rhythm moving with chinese mums

Welcome to Rhythm: Moving with Modern Chinese Mothers, the

first in our Rhythm series which explores how an evolving China

is affecting its people.

China is rapidly changing on all fronts: society, economy,

technology all have seen fundamental transformation in the

past 30 years. We now have 3 generations of Chinese consumers

who have only experienced China as a booming economy and

world power. They have access to more brands, products,

information and money than ever. Barriers to buying products

have diminished with the rise of E-Commerce and affordable

mobile phones have opened the digital world for some people

for the first time. This wealth of choices has not come without

challenges—income disparity, pollution, food safety and

pressure have become the bywords of progress.

Brands need to be in tune with the new China, one where

innovation and rapid change are the norm, digital is

fundamental and the tension of development lies under

glittering skylines. Rhythm: Moving with Modern Chinese

Mothers looks into how this China is shaping its mothers. As

nurturers of China’s next generation, their thoughts and beliefs

will define the China of the future.

The first generation of Chinese citizens born under the one

child policy have now become China’s parents. Despite the

relaxing of the one-child policy (the majority of ChineseFO

REW

ORD

Jeanette Phang

Director – Business Intelligence, OMD CHINA

couples qualify to have more than one-child), reflecting trends

in developing and developed countries all over the world,

Chinese parents are older and opt to have only one-child.

Motherhood is no longer a requirement, but a choice.

It is no wonder then that the tiger mum has evolved in China.

No longer satisfied for her child excel only in academia, she

now is under pressure to help her child be much more: more

social, speak more languages, more active. The modern

Chinese mother needs to be champion, teacher, protector,

researcher, shopper and bread winner to give her child the

best. It’s no wonder that Chinese mothers are severely

stressed.

Using existing data sources and new data studies like OMD’s

Baby Skincare Study, Rhythm: Moving with Modern Chinese

Mothers answers how brands can re-connect with time poor,

pressured Chinese mothers. With insights into what drives her

when it comes to her child and how she is overcoming the

demands on her, we reveal different facets of the modern

Chinese mother. We hope these insights will help you know

mothers better, and gives you inspiration for new ways to

communicate with her.

TRADITIONALLY IN CHINA, A WOMAN’S MOST IMPORTANT MISSIONIS TO BE A MOTHER

But we are seeing more women hesitate in becoming mothers

5

The average age of giving birth to

a first child in China has been

going up

2004

2014

26.29

28.18

Amongst the 11m women eligible

to have a second child, only 1.1m

have applied for the permit

Source: Beijing Daily Mar 2014; National Health and Family Planning Commission

The same feeling is reflected on social media

“I’m tired even looking after two puppies,

let alone two children. I no longer dream

about having children. ”

“I don’t understand why some girls have

children at such an early age. I’ll never do it. I

still have a life to live.”

“It hurts to give birth. And it takes toll on my

body shape. With this high living cost, I won’t

ever think of having a second child.”

6

She got married

at the age of 25

Pregnant at

the age of 27

She has a Bachelor’s

degree

And now, she is the

proud mum of a baby girl

She works full time

Her family earns

12.5K per month

And spends 6.5K per

month

Her name is XiaoTing

and she lives in Nanjing

Who is China’s Modern Mother?

7

Mums are themost stressed group in China

8

89% OF ALL MUMS FEEL STRESSED IN THEIR DAILY

LIFE COMPARED TO 58% OF WOMEN IN GENERAL

TO UNDERSTAND MOTHERS, WE NEED TO DISCOVER

9

WHAT CAUSES THIS

STRESSHOW MOTHERS

FIGHT BACK&

Our data sources

10

China Mum & Baby Study 7,260 mums

26 cities across 4 tiers

China National

Resident Survey

93,788 respondents


OMD Baby Skincare Research

with myTianHui

Mum focus groups in

T2 and T3 cities

Marketing to Mums3,000 mums


BUT, THIS REQUIRES LOTS OF RESEARCH AND INVESTMENT

11

MOTHERS DEMAND THE

BEST PRODUCTS FOR

THEIR CHILDREN

Children enjoy absolute priority

12

Willing to pay extra

for quality goods

Not sure Unwilling to pay

For mums across income levels, the vast majority of them are willing to pay

a premium for better quality goods for their children

Monthly

Family Income

And when we say quality, the primary consideration is…

13

The top 2 concerns for mums with babies age 1-3:

SAFETYis her main concern

77%The safety of

ingredients in

baby food

53%Injuries caused

by minor

accidents

Internet is the most relevant media for mum & baby products

14

59% 44% 34%

31% 13%

Mums pay attention to mum and baby product

information on

Extensive research on parenting websites

15

Young mums, especially mums with children age 0-1, spend significant

amounts of time on parenting websites

37minon average is spent

each time

mum visits

parenting sites

NO. of visits per week

55%of mothers visit

parenting websites

frequently

Pregnant

Mums with

children age 0-1

Mums with

children age 1-3

Mums with

children age 3-6

Product information ranks highon parenting site topics

16

1

During Pregnancy Mum with child

age 0-1

Mum with child

age 1-3

Mum with child

age 3-6

Pregnancy

knowledge

Parenting information

sharing

Mum & baby product

information sharing


sharing

Mum & baby product

information sharing

Baby's early /

family education


sharing

Baby's early /

family education

Baby diet /

nutrition products


sharing

Baby diet /

nutrition products

Baby's early /

family education

2

3

Product related topics Non-Product related topics

Tier difference in parenting sitesis minimal

17

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Babytree Yu'er Yaolan iYaya Sinababy Pcbaby Mama qqbaby Sohubaby 163baby

All Moms Tier 1 Tier2 Tier 3

Most

oft

en v

isit

ed p

are

nti

ng s

ites

Online shopping permeates across tiers

18

T1 T2 T3&4

Online Shopping

Penetration 74% 66% 67%

Average Online

Spending / year 6,391 6,349 6,511

Low tier cities have slightly lower online shopping penetration,

but spending per person is even higher than top tier cities

Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3

E-commerce means convenience to top tier mums and access to credible products to low tier mums

19

Tier 1&2 Tier 3&4

Delivery Speed

Shipping Address

Return & Exchange

policy

Shop’s credibility

Friend’s

recommendation

Product review

OVERALL RANK OF

ONLINE SHOPPING CONSIDERATIONS

CONSIDERATIONS THAT MUMS

OF DIFFERENT TIERS FOCUS ON

BUT THIS ALSO MEANS SPENDING LOTS OF TIME AND EFFORT

20

MOTHERS DEMAND THE

BEST DEVELOPMENT

OPPORTUNITIES FOR

CHILDREN

Her time revolves around her child

21

82% of mums spend all their free time on their child

Speaking & Language Training

Physical Development

Good Behavior Training

Cognitive Training

Focus on more than intelligence

22

Traditionally, only intelligence was the focus of early education.

Today, social capability and physical fitness are becoming increasingly

important.

Getting ahead early

23

73% mums send their children

to early education center

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

11.2 months

15.1 months

17.3 months

All Mums 14.3 months

AVERAGE AGE CHILDREN

ARE SENT TO

EARLY EDUCATION CENTER

Winning on the international stage

24

With the Chinese middle class becoming wealthier, they want their children to

excel in the global job market. They increasingly provide their children with

exposure to bilingual education at an early age.

“Ready to enroll in bilingual education center.

Hope my baby will be able to speak both

languages fluently.”

“The bilingual classes my son attends is quite

fun but a little bit overwhelming. Today,

children are so lucky. A lot of them start

bilingual education as early as 3 months.”

“Late at night, we are still playing with

English early education cards. It has 3D

images and English pronunciation. It helps my

baby develop.”

Love is unlimited, but not time and money

25

I want the best for my

children, but because of

that I’m too busy and I

don’t take care of myself.

No one cares about my

feelings.

““

THIS FEELING IS STRONGER

AS INCOME DECREASES

26

WITHOUT A HAPPY MUM, THERE ARE NO HAPPY CHILDRENTHUS, THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGHT BACK

27

TO FIGHT BACK HIGH LEVELS OF STRESSMUMS TRY TO MAKE CHILD RAISING AFFORDABLE AND PAINLESS

She shares the burden with others

28

BY MYSELF

20%

FAMILY MEMBERS HELP OUT

52%

MAINLY BY FAMILY

MEMBERS

18%

HIRED BABYSITTER

3%

PROFESSIONAL AGENCIES

2%

And goes back to work to earn more income

29

85%Full-time employment

4%

Part

-tim

e

em

plo

ym

ent

11%

No

em

plo

ym

ent

She pays a premium to purchase products that save time

30

Family income

per month

She is changing the way she parents

31

Chinese mums are increasingly interested in adopting

the western way of raising children which is

less over-protective and develops children’s independence.

32

TO FIGHT BACK HIGH LEVELSOF STRESSMUMS SHIFT SOME FOCUS BACK ONTO THEMSELVES

She pays attention to her beauty

33

Mothers with child (0-6 month)

quickly adopt beauty products after

giving birth

80% SKINCARE

41% COSMETICS

71% BODYCARE

Keeps up with regular entertainment

34

Average amount of OTV (min) mum watches on a daily basis keeps

increasing

61

64

66

67

Pregnant mumsMums with child

age 0-1

Mums with child

age 1-3

Mums with child

age 3-6

IMPLICATIONS FOR BRANDS

Willing to spend extra money

36

Mums are willing to spend extra dollars for children even when

it means they need to work more to make money. Safety,

intelligence and social development are what they’re looking

for in quality products. Brands should continue to focus on

those communication points.1

E-commerce is essential

37

E-commerce is becoming increasingly important.

Since mums receive product recommendations mostly from the

internet, it is also natural to purchase products online. In low

tier cities, E-commerce can help brands overcome distribution

hurdles and expand consumer groups.2

Relieve mums from stress and burden

38

Chinese mums are overwhelmingly under mental and physical

stress. Brands should not only talk about choosing the best for

their children, but also help mums make child raising easier.

Offering easy-to-do child raising tips, or time saving mechanism

to accompany the product can make brands more meaningful to

her.3

Communication to mums shouldn’t be so different

39

Chinese mums are one of the most devoted groups in the world,

but they’re still normal people. Just like other women in their

20’s and 30’s, they enjoy hanging out with their friends, being

beautiful, watching OTV and being a woman. Brands shouldn’t

treat them so differently when communicating with them.4

contact us

Bhasker Jaiswal

[email protected] PARTNER

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Jeanette Phang

[email protected]


Rachel Fan

[email protected]
