The meteoric rise of the diaper in online retail

Few products exemplify the social shift towards online shopping quite like the diaper. The packages are large and unwieldy, making them an unpopular prospect of weekly shopping at Migros, Aldi or Coop. Door-to-door delivery is much more convenient. Diapers on the Internet also tend to be cheaper – especially if you buy monthly boxes, which are often not even available at your local shop. Not to mention the quantity discounts typically available online.

Take all that into account, and it’s no surprise that the diaper has experienced a meteoric rise at Digitec Galaxus in recent years. Of over 2,000 product types available in the online retailer’s range, diapers are now ninth in terms of popularity. If we exclude the electronics and office supplies sectors, diapers actually rise to first place. Day after day, diaper packs in the five digits leave Digitec Galaxus warehouses.

Wet wipes in the wake

Diapers ranking so high wasn’t always the case. In 2014, for example, they were in 731st place; in 2016, they were in 50th place. It’s only since the year 2019 that they’ve consistently made the top 20. Following in the wake of this trend are wet wipes, which now rank 38th at Digitec Galaxus. Not so in the case of diaper bins and refill bags. After a brief race to catch up, they’re back outside the ranks of the top 100. At Galaxus in Germany and Austria, diapers are currently in 17th place.

The chart below shows just how much diaper sales have grown in recent years. So far, there hasn’t been a single year in which sales haven’t increased by at least a third. To put this into perspective: in 2020, Digitec Galaxus sales grew by almost 60 per cent due to the pandemic. In earlier years, 15 to 20 per cent growth was the norm.

Wet wipes are also on a growth course. Reusable cloth diapers are also selling better and better. Still, compared to disposable diapers, they rarely find their way onto babies’ bottoms.

Eco-friendly diapers are making ground

The most popular diapers by far at Galaxus are Pampers, followed by Pingo, Rascal+Friends, Naty and Milette. «Pampers is synonymous for diapers – just like Kleenex is for tissues,» explains portfolio manager Viktor Wiesinger. In addition, Pampers recently took home the trophy in consumer magazine «Stiftung Warentest’s» diaper test. However, eco-friendly diapers such as those from the Swiss brand Pingo are on the rise. «It’s no wonder when you consider the sheer number of diapers one baby goes through in a month,» Viktor says. «That translates to a lot of plastic.»

Monthly value packs are particularly in demand. You’ll typically find only one smaller pack among the top 20 most popular diapers at Galaxus. Namely, a half-month pack of size 1 Pampers, which babies grow out of quickly.

So who buys diapers at Galaxus? In six out of ten cases, it’s women. And three out of four of these women are between 30 and 39 years old.

Do you also only buy diapers online? Or do you still sometimes get them from your local shop? What do you think about eco-friendly diapers and reusable cloth diapers? And for how long did your kids wear diapers? Join the discussion in the comments!