With our Silicone-based product line, GoSili aims to expand in an already prospering children’s market, while concurrently adding practical and safe products for the health and green-conscious family in the housewares market.
Market Overview
GoSili is bringing a whole new concept of silicone to both the ITP (Infant, Toddler and Pre School) and Housewares markets. These markets consist of consumers who are growing aware of the issues regarding health and safety in products made for their families. The result is an increase in demand for non-toxic, environmentally friendly options. The Housewares market is a $100b market in which glasswares accounts for 10%. A 2007 consumer behaviour report on the “Eco Friendly Parent” stated that 68% of respondents said purchasing eco friendly products labelled organic, recycled, biodegradable, energy efficient or fair trade was very important. 74% responded that it was also important to be a positive eco friendly example to others, especially their children. With that, American children represent a dynamic market, influencing an estimated $500 billion in total retail spending. The ITP market is a $50b market of which accessories accounts for $18b per year. Mothers alone spend an estimated 3 trillion dollars world wide.
The market is growing rapidly, with an urgent need to solve the issues of chemical use and excessive waste by making healthy, eco-friendly choices available to the consumer. The green movement is not only driven by retailers and consumers, but also by the news media, according to A.J. Riedel, senior partner of the Riedel Marketing Group (www.4rmg.com). “When it starts to gain media attention, the governmental policies change and customers begin to influence the manufacturers.” Innovations in the industry are introduced almost daily to meet the demands of families. In retail, Wal-Mart recently unveiled “Sustainability 360”—a company-wide emphasis on sustainability extending beyond Wal-Mart’s direct environmental footprint to engage associates, suppliers, communities, and customers. Because all GoSili products are valuable in terms of caring for children and families, management feels they are poised to find a top spot in the safety and health-conscious children’s and housewares market. The recent press about toxic materials found in children’s toys and accessories has initiated a flurry of concern from parents. From toys to baby and water bottles, more and more items are found to be unsafe for our children and families. Plastic was once thought to be a convenient, disposable and recyclable material used in food containers, toys, children’s feeding products and water bottles. It has proven to be a weak material causing chemicals to leach into foods, and bacteria can easily live in the scratches and groves made from cleaning
Political, Legal and Regulatory Trends
• Increasing awareness in safety and environmentally friendly products.
• Increasing awareness of toxic substances used in adult and children’s products such as lead and BPA.
• Government imposed testing and regulation of children’s products now enforced.
• The need to replace these products with safe, eco-friendly alternatives is urgent.
• A safe, clean material, such as silicone is a great solution for tabletop items and lifestyle products.
• Reuse is a “green” ideal rather than the current disposable culture of plastics.
• Increased government restrictions in children’s manufacturing of plastics. Canada and Europe has banned all
plastic bottles, and tableware containing BPA from stores.
Concerning GoSili, all products are made from silicone. A non-toxic, non-porous material that does not harbor bacteria, or leave any hazardous waste in its destruction.
Social Trends
• Awareness of toxic materials in products is driving individuals to chemical-free, organic alternatives.
• Medical research and development enables more people the opportunity to have children.
• Increased awareness about the environment and the harmful affects of waste leads to eco-friendly solutions.
• Choosing “green” alternatives are becoming more popular and preferred.
Economic Trends
• Continued spending on children’s products and increased consumer spending on housewares items.
• Increased interest on “green” and environmentally friendly products for individuals and families.
• Increased awareness of millennials to “go green” and carefully choose what they spend on.
• Ages of first-time parents are increasing, translating to higher salaries and thus, more discretionary income.
• Increased enthusiasm for gifting occasions, such as baby showers, birth gifts, registry buys, and impulse buys.
According to “Advertising Age: American Demographics Supplement,” budgets for fun and appearance have given way to spending on kids. As first-time parents, “Generation-Xers” (born between 1965-1980) are spending big on their beloved offspring: They spend 100 percent more than average on clothing for children under 2, and 33 percent more than average for boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 14. Spending on children is also shaping the “Younger Boomers” (born 1956-1965) budget. The household devotes a significant amount of money toward keeping a growing family busy. They spend 11 percent more on toys, the highest index of all the age demographics.
Millennials are far less likely to buy something because it's convenient, something many companies capitalize on. Rather, they're focusing on value. We see areas where millennials are willing to spend, but overall, they're not levering themselves up to make their dollars go further; they're being much smarter and much more conservative about their balance sheets. Millennials mainly direct their money toward retail and dining purchases. They eat out about 13 times a month on average and spend about $100 monthly on dining. Meanwhile Gen Xers and boomers spend around $120 and $140 per month, respectively, despite eating out only about half as often as younger folks.
There is, however, one item millennials can't quite get enough of: coffee. Buying coffee nearly twice as often as older generations, young people spend about $80 per month on cups of Joe, well above the overall average of $67. CNBC May 2016
"[Young people] are more cost conscious," said New York-based financial planner Douglas Boneparth. "They're more astute to value." That's just another reflection of young consumers' growing "on-the-go" culture, said Troy Dennis, a senior vice president at TD.