Declining birth rates, fading demographic dividends, and rising customer acquisition costs—these pain-points often dominate discussions about the mother-and-baby market. Yet, when we shift our perspective to long-term value, a different picture emerges. The new generation of mothers—primarily those born in the 1990s —are far from being a marginal segment. In fact, they can rival other high-potential groups such as Gen Z, the coveted “middle-aged women”, and the rapidly expanding “silver-haired generation” in terms of product extensibility, customer lifetime value, and per-customer transaction potential.
Leveraging robust big and small data analytics combined with deep consumer insights, cbh (Consumer & Big Health), a boutique of Illuminera, explores the pain points and consumption scenarios of this new generation of mothers, analyses their consumption and healthcare decision-making models, to identify sustainable and long-term growth opportunities for brands.
Insights into the New Generation of Mothers for Consumption Logic Reshape
The new generation of mothers is becoming the primary driver of mother-and-baby consumption. What defines their consumption behavior and logic? And what can brands learn from them?
1.Strong Brand Loyalty in Core Categories
For essential childcare products such as infant formula milk and diapers, new-generation mothers tend to stick with their chosen brands. This loyalty creates opportunities for brands to leverage their reputation in core categories to expand into adjacent ones. For example, a diaper brand might branch into baby skincare, while an infant formula milk brand could extend into nutritional supplements, complementary foods, snacks, or specialized formulas.
2. A Long Lifecycle with Expanding Needs
The mother-and-baby journey spans from pregnancy through infancy and into the school years. Brands with strong supply chain capabilities can strategically follow this trajectory, continuously broadening their offerings to meet evolving needs and drive innovation.
3. Beyond Baby: Household Decision-Makers
New-generation mothers are not only investing in their children but also making key decisions for household spending. From childcare and personal purchases to household essentials and even products for parents, they represent a powerful consumer force across multiple categories.
How Can Brands Capture Their Attention?
01 Brand Power Still Matters
While decision-making criteria of core categories are becoming more diverse and complex, brand power remains critical. However, the definition of brand power has shifted beyond traditional metrics like awareness, favorability and brand image. Today’s mothers evaluate brands based on tangible evidence—brand strength, data performance, advertising investment, service, experience, and so on.
02 Securing Core Touchpoints in the Decision Journey
Different mother profiles exhibit distinct decision-making models. Brands must identify and secure key touchpoints to capture their mindset at critical stages:
Type1: Solid Researcher
She actively seeks scientific evidence, builds decision frameworks, and independently evaluates efficacy, risks, and long-term value.
Brand Strategy: Creating professional content along mom’s research paths, emphasizing R&D strength and medical validation.
Type2: Brand/Authority Trustor
She relies on trusted brands or authoritative sources to reduce risk and improve efficiency.
Brand Strategy: Building a strong and data supported brand image as early as possible for consumer products while leveraging endorsements to increase trust for pharmaceutical products.
Type3: Word-of-Mouth Trustor
She depends on authentic peer recommendations and social media sharing to gauge effectiveness and risks.
Brand Strategy: Harnessing UGC on social media and encouraging diverse, genuine user experiences to drive engagement and communication.
03 Perfecting the Closed-Loop Experience and Service Design
Aa a sense of “companionship” significantly influences repeat purchases and loyalty, brands need to optimize product experience and service design to respond promptly to mothers’ demands.
Build a Flexible Service Tool Matrix
From phone support to mini-programs, e-commerce memberships, and social media groups, brands need a multi-channel approach tailored to different segments. Building a flexible service tool matrix can effectively "accompany" new-generation mothers throughout the entire journey across all channels.
Balance Professional and Emotional Value
Coupons and event reminders help maintain engagement, but true loyalty requires “professional support + proactive care”. Whether through real customer service agent or AI, the goal is to become a trusted partner on mothers’ often-anxious parenting journey, which promptly identify their unmet needs and deliver service.
The mother-and-baby market is entering a new era of refinement and deep value cultivation. New-generation mothers are no longer mere consumers of single-category products—they have diverse, evolving needs along the extended parenting and family journey. Illuminera remains committed to a consumer-centric approach, integrating big and small data insights to uncover genuine needs and market opportunities. By helping brands understand decision-making logic, plan for key touchpoints, and optimize product and service loops, we enable clients to navigate market volatility and achieve resilient, long-term growth.
For more relevant information, please send an email to marketing@illuminera.com.
