China’s Senior Population Is Growing Fast, So Is China Adult Diapers Market

China is home to the world’s largest population of seniors, and that number is only going to grow in the years to come. As China’s senior population expands, so does the market for adult diapers. In fact, analysts expect China adult diaper market to be worth US$12.9 billion by 2025. Here’s a look at how this rapidly growing market is changing the lives of China’s seniors and the opportunities it represents for foreign adult diapers manufacturers.

Interesting Facts about China Adult Diapers Market

China is the largest market for adult diapers in the world, accounting for over one-third of global demand in 2015. The country has been witnessing tremendous growth in its adult diaper market, primarily on account of the fast-aging population, awareness about incontinence products, and other factors. With the rising incidence of incontinence among geriatrics and the growing prevalence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, China’s adult diaper market is anticipated to expand at a robust CAGR of over 9.1% during the forecast period 2020-2027.

China adult diapers market is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period on account of the increasing geriatric population. In 2020 alone, the market size of China adult diapers reached a surprising 9.85 billion RMB, increasing by about 24.4% compared to the previous year. 

The Market Potential for Adult Incontinence Products in China

Enterprises in the adult incontinence product industry in China are relying on brand awareness and sales channels to gain market shares from each other. Although there are higher-end and lower-end products existing side by side in this market, there is no leader with overwhelming superiority. The competition is becoming increasingly fierce between international brands, famous Chinese brands, and local brands. However, the adult incontinence product market has a wide range of customers and will attract a large number of new players in the future.

As we see in the statistics, China’s adult diaper market has great growth prospects. This incontinence product market, rapidly expanding, is also widely polarized and highly competitive. Additionally, the penetration rate of adult diapers in this country is far lower than the global average. 

Currently, the domestic market for adult diapers is at its infancy stage, with little brand differentiation and intense competition. However, as China’s elderly population increases, adult incontinence products are gaining market attention.

It is also expected that by 2040, the market size of such incontinence products in China will hit $30 billion. A great advantage to leverage and let international adult diaper brands like Tendo (shameless hype) capture a share in this growing industry. While this industry is still expanding, it is beneficial to introduce and build the foundation of brand awareness, letting consumers know about the value of the product. Lack of awareness regarding a product may hinder support among consumers.

Significant Reasons Behind China Adult Diapers Market Soar

The explosive growth of China’s senior population and the increased incidence of incontinence are two of several key trends driving the adult incontinence product market in China. However, factors such as urinary incontinence, improved quality of life, and changing consumer lifestyles are also projected to fuel the growth of adult diaper marketing in the next few years. 

In addition, increasing internet penetration and the growing e-commerce industry in China have led to the easy availability of products online at discounted prices. These factors are expected to have a positive impact on the growth of China’s adult diaper market in the coming years. 

Aging Population

According to a report from China Daily, the elderly population in China is expected to reach about 487 million by 2050. This is anticipated to drive the demographic for adult diapers during the forecast period. It means that the growth of the elderly population provides a huge consumer group for the adult incontinence product market. The demand for adult incontinence products will likely keep up with this trend, and residents will seek high-quality incontinence products. More families and nursing homes will use these products as a result of their growing popularity, effectively increasing profits.

Overall, with a growing senior population comes a growing demand for adult diapers. Thus, China’s adult diaper market is set to grow even further as the demand is also picking up. Based on the numbers above and the reality that China has a low birth rate, the adult diaper is also set to overtake the sale of infant diapers by 2025

Urinary Incontinence

Adult people are more prone to urinary incontinence and urge incontinence which increases their dependency on diapers. Thus, a high geriatric population coupled with the increasing prevalence of bladder control problems is expected to boost demand for adult diapers over the next few years. Since many people over 60 years old face incontinence issues, they are increasingly turning to adult diapers.

Moreover, rapidly changing lifestyles and increasing health concerns among consumers are resulting in an increase in obesity among Chinese adults. This trend is expected to increase the prevalence of urinary incontinence among adults; which is one of the most common causes of using adult diapers. Incontinence is “embarrassing.” As much as possible, people with such problems will keep it a secret. Therefore, using a diaper is a great option.

Improving Hygiene

In recent years, China’s aging population has led to greater awareness of personal hygiene among China’s citizens. Most elderlies in this communist state don’t want to go to elderly facilities. They prefer to stay home. As such, families of these elderly will look for alternative ways to maintain hygiene in their homes. And, using adult diapers is a great option to keep their older parents from wetting themselves, improving living standards.

Convenience of Use

Factors such as better comfort, safety, easy availability, cost-effectiveness, and easy disposability also contribute to the growth of the China diaper market. With such exceptional advantages, adult incontinence products can reduce the burden on home-based care for the aged.

In 2018, disposable diapers accounted for a major share of the market and are anticipated to continue this trend throughout the forecast period. The demand for disposable adult diapers is projected to increase significantly, owing to their convenience and ease of use.

Scandal With Local Adult Diapers Factory = Opportunities for Foreign Brands

In what might be one of the oddest stories to come out of China, a factory has found itself under fire after it was discovered that they had been recycling used adult diapers to make new ones. This news published by China Morning Post and other news agencies in China has led to a major backlash from the public, regaining significant media attention.

China has a long history of industrial recycling, but this incident has once again highlighted the need for more responsible business practices, given the fact that diapers are all about hygiene and shouldn’t be recycled. Such an event destroyed the reputation of local diaper brands, giving purchasing doubts to consumers.

With this incident, what does it mean for foreign brands? It’s a huge opportunity for foreign diaper brands to take part in the local market. With such a scandal, many Chinese are becoming very cautious of domestic diapers and are willing to buy foreign brands. They would like to give their loved ones a safer product. Thus, there’s a lot of room for foreign brands’ market share to increase in the country.

Tena — Story of a Success in China’s Adult Diaper Market

An example of an excellent adult diaper foreign brand starting to dominate China’s market is Tena. A product of Swedish ingenuity and logic, Tena is driven by an understanding of individual needs to deliver high-quality care in a comfortable, secure, and dignified way. It is an adult diaper that offers consumers peace of mind knowing that it meets the needs and expectations of people with incontinence issues. With their new improved fit, super-absorbent core, larger back panel, and breathable zones, Tena provides ultimate protection — so the user can go about their day with confidence.

When it comes to caring for people with incontinence, no one does it better than Tena. With millions of carers and users worldwide, this brand leads the way in developing innovative products that give patients outstanding protection, comfort, and skin health.

China’s incontinence market is growing and offers great opportunities for Tena diapers, as most people in the country still consider incontinence a taboo. They want to break the stereotypes and offer consumers a comfortable and relaxing environment. They hope to position their product as a considerate purchase for adult children of elderlies. The goal is to help people’s parents better enjoy their senior years — through innovative, comfortable, and non-skin irritant diapers. 

We believe that Tena is changing the way China consumers look at disposable adult diapers. We’re confident that, when consumers learn more about how these diapers make their loved ones feel, they’ll see why Tena is their next favorite brand, too.

How to sell Adult Diapers in China?

• Offline Distribution: We would encourage adult diaper brand to seek out for offline distribution in China. Indeed, China adult diapers market is still largely offline, so getting your products into brick-and-mortar stores is essential for reaching the majority of potential customers. Now, buidling a distribution network can be tricky, and still requires a marketing effort to stand from the competition and get noticed by distributors

• Sell Online: While, offline retail still “dominates” the market, offline sales for adults diapers in china are becoming more and more maintstreams and it would be a mistakes to ignore this channels entirely. eCommerce platfroms in China are varied and offers many options and a level of control that offline distribution can simply not offer. Bonus: With ecommerce, you just gotta register your store, you do not have to prospect for a middle man to sell your products.

In any case, you’ll have to promote your products if you want to make any sales in the country. Here is why you should do it, as well as some tips on where to get started.

How can you reach out to a senior audience in China?

Before promoting China’s elderly population, here is a bit of context that will come in handy. In China, it is the norm that kids to take care of their parents once they grow old, and buy the diapers if needed. Seniors kids are your target audience as much as their parents. If Chinese seniors China’s elderly are somewhat “tech-savvy”, the majority of them may still be shy about it, however, their adults are not.

There are a few ways that you could reach out to a senior in China to sell adults diapers. You could try advertising on Chinese social media platforms, such as WeChat or Weibo. You could also try targeting senior-friendly websites or forums that are popular in China. Finally, you could consider hiring a Chinese marketing firm to help you reach your target audience.

Word of Mouth

There’s no doubt that word-of-mouth marketing is key to selling diapers to seniors in China. After all, it’s one of the most effective forms of marketing, period. And when you’re targeting a specific demographic like seniors, it becomes even more important to get your message out through personal recommendations from friends and family.

Baidu

As China’s largest search engine, Baidu definitely has the reach to help market adult diapers to seniors in China. Additionally, Baidu’s SEO capabilities can be very effective in driving traffic to your website or online store. However, it is important to note that selling adult diapers is a sensitive topic, so you will need to make sure that your marketing materials are respectful and appropriate.

Second, Chinese consumers are increasingly using Baidu to research and purchase products and services online. In fact, a recent study found that 82% of Chinese consumers use Baidu to compare prices and find the best deals on products and services.

Optimizing your adults’ diapers brand to have a strong presence on Baidu will also give you the edge with Chinese distributors as it shows you are a legit brand and they can project working with you.

In China Adult Diapers Market, PR is a Precious Tool

There are a few key ways that PR can help promote a brand to Chinese senior consumers.

1. Establishing trust: One of the most important aspects of PR is building trust with the target audience. Seniors are often more skeptical than other demographics, so it’s important to be transparent and honest in all communications.
2. Tailoring content: Because seniors have different lifestyles, needs, and interests than other age groups, it’s important to tailor content specifically for them. This might include using more traditional media like newspapers and magazines, or producing original content such as videos or articles that focus on the issues that matter most to them.
3. Focusing on community engagement: PR can also provide useful insights into what is resonating with Chinese seniors and what isn’t, which can help inform future marketing efforts.

Social media (reach your target audience through their kids)

Children of elderlies in China often have the task of taking care of themselves and their needs. Reaching out directly to them may be a more efficient way to sell your adults diapers in China (we are talking elderly here, but what we really are talking about is any type of peoples that are dependent on a caregiver). Indeed, these caregivers, will be the ones most likely to research products for the comfort of their loved ones.

In the same vein, a lot of adult diapers users in China are very well able to use social media and will definitely do to look for information and reviews about what diaper brand they should use.

Chinese social media platforms offer a large and engaged audience for your brand. Social media users in China are highly engaged with their platforms, and they’re eager to connect with brands that can provide them with valuable information and insights.

There are a number of social media platforms in China that which you could promote your adult diaper brand on. Weibo and WeChat are the two most popular ones, but there are also a number of other platforms that you could explore.

The key is to find the platform or platforms that are the most relevant to your target audience and to tailor your content accordingly. For example, if your target audience is younger people, then Weibo or WeChat would be good choices. But if your target audience is older people, then you might want to consider using QQ or forums like Tianya. If you target pregnant ladies, have a look at Xiaohongshu.

Want to launch your adults diapers brand in China?

Contact us and ask for a free consultation with one of our experts. We will discuss your project, your goals, and what would be the best course of action for you to take!