Get to Know How the New Mom Shops in GMDC’s Latest Study

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Jan. 13, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ready for the next generation of Moms? GMDC announces the release of, “Why Baby Products Matter to Retailers,” which highlights the value of the baby department in the total store by pinpointing key category trends, insights, and opportunities for retailers.

“Through this report, GMDC is connecting the industry to research that will help grocery and drug retailers better position themselves to not only remain competitive in the baby channel, but actually grow and sustain market share by understanding how shoppers shop and how important it is for products to crossover the aisles,” said Mark Mechelse, Director of Research, Industry Insights and Communications of GMDC. “This study includes a call to action that retailers and their trading partners can use to work more productively and profitably together by using Nielsen and Catalina shopper insights.”

Sales and Margin Growth:  According to the report, with the improvement in the economy the birthrate rose in 2014 for the first time in several years.  This has created a new opportunity for retailers to drive customer traffic and sales by effectively engaging new moms. While core categories such as baby food and diapers play a vital role by drawing customer traffic and accounting for the bulk of revenues, the report reveals how retailers can significantly boost their profitability by skillfully tying in more higher margin general merchandise categories such as baby accessories, toiletry and apparel with the traffic drivers, which are usually subject to fierce price competition.

Major Challenges and Changes: The GMDC White Paper emphasizes the importance of understanding the new wave of Moms, 90% of whom were Millennials (ages 15 to 35) in 2014. While these younger mothers share some values and behaviors with older generations of parents, they also display some distinctive traits, not least of which is their comfort with using digital and mobile technologies in their shopping.  Their focus on health and wellness and green products for their babies is another important factor shaping their buying behavior.

Moreover, more than half of Millennial Moms are working, and in many cases they are the main breadwinners for their families.  Making shopping easy for this time-starved consumer will be essential to every retailer’s success.

To discover more about how these actionable insights can produce significant change in your store or enhance your product development cycle, available to the public is GMDC’s Baby Insight report at www.gmdc.org/why-baby-products-matter-to-retailers.

GMDC members are able to download the full research paper, with detailed analytics and action steps in their private member portal.

The research and insights published by GMDC were sponsored by Gerber.

About GMDC
Global Market Development Center (GMDC) energizes members and the marketplace by advancing a culture of Connect-Collaborate-Create-Commerce. As the leading GM and HBW trade association, GMDC is dedicated to serving its ecosystem of more than 600 General Merchandise and Health Beauty Wellness retailers, wholesalers, suppliers and service/solution member companies by enabling consumer-facing innovation and retail reimagined. GMDC's combined member volume represents more than 125,000 retail outlets and more than $500 billion in sales. To learn more, visit www.gmdc.org 

About Gerber®
Gerber was founded in 1928 in Fremont, Michigan. Gerber Products Company joined the Nestlé family on Sept. 1, 2007. Gerber Products Company is a leader in early childhood nutrition.

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