Elizabeth Hasselbeck announced yesterday that she was expecting in November. Add the ever-adorable View co-host to the NYC bump brigade that seems to be multiplying (sorry – bad, bad pun) daily! She wore a ton of Meet me in Miami last time around – I bet Debbie O has already got a box on the way! Also add her to the growing trend of families short spacing their babies. She and husband Tim have been openly trying for a while – meaning they would have gone even closer! So exciting news, and also – some things to consider (yeah, yeah – today is a thinking post, humor me)

A few industry implications:

- Gear for multiples and/or short spaced families is more in demand than ever.
- The lifespan expectancy of gear becomes longer…manufacturers begin to steer away from disposable product, the shift towards quality and design is a central trend.
- “First Timers” remain key – and most open to pregnancy and baby information gathering. Reaching families during their first pregnancy becomes critical as second pregnancies, especially those in short order, result in much less spending, and certainly product choices and brand loyalties are fairly set by this point.
- Expect higher spending from first and multiple pregnancies based on life-span expectations of product (as well as the excitement and newness factor, of course).
- This is especially true in strollers and maternity fashion – two areas where consumers are now open to spending more for quality.
- Gift giving, showers, etc. tends to go down with second babies. Though the trend towards gifting all family members at second birth remains true.

And now you know…

You may resume your Spring Fever now….I know I will!

Posted by Julia on Tuesday, May 1st, 2007 at 5:22 am and filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.