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Tag: Diapers

  • Amazon Elements Is About More Than Diapers

    Amazon Elements Is About More Than Diapers

    Amazon just announced the launch of Amazon Elements, a new line of “premium, everyday essentials with transparent origins.” On the surface, the announcement just sounds like Amazon is offering its own line of products, which so far includes diapers and baby wipes. On a strategic level, this is a pretty big move from the ecommerce giant.

    Amazon Elements is being pitched as an ethical brand of products with transparency and an “unprecedented level of information” available about them to buyers. Such information includes when and where items were made, why each ingredient was included, where the ingredients were sourced, etc.

    “Our obsession with customers and drive to continuously innovate on their behalf has led us to create Amazon Elements. The two things customers told us they want are premium products that meet their high standards, and access to information so they can make informed decisions, Amazon Elements offers both,” said Sunny Jain, Amazon.com Consumables Vice President. “We’ve leveraged our strengths in technology to bring customers an unprecedented level of information about these products, all with just the click of a button. We’re excited to offer Amazon Prime members added selection, beginning with diapers and baby wipes.”

    It’s that last part that represents one of the major points about Amazon Elements as a strategic move. The products are only available to Prime members, which studies have found spend twice as much at Amazon.com as non-Prime members.

    The move isn’t surprising by any means. Pretty much everything Amazon does anymore (at least when it comes to consumer-facing products) involves some kind of Prime perk. That’s even the main selling point of Amazon’s Fire phone. Amazon thinks it will get you to become a Prime member one way or another, whether that’s through original television content or through diapers. It does not seem as though they’ll stop until they’ve hooked just about everybody.

    Jason Del Rey At Re/code describes the other major strategic element of Elements:

    For years, Amazon naysayers have warned that the e-commerce giant’s ambition would drive it to compete ever more directly with the merchants who sell goods on Amazon’s popular online marketplace. On Wednesday, the company is introducing its own line of diapers and baby wipes, which will only raise these fears…By working directly with a manufacturer, Amazon will be able to price the brand aggressively, with a 40-count package of diapers starting at $7.99. That works out to about 19 cents a diaper, compared to competitor prices that mostly range from 24 cents to 34 cents.

    As a result, some people will view the launch as a shot across the bow at the big diaper brands, Huggies and Pampers, that sell their products on Amazon. Sellers on Amazon already gripe that Amazon sells the same products as they do. Now it is building a direct relationship with a supplier that allows it to undercut some of its own partners in a more significant way.

    It seems very likely that the Amazon Elements brand will grow to include more products, which will mean Amazon selling more and more items on its own. Given that Amazon is the place on the web where products almost have to be listed, this is no doubt a scary thought to a lot of product makers. As Del Rey points out, Amazon is already selling its own brand of other products including furniture, bedding, batteries, etc. With Elements, it’s getting into the real essentials. Combined with its other grocery-selling initiatives (yes, that’s plural), its new restaurant delivery service, its handymen for hire, and its increasing focus on getting products to consumers more quickly (even if by taxi), Amazon is very aggressively looking to be the one that provides you with everything you need. At least if you’re a Prime member.

    Google, by the way, considers Amazon its top competitor in search.

    Image via Amazon

  • Bob Saget Reveals Smelly Relationship with the Olsen Twins

    Bob Saget, better known as the single father Danny Tanner on the ‘90s sitcom Full House, opens up about how real his daddy role was on set.

    In his latest autobiography, Dirty Daddy: The Chronicles of a Family Man Turned Filthy Comedian, Saget shares a few details into his life when it comes to family-related death, losing a job, divorce, near-death experiences, personal demons, and his eventual transformation into a dirty comedian.

    However, one of the most interesting parts of Saget’s book gives insight into his experience as an on-camera family man and his relationship with the cast.

    The 57-year-old acted as father to show characters D.J. and Stephanie. When it came to the youngest daughter Michelle-portrayed by 27-year-old twins Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen-his real paternal instincts always kicked in naturally.

    He recounted the times when he had to take care of the then 9-month-old girls even in the smelliest circumstances.

    “Cameras were rolling and one of the young ladies had made a poop, which had to be removed or we would have been holding a child with a smashed-poo-filled diaper for a long scene,” Saget writes in his book, according to Mail Online. “A very long scene if you’re smelling poo the whole time.”

    Changing diapers was nothing new to the comedian. He and ex-wife Sherry Kramer had three daughters-Aubrey, Lara, and Jenny-together during the sitcom’s long-running period.

    “They were three months old and doing the show and I also had a baby and there was a time when I knew how to diaper them really quickly,” Saget shared.

    Sometimes when the twins weren’t present on set, Saget’s risqué humor would come out to the forefront. Time and time again he was scolded for drawing male parts or making sexual gestures, which he says the young twins sometimes understood as inappropriate.

    One thing that is most commendable about the “filthy comedian” is that he genuinely cared for both his off-camera AND on-camera children-implying that he wanted the best for the twin sisters.

    “I am protective of [the Olsen twins],” Saget said. “They have a really good family. Their family loves them a lot. When you see a lot of other circumstances of kid performers and how it turns south, it really is from lack of love or misunderstanding and thinking that the whole circus is more important than their lives.”

    The comedian talks about his book on Taking Stock:

    Image via YouTube

  • Japan Diaper Shortage: It’s A Real Problem

    A Japan diaper shortage sounds like the opening line to a bad joke, but it is actually a real problem and causing distress for Japanese parents.
    The shortage is caused by Japan’s attempt to avoid a high sales tax increase. When consumers learned of the approaching tax increase, they began buying up items like diapers, cigarettes and other consumer goods that are daily necessities for most people.

    While Japan is known for its low birth rates, there are still parents in the country that need to diaper their children. The recent diaper shortage has made it hard to do so and has caused frustration among many Japanese parents.

    The problem occurred when not only Japanese customers began buying the diapers in bulk, but also Chinese customers. Japan’s diapers are high quality and many Chinese consumers prefer them to those made in China and other countries. Other high quality Japanese products were also purchased in large amounts, as were office supplies and toiletries.

    “Real household income will be squeezed after April by a greater degree than last time because of the bigger rise in the sales tax rate,” said Yasuo Yamamoto, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute. “As such, there’s a risk of the pullback turning out deeper this time.”

    Although the increase in sales is good for the economy currently, the higher sales tax may make it less likely for consumers to continue to buy Japanese products. This could cause a slump in the economy in the near future.

    While most consumers will eventually have to pay the tax to get the items they want and need, it is likely that many of them will hold out as long as possible, budget differently and pursue other options in terms of stores and manufacturers.

    How long do you think the diaper shortage will last and what types of problems could the tax increase cause for Japan’s economy?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Japan Diaper Shortage: The Bizarre Explanation

    The words “diaper shortage” may lead some to scratch their heads when paired with Japan. After all, Japan’s low birthrates are practically notorious at this point.

    It’s well understood that the current generation is hardly concerned with keeping the population growing.

    Is the report of a diaper shortage due to a sudden baby boom that no one saw coming? No, not at all.

    The diaper shortage can be blamed on two seemingly unrelated factors: A sales tax hike…and China.

    The Japanese sales tax climbed from five percent to eight percent as the adjustment went into effect today. Japanese consumers had gone on a major spending spree ahead of the tax hike. Demand was high for items ranging from cigarettes to luxury cars.

    Buyers were eager to get their hands on products that were a few days away from becoming more expensive.

    Such a surge in sales occurred the last time Japan raised its sales tax. The difference is that once the fervor halted in 1997, the urge to spend went with it.

    Analysts are looking to determine whether or not history will repeat itself.

    Where do Japanese diapers fit into this examination? It turns out that the mad dash for the infant necessity wasn’t made by native Japanese citizens, but by consumers from China.

    The quality of Japan-made goods has made a strong impression on affluent Chinese shoppers. With the new sales tax firmly in place, it’s possible that the Japanese economy may find a greater deal of support from abroad than what occurred nearly two decades ago.

    Having consumers from outside the country could soften the economic blow of Japanese shoppers closing their wallets. It could also go a long way towards avoiding an Asian financial crisis similar to what hit in the late 1990s.

    This may be of little comfort of Japanese diaper companies.

    The tax hike, rising fuel costs, and growing manufacturing expenses mean that for certain companies, selling out their diapers means nothing. They’ll be lucky to break even.

    An Osaka-based diaper broker was particularly gloomy of the outlook. He said, “This business used to be profitable.”

    Image via YouTube

  • These Smart Diapers Are Smarter Than You Think

    Pixie Scientific has developed Smart Diapers (that’s their actual name) that can send information to parents’ smartphones. And no, it’s not to let you know when the baby has peed or pooped. The smartness actually comes in the form of a color-changing QR code that parents can scan with their phones, and access health information via Pixie Scientific’s app.

    Pixie Scientific claims that the codes can detect if the baby is dehydrated, if its kidney functions are normal, if there’s a urinary tract infection brewing, and even type 1 diabetes. Results from the app can be shown to the pediatrician, who can then give the child a proper diagnosis.

    “You will use Smart Diapers instead of regular disposable diapers – there is nothing different,” Pixie Scientific says in an FAQ. “But at least once per day you will scan a Smart Diaper with our phone app. The app will alert you if you should see a pediatrician or specialist.”

    The company is currently working with the Office of In-Vitro Diagnostics and the FDA to design a trial for approval.

    [via PSFK]

  • Huggies Ad Backlash Sweeps Web As Angry Dads Protest

    A recent Huggies ad campaign has many fathers angry at what they say is a depiction of dads as “bumbling idiots” rather than active parents.

    The ad, which urges consumers to “Put dad to the test”, shows a group of dads who are so preoccupied with watching sports that they forget to change their babies’ diapers. The intended message, according to a Kimberly-Clarke spokesperson, is to “demonstrate the performance of our Huggies diapers and baby wipes in real life situations” rather than make fun of men’s childrearing abilities or to draw on stereotypes.

    Many fathers don’t see it that way, however, and an online petition has been created to get Huggies to stop airing the commercial, although the company claims changes have already been made to the ad.

    As one father told CBS recently, it seems like something we might have seen 30 years ago rather than in modern times, when fathers are stepping into bigger caregiver roles than ever before.

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    Huggies has taken to social media to defend themselves, especially after commenters on Facebook expressed their disgust with the ads.

    “Your ad campaign disgusts me,” wrote James Garcia. “My wife and I share the responsibilities of the house. I cook, grocery shop, clean, and we take care of our daughter equally. At times I have been at home with my daughter more than my wife has been, after she had to return to work and I had a lot of time off. It is insulting to all fathers to portray us as a bunch of bumbling idiots.”

    This is a topic I could write about for days, as it seems to me that commercials and ads are always portraying outdated gender roles and stereotypes. Carl’s Jr. uses sex to sell hamburgers. Men are either sexist or clueless (or a combination of both) and women are either shrews or sex objects. Worse is when an ad has a mix of all those things, which frankly seems to be the norm these days. Ad companies seem to be holding onto the belief that what’s worked in the past will work forever. Consumers are wising up to their tactics, and this latest faux-pas is just an example of how far companies will go to market their product. We can only hope that they’ll wise up and stop using antiquated methods, especially in the wake of so much backlash.