Catalina Data Reveals Retail Private Brand Baby Boom

Shopper intelligence leader Catalina, which has been closely following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on buying behavior at grocery and drug stores, has tracked over $100 million in baby-related Private Brand sales since panic buying started to take hold on March 1.

Per Catalina’s Buyer Intelligence Database, the number of shoppers purchasing Retail Private Brand baby products has increased 18% since March 1, driving 10% category sales growth and a 6% increase in trips. By comparison, the number of National Brand baby category buyers grew by 9%, driving 9% sales growth but a 3% decline in trips.

“Before the pandemic, three-quarters of shoppers visited more than one retailer each week seeking greater value, variety – or both. As shoppers limited their number of trips due to health concerns, they began to explore new aisles – and new products to maximize their visits,” said Wes Bean, SVP of Catalina’s U.S. Retail Network. “As living rooms turned into daycare centers and baby showers went virtual during lockdowns, shoppers gravitated toward private brands to fulfill their needs when it came to baby product categories – and they have continued to buy them.”

Catalina dug into three specific categories (Bottles & Accessories; Baby Juice/Water; Baby Clothes & Accessories) where the company saw favorable sales trends relating to Existing Private Brand buyers (shoppers who had bought Private Brand during the previous 13 weeks before the COVID-19 period began in earnest on March 1, 2020) and New Private Brand Buyers (shoppers who hadn’t bought Private Brands during the 13 weeks before the COVID-19 period began on March 1 and who subsequently shifted from name brands).

For the 15-week period beginning June 13, 2020:

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“New and expanding families are likely looking for value and see retailer private brands as a way to purchase items they would have typically received at a baby shower. While the private brands sales growth may have started with pantry stocking during the pandemic, repeat purchases are a trend to watch in the months ahead,” added Bean.

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About Catalina
Catalina is the market leader in shopper intelligence and highly targeted in-store and digital media that personalizes the shopper journey. Powered by the world's richest real-time shopper database, Catalina helps CPG brands, retailers and agencies optimize every stage of media planning, execution and measurement to deliver $6.1 billion in consumer value annually. Based in St. Petersburg, FL, Catalina has operations in the United States, Europe and Japan. To learn more, please visit www.catalina.com or follow us on Twitter @Catalina.

Media Contact:
Wally Petersen/Catalina
312-804-3475 – wally@wrpcommunications.com