Companies strive to keep the kids happy

Till now, apparel, pizza and burger makers were the major players in the kids market.

But with the little consumers driving up demand for the products and services they like, more and more companies are flocking to cater to the segment.

Their offers range from online tutoring to mythology-inspired games and even productivity tools aimed at raising children.

Toko Innovation Studios, a company founded by Aditya Mukherjee and Arnav Mukherjee, is developing an Indian mythology-inspired comics called Astra.

The company said initially, the focus is on toy and games. Toko has already inked a five-book deal with publisher Harper Collins based on the character of the Astra card game.

Astra is a collectible card game based on Ramayana, aimed at the age group 7-15.

“We realised that there is a huge market out there for creating content. Astra is designed to become an Indian version of Pokemon with similar impact and engagement with children,” Aditya Mukherjee said.

The company is planning to expand to China, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia, using Thailand as a base.

According to a report by market intelligence firm EuroMonitor International, the sales of traditional toys and games in India are estimated to be worth ₹2,830 crore in 2015.

Children represent an important demographic group as they have immense ability to influence purchase decision. Hence, it is important to create products aimed at them, say market experts.

According to World Bank, roughly 30 per cent of the population in India falls below the age group of 14 years.

London-based Nurturey, which offers ‘productivity tools’, wants to be a ‘digital tools’ platform for parents to help manage their lives around kids.

Targeting young parents with children under 10 yearsand those expecting a child, Nurturey provides a free app, initially targeting the UK and Indian markets.

Nurturey, which raised around $125,000 last year, has 118 investors.

“We have built a platform worthy of parents’ trust and a business that is sustainable,” says CEO Tushar Srivastava.

iTiffin, a healthy meal providing company, aims at creating awareness on healthy and nutritious food. iTiffin provides lunch boxes to schools while also educating the children on the benefits of eating healthy.

Others like Extramarks and Funtoot have created platforms which enable children score higher marks.

Learning-focused Extramarks recently introduced Extramarks Live, an anywhere-anytime class room focused on students from the nursery to XII classes.