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NICHE MARKET REPORT

MATERNITYWEAR

JOANNA MARTINS-NWORISA

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CONTENTS PAGE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..... 31. INTRODUCTION..... 4-5

2.THE MARKET SECTOR..... 6-72.1 MARKET SIZE.....8-9

3. TARGET CONSUMER OF THE MARKET.....10-11

3.1 DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE MARKET.....12-134. ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION WITHIN

THE MARKET.....14-155. A BRAND WITHIN THE NICHE

MARKET.....18-195.1 MARKETING MIX OF BRAND.....20-29

5.2 COMPETITORS OF BRAND.....30-315.3 BOSTON MATRIX OF BRAND.....32-33

5.4 SWOT OF BRAND.....34-356. CONCLUSION.....36

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..... 31. INTRODUCTION..... 4-5

2.THE MARKET SECTOR..... 6-72.1 MARKET SIZE.....8-9

3. TARGET CONSUMER OF THE MARKET.....10-11

3.1 DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE MARKET.....12-134. ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION WITHIN

THE MARKET.....14-155. A BRAND WITHIN THE NICHE

MARKET.....18-195.1 MARKETING MIX OF BRAND.....20-29

5.2 COMPETITORS OF BRAND.....30-315.3 BOSTON MATRIX OF BRAND.....32-33

5.4 SWOT OF BRAND.....34-356. CONCLUSION.....36

First time pregnant women and women who have children with a disposable income are more likely to shop in maternity brand retailers. The specialist

brand retailer, mothercare has been around for over 40 years and has always delivered on its promise of caring for women every step of the way.

This Niche Market report based on maternity wear and the chosen brand Mothercare has the following eleven units:

• TheMarketsector–givesabriefintroductiontothemarket(maternitywear)

• ThemarketSize–givesabriefdescriptiononthemarketshares

• TheTargetconsumerofthemarket–whobuysit?Whowearsis?

• Demographicsofthemarket–looksatgroupchangesanddevelopmentsin the market

• AdvertisingandPromotionwithinthemarket-givessomeexamplesofmaternity retailer promotion strategies

• ABrandwithinthemarket–introductiontothematernityretailermothercare

• Marketingmixofbrand-givesavisualoverviewofPrice,Prudoct,Pro-motion and Place

• Competitorsofbrand–displaysthemarketpostion

• BostonMatrixofbrand–adiagramoftheSTAR,CASHCOW,PROB-LEM CHILD AND DOG

• SWOTofthebrand

• ConclusionoftheNicheMarket

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INTRODUCTION

InthisreportIhavechosentoanalyzematernitywear.I think this is a very interesting market and would like to research deeper. My available sources was Mintel and Ivory Research who provided me with just about enough information I needed for the report. My limitation with this report was the fast that I was unable to find the cor-rect and specific information I need for certain subjects such as The Target Consumer. I mainly used the internet Ivory Research had a big influence in my report.

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The maternity wear market poses a unique range of challenges to apparel manufacturers and retailers. Firstly, the target audience is constantly changing, and as soon as a brand relationship has been established with a customer, she has given birth and is back to wearing her normal clothing again. Secondly, as women today are having fewer children, there are correspondingly fewer opportunities to recapture the same customer for subsequent pregnancies. Moreover, styling and fit require a fresh approach to design, demanding more thoughtfulness than simply turning out hot-off-the-catwalk fashion. The good news is that while women are having fewer children, the rise in smaller families means that there is more money available to spend on each pregnancy. The broad trend is also towards having the first child at an older age, when women are more established in their careers and therefore have a higher disposable income.

1. MARKET SECTOR

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2.1 MARKET SIZE

The maternitywear market was worth £142 million in 2012 and accounts for less than 1% of the women’s clothing sector. The market saw sales pick up slightly in 2012 after value sales dropped in 2011 as a result of a double blow of a drop in births and the recession making its mark. Over the last five years, the maternitywear market has remained relatively flat, growing by only 3% between 2007 and 2012 as women have reined in their spending in an uncertain economic climate. While the UK has seen a mini baby boom in recent years, with the number of births rising by 10% between 2006 and 2012, according to data from the ONS, over a quarter(25.5%)ofallchildrenbornin2011inEnglandandWaleshadforeign-born mothers.

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3. TARGET CONSUMER OF THE MARKET

•These consumers mainly bought maternity clothes during their pregnancy.

•They are inclined to have bought good quality maternity clothes and looked for garments that they can use after their pregnancy.

•They nevertheless struggled to find stylish maternity clothes. Cost does not appear to be an issue for this group.

Who are they? •Mothers of all ages, but particularly those aged 20-35 who fall into the C2 socio-economic group. They tend to live in London or Yorkshire/North East. specialists.

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3.1 DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE MARKET

•TheStylishBumpsaccountforalmosthalf(48%)ofmothersofchildrenaged0-6whohave bought maternity clothing, and while these consumers mainly bought specific materni-tywear and purchased good quality items, they struggled to find the stylish maternity cloth-ing that they were looking for.

•Overathird(36%)ofmothersfallintotheBudgetBumpsgroup;asthisgrouptendedtofindmaternityclothestooexpensive,theymixedandmatcheditwithloose-fitting/larger-sizedgarments.Theyalsoonlyboughtspecificmaternitywearwhentheyreallyneededtofor work and special occasions.

•DissatisfiedMums(16%)weregenerallyunhappywiththematernitywearofferandwouldhave liked a better choice of maternity clothing in-store and struggled to find clothes that fitted well and lasted for the whole pregnancy

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•TheStylishBumpsaccountforalmosthalf(48%)ofmothersofchildrenaged0-6whohave bought maternity clothing, and while these consumers mainly bought specific materni-tywear and purchased good quality items, they struggled to find the stylish maternity cloth-ing that they were looking for.

•Overathird(36%)ofmothersfallintotheBudgetBumpsgroup;asthisgrouptendedtofindmaternityclothestooexpensive,theymixedandmatcheditwithloose-fitting/larger-sizedgarments.Theyalsoonlyboughtspecificmaternitywearwhentheyreallyneededtofor work and special occasions.

•DissatisfiedMums(16%)weregenerallyunhappywiththematernitywearofferandwouldhave liked a better choice of maternity clothing in-store and struggled to find clothes that fitted well and lasted for the whole pregnancy

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4. ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION WITHIN THE MARKET

Advertising on maternitywear remains low, but has recovered slightly after falling signifi-cantly in 2010.

Premium online retailer Isabella Oliver is one of the highest spenders in the maternity-wear market. The retailer has, nevertheless, cut back hugely on advertising since 2008 when it made a name for itself with a bus side campaign for its jeans featuring topless pregnant women.

Maternitywear brand Seraphine, which is sold in John Lewis, has continued to spend consistently on marketing itself.

Both the Isabella Oliver and Seraphine brands benefit from their following among celeb-rities such as Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie who have worn the clothes whilst pregnant. The garments on the Isabella Oliver website mention what celebrity they were worn by andwhatmagazinestheyhavefeaturedin.

Mamas & Papas launched an ad campaign in October 2012 featuring pictures of single andsame-sexparentsalongsidethestandardphotoofaheterosexualcouplewiththeirbaby. The company said that the aim was to celebrate the diversity of the British modern family.

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MOTHERCARE

Mothercare is a specialist retailer of parenting and children’s products. Thecompanyoffersmaternityandchildren’sclothing,furnitureandhome furnishing, bedding, feeding, bathing and travel equipment and also toys. Mothercare has more than a 1000 stores across the globe. Thecompanyrecordsasubstantialincreaseinrevenue;£723.6millionin financial year ending March 2009 and worldwide network sales up to £1.1 billion by 2010.

Mission statement - ‘To become the world’s specialist retailer in meet-ing the needs and aspirations of parents for their children’.

5. A BRAND WITHIN YOUR NICHE MARKET

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5.1 MARKETING MIX OF THE BRAND

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Mothercare women maternity wear ranges from £8-£140. Psychological pricing is applied in the company attracting customers and brand switchers to become a part of the brand.

Thepricesof£40and$61arepurposelykepttomakeconsumersquestiontheextrapound. The £1 will be donated to charity

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THE PROFESSONAL WORKING MOTHER

Mothers with more of a disposable income tend to have purchased maternitywear from childrenswear retailers such as Mothercare and

maternitywear specialists.

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5.2 COMETITORS OF BRAND

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The brands within the circle are MOTHERCARE.S key competitors, Marks andSpencerandNextareathreattothecompany.Thethreebrandsaresimilar in design and qulity, however they are a little higher in prices and they both have a high rick to pose a great theat for mothercare in the future.

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5.3 BOSTON MATRIX

Blooming Marvellous Maternity Over The Bump Dark Wash Skinny Jean

£30.00

Fabric composition: 98% cotton 2% elastane

Blooming Marvellous Non Wire Support T-Shirt Bra

£14:00

Fabric composition: 47% Polyamide, 38% Polyester, 10% Elastane, 5% Cotton

one of all mothercares specialties that every pregnent woman needs.

It’s a necessity to every pregnant woman

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Blooming Marvellous Multistripe Knot T-Shirt

£8.50

Due to the cold and does not cover bump fully

Blooming Marvellous Maternity Black Reefer Coat

£60.00

Fabric composition: 52% Wool 27% Poly-ester 9% Acrylic 8% Nylon 4% Viscose

women are more likely to buy simply a more larger coat from non maternity specialiets

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STRENGTHS(internal)• Establishedbrandposition• Babyproducts/clothing:specialtyretailer• Abilitytoadaptitselftotheneedsofitscustomersininternational markets• Widevarietyofproductsandservices

WEAKNESS(internal)• Noproductdiversity• Thecostofcommissionpaymenttosponsorsandaffinity groups.• Nottargetingtheteenagemarket• Fallinsalesduetorecession

OPPORTUNITIES(external)• Increasedsalesthroughanexpansionoftheserviceofferings.• Increasingcreditoptionsforproducts.• Manycustomersbuyfromaffinitygroups.• Canenteramarket.

THREATS(external)• Directinsurance.• Fiercecompetition.• Decreasingmarketshare.

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STRENGTHS(internal)• Establishedbrandposition• Babyproducts/clothing:specialtyretailer• Abilitytoadaptitselftotheneedsofitscustomersininternational markets• Widevarietyofproductsandservices

WEAKNESS(internal)• Noproductdiversity• Thecostofcommissionpaymenttosponsorsandaffinity groups.• Nottargetingtheteenagemarket• Fallinsalesduetorecession

THREATS(external)• Directinsurance.• Fiercecompetition.• Decreasingmarketshare.

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6. CONCLUSION

In conclusion to this report the maternity wear market is continuously growing and given the fact that the maternity wear market target audiences are constantly changing.Nowadayswomenarehavingfewerchildren;thismeansthereismoremoneyavailableto spend on each pregnancy.The trend is women are having their first child at an older age, or when they are more established in their careers while having a higher disposable income. Howeverthereisagapinthemarketforaffordable,fashionableandwell-fittingmaternity clothes and in order to grow the market retailers need to address these issues whichcurrentlyputwomenoffbuyingspecificmaternitywear.

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