Trend Observation: Raising Big Kids
The Pull-Ups brand has launched a new potty-training tool for Hispanic parents.
The Big Kid app is a mobile tool designed to help parents motivate their kids about the process and reward their progress. The app creates fun routines and rewards to support the experience.
Available in Spanish for Android and iOS devices, it uses augmented reality technology in the interactive Big Kid 3D Celebration, where Disney characters–including Rapunzel and Mickey–come to life. The app also features games that are unlocked through stars collected as the child makes progress, calls from kids’ favorite Disney characters to surprise and help motivate toddlers to keep trying and use the potty, and a customizable potty timer to help parents remind their child when it’s time to take a bathroom break.
Step-by-step motivation
Consumers all over the world are busier than ever, but they also have more tools–mobile and otherwise–to help them navigate their surroundings, donate unwanted items, and find stores that aren’t too crowded.
And increasingly, parents have apps and digital tools that help them keep track of their kids’ reading, those that monitor infants while they’re sleeping, and trackers that let kids earn screen time by racking up physical activity.
All these tools are used by parents who want to encourage good behavior or who want to foster some kind of learning or education. According to Mintel’s Marketing to Black Parents US May 2012 report, 27% of parents across ethnic groups said they have purchased educational electronic toys for their kids.
As consumers of all ages become more accustomed to apps and digital tools that monitor various physiological functions, opportunities to develop more specified tools will present themselves. Using entertaining rewards for users is one way in which developers and brands can boost consumer engagement across age groups and demographics.
This is an observation from our Inspire trend “Edutainment” which looks at how consumers are buying into the idea of fusing entertainment and education. For the latest trends and observations on Inspire click here.
For a deep and complete analysis of the current parenting and child rearing landscape, Mintel published the following market research: Multicultural market in the US
