Consumer insights:

FANFINDERS

Move over fintech and agtech,

it’s time for babytech FanFinders’ Chief Commercial Officer Adam Gillett discusses how modern families and the industry are embracing smart tech.

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few years ago, The Wall Street Journal asked in an article: “Are you a bad parent if you rely on parenting technology?” No, was the consensus, you’re a typical parent. So, it comes as no surprise that when considering which product development and innovation trends are gathering real momentum, that connectivity, AI and remote monitoring are all sitting front and centre. Sure, safety and sustainability are ever present in parents’

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thoughts and the coming years will not change that, but the biggest trends in our industry can be found in everything from smart nappies through to wireless in-bra breast pumps all controlled via apps. We’re talking real Internet Of Things (IoT)-type innovation here. This market has been building in sophistication, use of data and shedding its original clinical, clunky looks for a while now, while the demand for products that can free up time and reduce the anxiety

With the latest generation of parents looking for smart solutions, baby monitoring has perhaps been the clearest example of the rapid change taking place.

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Image source pexels.com

from day-to-day parenting has been growing year on year. Increasingly, modern mums and dads that have grown up surrounded by a suite of digital devices and apps that make their lives easier, expect similar technologies to support them when starting a family. With a range of new apps and smart technologies available, market research back in 2018 by firm Frost & Sullivan found that 3 out of 4 mums were already using technology to conceive, carry a pregnancy and equip a crib for their children, as well as monitoring their child as they grow, measuring breastmilk and tracking fertility for future offspring plans. The pandemic has arguably only exacerbated the desire for next-gen tech. Many parents are having to juggle work and home life, while being immersed in a society that is even more conscious of health. A FanFinders’ survey conducted during lockdown found that monitoring their baby’s health was the largest concern for 72% of mums in the UK and 79% of

mums in the US. With the latest generation of parents looking for smart solutions, baby monitoring has perhaps been the clearest example of the rapid change taking place. Sensors have become smaller and cheaper – they can be integrated to provide real-time monitoring of things like temperature, hydration, and respiration, whilst the quality of audio and video has rocketed. What this means, according to research company Technavio, is that the smart connected baby monitor market is expected to see $119 million incremental growth between 2019 and 2023. So why, after years where babytech was considered ‘niche’ and not necessarily worth the investment, are we seeing more innovative products hit the market? The answer is that our industry

For more information on FanFinders and the consumer insight they can offer, call: 0203 808 3011 or visit www.fanfinders.com

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nursery today