Europe

In 2019 downward fall in quantity is mainly due to the negative performances of the Italian, Spanish and UK markets, where in the first 2 markets the rise of extended is reducing overall quantity, while in UK due to a mix of lower life births and economic uncertainty. The two biggest market, France and Germany, kept growing in 2019, but quantity sold will fall in 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis.

As in 2018, Group 1 and Backless kept loosing shares, while Extended Convertibles are best performer. Despite a positive growth of +0,4%, first sign of a stabilizing trend for 1/2/3 started to emerge in 2019, while 2/3 keep growing benefitting from the fall of backless solutions. Group 0/0+ and Group 0+/1 have been falling in 2019 in total, but performances diverged a bit in each countries. Infant seats in Nordics and O+/1 in Germany are still growing, while both are losing strongly in Spain and Italy (due to Extended).  This trend will keep shaping markets in Europe for the next 3 years, with O+/1 loosing less than 0/0+ on average.

Product innovation as key for growing in shares

All price segments above 100€ kept growing again in 2019, but firms are offering bigger discounts in the early months of 2020 and this will lead to a short-term fall in average price. Still, the trend towards higher average prices will resume in the next 3 years.

‘Online only’ channel reached 21,7% in 2019 and will benefit from the COVID-19 crisis, taking shares away from boutiques and mass market. Also chain specialized dealers with their online shops will be able to defend their market shares and stabilize around 38,5%.This is also the main channel in most countries, with the exception of France.

As some of the main producers have been successfully introducing new innovative models, market concentration raised a bit in 2019 reaching a combined share of 70,3% for the top 10 companies. Among the Top 5, there are Team-Tex (Nania Group), Dorel and Britax, Cibex/Goodbaby and Allison Baby.