Vertical Women's Market Analysis: Pregnancy Apps Pave the Way in Mobile Internet

With the implementation of the new “selective two-child” policy, the number of newborns has been increasing. According to a survey by VCBeat, in 2014, there were 16.87 million live births in mainland China, with a birth rate of 12.37 per thousand, equivalent to approximately 46,100 newborns each day. Compared with the birth rates over the past five years, this figure shows a steady upward trend. Additional data indicate that the average annual consumption per capita among China’s new generation of maternal and infant consumers ranges from RMB 5,000 to RMB 18,000, and the Chinese maternal and infant market is projected to reach approximately RMB 2 trillion by 2015.

The boom in the maternal and infant market has also driven the development of another specialized niche segment. A growing number of pregnancy-related apps are emerging before expectant mothers, offering relaxation support during the pre- and post-natal periods and providing alerts for potential physical discomforts.

VCBeat’s Internet Healthcare Research Institute conducted a survey of pregnancy and parenting apps with over 10,000 downloads in China, and analyzed the market for such apps by integrating data provided by major app stores.

As of March 25, statistics from the five major app markets—360 Mobile Assistant, Wandoujia, Baidu Mobile Assistant, Android Market, and Yingyonghui—showed that “Pregnancy Companion” ranked first with a total of 100 million downloads. “Meiyou Pregnancy” came in second with 21.51 million downloads, followed by “BabyTree Pregnancy” (formerly “Happy Mommy”), “Pregnancy Manager,” and “Pregnancy Reminder.” Since its launch in mid-November last year, Meiyou Pregnancy has experienced rapid growth, achieving 21.51 million downloads in just four months, equivalent to an average monthly increase of 5.37 million downloads. If this trend continues, its cumulative downloads are projected to exceed 60 million by the end of 2015.

According to the user distribution map from Baidu Index, users searching for the keyword “pregnancy” are primarily concentrated in coastal regions and cities, including Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shandong, and Shanghai. This indirectly reflects the close correlation between China’s economic development and the density of mobile internet users.

Pregnancy App Product Overview

According to statistics from VCBeat’s Internet Healthcare Research Institute on pregnancy-related apps, products cover three stages of pregnancy: preconception, prenatal, and postpartum. The largest number of products focus on the prenatal stage, while those targeting the preconception and postpartum stages are roughly equal in proportion. This does not imply that a product is limited to a single stage; rather, most products comprehensively address either two or all three stages.

In terms of functional distribution within pregnancy and parenting apps, we primarily categorize them into five major areas. Knowledge remains the most emphasized feature across all mobile products, accounting for 33.7%. This is followed by pregnancy management at approximately 24%. Mom communities and online consultations represent 17.1% and 10.9%, respectively. E-commerce guidance and pregnancy-related information (including news and hospital/pharmacy details) rank lower. VCBeat attributes this to the early development of PC platforms, which have established certain brand effects, leading users to prefer PC-based channels for shopping guidance and information acquisition.

We also gathered the top 20 pregnancy and parenting apps from international app search websites. Interestingly, “pregnancy knowledge” features ranked lower, with other categories moving up in the rankings. In other words, “pregnancy management” took the top spot, indicating that such products abroad focus more on management functions like tracking, reminders, and planning during pregnancy. Beyond functional differences, these products generally target the mid-pregnancy stage. While there are paid apps, with prices ranging from a high of $3.99 to a low of $1.99, the majority still offer free services.

Of course, this is not the most comprehensive comparison. What matters is the ability to help users meet their practical, personalized needs during special periods. For example, by providing routine recommendations, real-time tracking, and synchronization of hospital examination data, it is possible to derive personalized health plans.

Regarding the financing status of companies behind pregnancy and parenting apps, our statistics show that five companies have disclosed their funding amounts. Among them, Shenzhen Xinwang Zhichuang has undergone the most financing rounds, having completed four rounds with a total funding amount of $120 million. Its developed apps, "La Ma Bang" and "Pregnancy Companion," have both achieved notable success. The other companies include Xiamen Meiyou, BabyTree, Happy Mommy, and Star Baby Fashion.

Four Major Profit Models
In this female-centric niche market, where quality takes precedence over price, pregnancy and parenting apps must address how to convert traffic into tangible revenue and identify suitable business models to better monetize their user base. Current monetization strategies primarily include advertising and service fees, e-commerce affiliate marketing, offline event revenue, and paid online medical consultations.

1) Advertising/Service Revenue
By leveraging so-called “precision-targeted” advertising, platforms invite merchants specializing in maternity photography, postpartum slimming services, infant formula, and other related products to join their ecosystems. They then generate service revenue from these merchants through onboarding fees, advertising charges, and commercial revenue-sharing arrangements, as exemplified by platforms such as Mama Bang and Lamma Bang.

2) E-commerce Shopping Guide
Launch an e-commerce platform or integrate with third-party services to partner with pregnancy and parenting product providers. Implement mechanisms such as virtual currency redemption or experience point accumulation to exchange for free products, thereby incentivizing active user participation in platform activities and generating appropriate revenue sharing. Additionally, offer pregnancy and parenting-related hardware devices, such as those from Lama Yuer (Hot Mom Parenting) and Youyou Yuer.

3) Offline Event Revenue
It is mainly characterized by revenue from parent-child activities, such as Yuer.com.

4) Paid Online Medical Consultation
The primary model consists of specialized online consultation platforms that assist physicians in establishing digital practice channels, charging them a fee for these services. A typical representative is Chunyu Yuer Doctor. These platforms also recommend pregnancy- and parenting-related peripheral products to users, thereby evolving into an e-commerce referral model. Consequently, the industry is currently exploring various business models, with the expectation that these different approaches will ultimately converge.

For pregnant women, mobile and PC platforms cannot provide personalized services beyond informational content. They also need to track weight changes during pregnancy and monitor fetal development—precise data that can only be captured in real time and monitored long-term through wearable devices. This presents an opportunity for entrepreneurs to enter the hardware sector. According to VCBeat’s compilation, there are currently only three pregnancy-related hardware devices on the market: Jia Ding Technology’s Lisa Band, used for pregnancy monitoring and activity tracking; and Ruizhi Hekang’s Happy Mommy Fetal Heart Rate Monitor (for details, clickHere), used in conjunction with its namesake app to monitor fetal heart rate and provide prenatal music education; also, Babytree’s B-smart smart pregnancy watch seamlessly integrates with the “Babytree Pregnancy” app to record physiological changes during pregnancy and address expectant mothers’ diverse informational and psychological needs throughout this period.

In this niche market, user engagement and brand credibility are key drivers of future growth for both mobile applications and hardware products in the maternal and child health sector. Given its unique characteristics, companies must refine their products, services, and business models to perfection, prioritize user experience, and adopt a subtle approach to marketing their unique selling propositions.