Japan's rapidly aging population is producing some interesting new business opportunities, including a booming market for adult diapers.
日本快速增长的老龄人口带来了有趣的新商机,这其中就包括蓬勃发展的成人纸尿裤市场。
The Nikkei newspaper reported on Thursday that three Japanese paper companies--Daio, and Nippon Paper--are expanding their manufacturing facilities for what are politely called "
incontinence(失禁) products" due to an expected surge in demand. The Nikkei said adult diapers are expected to outsell baby diapers in Japan by 2020, but according to Unicharm, Japan's biggest diaper
maker1, the tipping point was in 2011.
The adult diaper market is growing at 6-10% a year, and already pulls in 140 billion
yen2 ($1.4 billion) by
catering3 to Japan's elderly population--it has the highest percentage of over-65s in the world, making up more than 20% of the population.
Demographics aside, adult diapers are an attractive business in their own right--they sell for as much as 2.5 times more than infant diapers, resulting in higher profit
margins4, and there's also a
lucrative5 sales channel to institutions like hospitals and nursing homes.
Marketing6 to consumers can still be a minefield (as the
parody7 ad from Saturday Night Live, below, demonstrates) but diaper manufacturers--confident that the
embarrassment8 factor can be overcome--are
determined9 to push the envelope.
Sweden's SCA, the world's biggest
hygiene10 product maker, recently sent a sample of its adult diapers to every Swedish man over the age of 55. It was
besieged11 by angry phone calls from men who were perhaps not quite reconciled to needing the company's products someday.