Marketing Case study on Luxury Baby Brands 👇

Time flies by when you’re having fun an adult with adult jobs. 

Oh to have the baby life where your only concern is getting 18 hours of sleep.

But hey it turns out, baby life is changing.

Babies are getting… bougie.

From clothes to accessories to skincare to cosmetics, baby things are embracing the L word: luxury

Honestly, the price tags on these luxury baby things should make every fully grown parent throw a tantrum, but somehow that’s not happening.

Just luxury kids clothes sales is likely to cross $8.5 Billion this year!

Who’s buying? Who’s selling?

What is the luxury baby market all about?

Let’s take some baby steps and find out.

First up, what even is luxury baby goods?

One, it could be a new category of products altogether.

Exhibit A: Skincare for babies

It is much more than regular soap now. There are categories like ‘bath milk’, ‘scented water’ and ‘cleansing foam’ for babies. 

For example, a tiny bottle of Dior baby cleanser will cost you tens of thousands of rupees! It’s apparently supposed to make the baby’s skin super soft.

(Ok but what is softer than a literal baby’s natural skin?!)

Two, it could be super luxe, expensive variants of normal things a baby uses.

Like babies use strollers. You knew that.

But did you know that some babies now go around in INR 2,00,000+ Versace strollers? Because yes, this is a thing. 

Or baby rattles, cutlery, mugs, combs… picture the most ordinary everyday things… but make it in silver with the iconic Tiffany brand name.

Yes, kids can be born with a silver spoon in their mouth now, quite literally. 

How did the luxury baby market get so hot suddenly?

Babies have always been around. Luxury brands have always been around. Why this surge now?

Two words: Millennial parents!

• Millennials are more pro-luxury than boomers.
  And now that they are the ones spending on baby goods, there is a demand for luxury in that segment too
• Social media plays a giant role in the millennial psyche.
  Trends like ‘mini-me’ are nudging new parents in the direction of spending more on baby things. Boomers believed in matching couple outfits, rich millennials are more like here look at this mini version of me also dressed in luxury 

Marketing for luxury baby goods is tricky business

There are many nuanced things that the brand has to get right:

• Being sensitive > everything else
  Remember the flak Balenciaga got for its campaign featuring children with questionable accessories in the background?
• The brand identity
  Luxury brands need to ensure the look, feel, aesthetic of their baby goods are still true to their OG brand vibe. Yet they need to also be appropriate for babies.

If done right, it can pay off big. Like, Burberry recently went super viral for all the right reasons. They got a lot of love for featuring a Sikh model with a traditional turban that matched the Burberry outfit.

This is not just a West thing btw

One of the biggest luxury baby markets is brewing in China. And it is largely because of something known as the ‘Little Emperor Syndrome’

Thanks to China’s one-child policy, that one child is often showered with attention. And investing in your one child with luxury shopping has become somewhat of a love symbol.

(All second borns reading this, u ok bbs?)

From Gucci baby to Armani kids, many luxury designer brands are expanding their store footprint in China.

You know where else are parents known to be ‘helicopter parents’? India! Luxury brands, like most sectors, are now eyeing India.

What do you think? 
Do this sound like your cup of (expensive) tea?