Dive Brief:
- Target is bolstering its offerings in the baby category. This week Millie Moon, which pitches itself as a luxury collection of diapers and wipes at everyday prices, announced plans to launch exclusively in the aisles of over 1,700 Target locations. The brand's products are also available on Target.com.
- Millie Moon plans to give back a portion of all proceeds to early literacy nonprofit Reach Out and Read, the company said in a press release on Monday. The brand cited company research conducted by OnePoll that found two-thirds of parents are making a conscious effort to buy products from brands that have a "give back" program in the last year.
- The brand's products consist of materials that cater to children with sensitive skin. Millie Moon will join the retailer's line of products that are certified with the Target Clean logo.
Dive Insight:
Target's exclusive launches are leaving no categories left unturned, but the release of the affordable luxury diaper collection from Millie Moon comes at a particularly turbulent time for the category.
In March, Kimberly-Clark — the maker of Huggies diapers, Kleenex and Scott toilet paper — announced that it will increase the price on a majority of its consumer products in North America in June.
Kimberly-Clark pointed to the rising commodity costs for the price hike. Still, the increase in essential consumer products may be especially difficult for cash-strapped consumers during an economic downturn.
Millie Moon positions itself as a cost-conscious brand, with a carton of diapers retailing at $24.99, and the wipes retailing at $2.99.
Prior to Millie Moon's launch, the company conducted research on millennial parents to see how the past year has affected how they go about parenting. The findings show 80% said they re-evaluated their approach to raising their kids, and 72% said they've become a more compassionate parent.
"It has never been more important for parents to cherish those little moments with their children following a turbulent 14-months," said Amelia Watson, global marketing manager at Millie Moon. "Millie Moon Luxury Diapers were uniquely developed to give parents the peace of mind that their child is comfortable for longer, so they can spend more time making memories with their little ones and less time changing diapers."
Each carton of Millie Moon's diapers will also contain an original bedtime story for a limited time, as part of its mission to foster the benefits of early literacy. Millie Moon focuses its charity work around literacy because reading aloud together cultivates the bond between a parent and a child, the company said.
Target has had a long history of partnering with brands and launching exclusive products to drive sales and excitement. Earlier this month, DTC brand Grove Collaborative entered physical retail for the first time through Target.
