Life-Stages Consumer Insights

Trend - As more consumers turn to convenient health solutions, health brands are offering parents of infants supplements that can be incorporated into their children's diets in order to ensure they're consuming enough nutrients.

Insight - Millennial parents are raising their children aligned with their personal beliefs and lifestyles, many of which include a focus on health and wellness. These parents are turning to brands that allow them to raise their kids with the same rituals and habits that they're accustomed to.

Trend - Adaptable products that are able to "grow" or change in function as children grow up are increasingly popular. Products in this space include everything from high chairs with multiple functions to cribs that can turn into desks.

Insight - One of the many costly aspects of having children is having to replace child-specific products and clothing as they rapidly get bigger and mature. Brands that are able to reduce these costs with long-term, adaptable investments are appealing to parents who are looking to both save money and cut down on waste.

Trend - As products and services for infants and toddlers evolve, connected decor and functional items in nurseries are becoming more common. These smart products include everything from growth-tracking sheets for cribs, to connected play mats.

Insight - The use of technology in the process of child-rearing is more common as Millennial parents and caregivers see the value of mixing the traditional rituals they were raised with, with the modern rituals that children will one day be exposed to anyway within the home, school, and workplace. These tools offer convenience for parents, while also enhancing children's health, recreational, and educational experiences.

Trend - Brands are launching apps that allow parents to rent baby equipment for short periods of time rather than purchasing the items and trying to resell them afterward. These apps are ideal for parents traveling or looking for cost-effective solutions.

Insight - The cost of raising a child can be very strenuous for parents, especially since the items needed are quickly outgrown. Many parents are looking for affordable ways to reduce their consumption and costs that meet their needs at different milestones. These consumers value collaborative consumption models and will flock to brands that offer services designed for their lifestyle.

Trend - As STEM skills are introduced to children at earlier ages, brands are offering subscription boxes with educational toys, visuals and activities that help build and improve children's STEM skills over time.

Insight - Millennial parents are particularly focused on fostering skills that will one day help their kids adapt to the world, whether that's in work, recreation, or creative outlets. Millennial parents want to get their children accustomed to these necessary skills at a young age, so they come easier to them as they grow older.

Trend - Coined by Dan Buettner, Blue Zones are identified as regions of the world where a higher than usual number of people live much longer than average. Brands—particularly in the hospitality and nutrition sector—are drawing inspiration from lifestyles in Blue Zones in order to provide unique enriching, longevity-enhancing experiences to consumers.

Insight - As a result of the acceleration and boom of the health and wellness movement, contemporary consumers have internalized the pursuit of mindfulness and well-being as a habit. For many, striving to maintain good physical and mental stamina is enabling them to feel happier, confident, and more energized. In addition, the emphasis on wellness practices allows individuals to gain peace of mind since they are taking preventative measures for aging.

Trend - The ASMR trends that have become so popular on various social media platforms are now being adapted into child-friendly formats. These forms of sensory play offer both developmental and psychological benefits for children.

Insight - Social media is increasingly driving everything from recreational to pop-culture trends, and its influence is particularly strong on Gen Z and Millennials. Now, brands across industries are increasingly turning to digital trends in order to inform their ideation processes.

Trend - The popularity of podcasts has now resulted in people and brands offering the same entertainment, but directed towards children. Between imaginative stories and educational narratives, children are now being encouraged to engage with this form of media.

Insight - Parents of children today, likely to be Millennials, are seeing the benefits of incorporating modern day technology into their child-rearing practices. Being able to use modern entertainment and innovations in order to inform everything from children's education to lifestyle habits allows parents to prepare children for contemporary systems and challenges.

Trend - Toy brands are releasing gender-neutral versions of toys that were once typically marketed to one gender or another--in response to changing social norms and understandings of gender in North America in-particular.

Insight - Millennials parents tend to be more progressive and socially aware than generations that preceded them, and they're imparting those values in their children as well. Things like rigid gender norms and roles are not longer as enforced as they once were, and more parents are giving children the flexibility to carve out their own identities.

Trend - Brands are creating virtual services that help children learn various skills online. These platforms include everything from language-learning to virtual cooking camps--all of which prioritize skill-building in children.

Insight - The ongoing pandemic has made consumers even more present online than they were prior to the pandemic, and consumers all over the world have turned to the digital space in unprecedented numbers to work, consume content and learn new skills. These habits haven't just formed in adults--parents are looking for ways to keep their children engaged with various virtual platforms created for needs like education, skill-building, or entertainment.