India’s kidswear, babycare segments are changing: These entrepreneurs tell you how

The babycare and kidswear segments are going through constant evolution, with new categories and products launched consistently.

According to Technavio, the Indian baby care products market is expected to increase by $26.35 billion between 2020 and 2025, increasing at a CAGR of 11 percent.

Speaking about the boom in the babycare space, Malika Sadani, Founder and CEO, The Moms Co., said the “Mom & Baby” category has now become one of the sought after segments in India.

In a panel discussion on YourStory’s Daily Dispatch, she added, “This is just the beginning of the journey, and a lot more is going to happen in the segment. I continue to be very optimistic about seeing a lot of newer trends come out.”

While sharing his insights on the kidswear segment, Rahul Anand, Founder and CEO, Hopscotch, said, during the COVID-19 pandemic, kidswear — shoes, accessories, clothes, etc. — was centred around what kids would wear at home.

Now, with the world moving towards a post-pandemic phase, occasion or partywear segments for kids are massively picking up. 

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Rahul said, “Kids fashion is a $15 billion category in India, and there are no brands, so it’s a very ripe opportunity for large and leading D2C brands to make the most of it.”

He highlighted that at Hopscotch, the brand is witnessing an increased frequency of orders from consumers. “The level of engagement with our brand is dramatically growing,” he said. 

Malika shared that mothers, nowadays, are far more aware — thanks to the rise of online content consumption — owing to which a lot of niche products, including sunscreens, are picking up in the segment. “I also see a very large uptick coming in for diapers as a segment altogether,” she added. 

At The Moms Co., Malika said the brand is working on several innovations, and has new products and categories lined up for this year.

It is also planning on expanding into retail as an omnichannel approach for the brand to grow. “Being digital is great when you start, but as you grow, getting an old omnichannel approach is going to be very important,” she said. 

At present, The Moms Co. has about 3,000 stores, and it has plans to ramp up this figure to 20,000 by the end of 2022. 

On the other hand, Rahul said Hopscotch is focusing on online channels as it has been growing massively via third-party online distribution platforms. At present, the kidswear brand is completely online, and over 80 percent of its distribution happens on its Hopscotch storefront. 

Going forward, the brand would also expand into other categories, including everyday wear. 

In terms of mergers and acquisition (M&A) strategies, Malika said the idea was always to get The Moms Co. to be one of the top three global brands in the mom and baby space.

“We just want to make mom’s life easy, and in that context, anything that can stand by the brand values, and at the same time, add ease into the mom’s life will always be on the radar,” she said.