Baby & Kids Retail Trends: Nostalgic Summer Holidays

After a period of uncertainty and a focus on value and core ranges, a sense of energy returned to both in-store retail and e-commerce, with a vibrant use of colour, print and pattern emerging across baby and kids product ranges.

Boosted by a newfound freedom to roam, and craving lightness after the heavy feeling of the past few years, families delight in the idea of a sunny holiday.

First forecast in 2021, we evidence how this escapist mindset referenced in our design trend ‘Sunny Daze’ has been translated across baby and kids retail trends and e-commerce.

Tracking the adoption of our baby and kids ‘Sunny Daze’ trend

‘The best memories made are those that are unexpected’ is the key message for this story, as values shift, placing priority on meaningful travel experiences. Moving away from rigorously researched and fully planned agendas, this trend captures the free-spirited nature and simplistic pleasure of a beach holiday.

What we said

The design captures the essence of these hazy memories of holidays past, refreshed with clean lines and a bold punchy colour palette. While print and character in this trend reflect frolicking fun at the beach, details for colour, material and finish maintain an air of sophistication.

What we saw

A number of stores captured the high summer vibes of this story, with sunny yellows, sandy retro neutrals and calming blues all evident. Joyous summer prints and motifs were also key; at John Lewis we saw beach-goers, bathers and characterful crabs adorn kids swimwear and apparel, at Crate and Barrel the classic cabana stripe updated bedding and accessories, whilst at H&M and Wilko seagulls and ice cream motifs were used across textiles, toys and picnic blankets.

Find your place in the world of families and children

During a time of mass disruption, never before has it been more essential to understand the underlying motivations of the future consumer. If you are a designer working up to 2 years ahead or a brand marketer working on your annual communications strategy, our future trend forecasts offer insight into the shifts in family lifestyles with design translation and messaging applications for baby and kids retail trends.