Nappies/Diapers/Pants in Italy

2021 DEVELOPMENTS

Players turn to influencers to help compensate for the country’s declining birth rate

Even before the outbreak of COVID-19 the birth rate in Italy was in decline, with the pandemic only adding to the list of reasons that couples are choosing to delay having children. With more dual-income households and with more women focusing on their careers Italians are having fewer or no children at all.

Lillydoo arrives in Italy with its innovative subscription model

The competitive landscape is highly consolidated within nappies/diapers/pants in Italy, with Pampers and Huggies accounting for most sales, while private label accounts for most of the remaining share. Given the declining birth rate and established brand loyalty it makes it hard for new players to penetrate the market.

Disposable pants on the rise

Despite a higher average unit price than nappies/diapers, disposable pants remained the most dynamic category within nappies/diapers/pants in 2021. Younger parents prefer the convenience of these products versus more traditional diapers, and as such they have progressively been stealing share.

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Local commerce an opportunity for e-commerce of diapers

Over the forecast period, local neighbourhood stores are forecasted to continue gaining share within nappies/diapers/pants. People are expected to spend more time working from home than they did before COVID-19 and as such will likely go looking for places to buy nappies/diapers/pants that are closer to home.

More families expected to turn to low-cost retail channels over the forecast period due to financial pressures

Unit prices are expected to rise in the forecast period, due to inflation as well as the increasing costs of raw materials and transportation. Lower-income families where adults are hired mainly for unskilled labour will likely face even harder times, considering that the workforce is increasingly required to have some basic skills and knowledge.

Demand for nappies/diapers set to fall in line with declining birth rate

Retail volume sales of nappies/diapers/pants are expected to continue declining in Italy over the forecast period due to the low birth rate in the country. Despite the efforts of the government to encourage couples to have more children they are unlikely to be enough to bring about a significant change, especially given the wide range of problems facing the world and the increasingly busy lives of many consumers, some of whom no longer see a space in their lives for children.