The baby segment continues to be an important category in the gift industry, with 4 million newborns each year in the United States.

According to Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association--a national trade organization which represents 250 companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico that manufacture, import and distribute prenatal to preschool products--sizes the market as a $6.02 billion industry.

For Kelly Graham, baby business is booming at Prestonwood Bookstore at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.

"We have expanded our baby section by adding some new clothing lines and some new toy lines," explained Graham, co-manager of the two-location store with her mother, Deb. "We have doubled our section over the past two years. ... We sell a lot of baby products."

It's a niche gift segment that Christian retailers should tap into-especially church stores because of the ready-made demand for baby products among their congregation members, said Graham. "Most churches are very family-centric and have a constant flow of babies being born," she said.

DaySpring Director of Communications Brenda Turner said the company has expanded its line to 32 products, including shower invitations and baby announcements.

"Part of it (the expansion) has to do with building our Really Woolly brand and increasing customers' awareness that we do baby products," she said. "That's a life-event category that we want to own as a Christian company. In the past three years, this category has grown from approximately 15 SKUs."

Read more in the June issue of Inspirational Gift Trends, a supplement to Christian Retailing magazine.

• Prev
• Next