Do incontinence nappy manufacturers appreciate the AB/DL market.

I think we make up a I large percentage of sales. I only buy medical nappies - the more medical the better.

Appreciate, no. Recognize, yes. We don't make up a large percentage of their sales, but we are a noticeable percentage. At most AB/DLs are 1/4 of diaper sales. Remember, while there are a lot of us, there are millions of incontinent people in America alone.

I think Adam from north shore appreciates us, he is direct with answering questions and taking feed back.

I think that they recognise that we've been a major driving force behind the development and improvement of adult incontinence products.

I've wondered about this. Assuming our suppliers are predominately private companies, we don't know their numbers. A google produced this:
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/adult-diapers-market

It cites alternate diaper applications, "guards on long duties who are not permitted to leave their post, divers under their diving suits, pilot on long flights and other long-hour workers." but makes no mention of ABDL.

I'd be interested to see a credible study of the adult diaper market inclusive of ABDL. Obviously it's big enough to support our suppliers.

I'm pretty sure most of them do whether they will publicly state it or not (Some actually do now, at one point I remember when Secure (total dry now) actually launched a separate identity, Bambino so they could publicly support lifestylist while maintaining a public medical image with their original company. Truth is in a lot of cases they have nothing to gain from acknowledging this market but a lot like Hasbro with Bronies buying their merchandise, it's an unintentional bonus of returns coming in for them.

pampers4U said:

I think Adam from north shore appreciates us, he is direct with answering questions and taking feed back.

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Yes, NorthShore has a more personal approach which allows us to better take the time to understand the needs of the AB/DL markets and other people that have unique incontinence needs that are not addressed by the big retail brands.

Overall, studies have shown the US market for retail incontinence supplies is about $2.5 Billion per year right now. A very large portion of that is spent by women with light to moderate stress incontinence which is why the big companies mostly design products for that market. While the AB/DL market is substantial, active and loyal, total sales are not hundreds of millions of dollars by any stretch so most companies will not make the investment needed to produce products for this market. It's better suited for a few niche companies who are not trying to also produce products for the masses.

Obagink said:

I've wondered about this. Assuming our suppliers are predominately private companies, we don't know their numbers. A google produced this:
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/adult-diapers-market

It cites alternate diaper applications, "guards on long duties who are not permitted to leave their post, divers under their diving suits, pilot on long flights and other long-hour workers." but makes no mention of ABDL.

I'd be interested to see a credible study of the adult diaper market inclusive of ABDL. Obviously it's big enough to support our suppliers.

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The big players are working on thin and discreet, it's the niche players like North Shore that are bringing us the thick and absorbent.

Maybe when it becomes socially acceptable to be wearing diapers, people will be more concerned about performance then being discreet.

ORBaby said:

The big players are working on thin and discreet, it's the niche players like North Shore that are bringing us the thick and absorbent.

Maybe when it becomes socially acceptable to be wearing diapers, people will be more concerned about performance then being discreet.

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Agreed. For many, thin and discreet just won't work. It's not even socially acceptable to call them "diapers" right now which I think only adds to the unnecessary stigma for diaper wearers.

I'm predicting we'll start to see some big changes in these old perceptions of diapers in the next couple years. We're hoping to play a big part in challenging the status quo and we definitely appreciate your support in these efforts.

As the babyboomers continue into our "golden years" I'd expect the sales of adult diapers to skyrocket. And hopefully discretion will begin to take more of a backseat to absorbency... But as for the moment/immediate future... Embarrassment still trumps practical.
And yes. I'm embarrassed by Trump. Ha ha.

bobbilly said:

I think we make up a I large percentage of sales.

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You think wrong. We make up a tiny % of sales.

Think about all the hospitals, care homes and people who need them for genuine incontinence all over the world.

I am sure we are a drop in the ocean for the major players. What we can do on a very minor scale, however, is help drive convergence. A couple of decades ago, there was the baby diaper market and the adult medical diaper market and that was that. There was no real acceptance that not all older children are completely dry all the time, so there were no products targeted at them, they had to make do. Nor was there full acknowledgement of the prevalence of feminine stress incontinence in the general population, so there were no products really optimised for them either. Same for ABDL, etc.

Now what we have is a more diverse spread of products positioned for different usage situations. The children's ranges are extending upwards in size, the ABDL offerings are varied and ever more in tune with our wish list, girls and women who have little leaks can now choose from a huge range of forms and styles of protection. The ultimate stage of this evolutionary process would be when there is 'a diaper for everyone', so there would no longer be a need to fall into one category or another to have a diaper available that meets your needs.

As well as the range of products, there has to be a simultaneous change in attitude to encourage uptake, as mentioned upthread. It would take a major paradigm shift to reach the 'ideal' situation that diapers are recognised as an ordinary accessory for everyone, and a mainstream toileting option. I don't know how that could happen, but then I didn't think we would be seeing female urination accessories such as the Shewee in high-street stores either and yet they are making steady progress.

There is one other major factor as far as disposables are concerned, that could make or break the whole thing, which is sustainability. As long as disposables are, and are seen to be, a drain on the planet's resources, there's a good reason for only using them where strictly necessary. If, on the other hand, one of the recycling / reprocessing schemes using fully biodegradable diapers were to come into effective operation, allowing manufacturers to fairly claim that disposables are no longer an environmental burden, one of the guilt factors would be removed from using them for convenience.

This is a utopian view, but one in which the mainstream manufacturers would inherently take the ABDL market into consideration simply because diapers are for everybody.

ESPF said:

As the babyboomers continue into our "golden years" I'd expect the sales of adult diapers to skyrocket. And hopefully discretion will begin to take more of a backseat to absorbency... But as for the moment/immediate future... Embarrassment still trumps practical.

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Right now Japan is somewhat on the forefront of that curve. They're heading well into "upside-down" population age territory, with more elderly than infants. Adult diapers are becoming a lot more mainstream there simply due to higher percentage need in the general population. They're also on the forefront of diaper recycling because of their limited land resources for things like landfills / garbage dumps.

I find it somewhat surprising that China seems to be the current revolutionary location for diapers, considering how Japan is both a technological innovator AND one of the greater areas of need. It just seems natural to me that they'd be the leaders in the game?

bambinod said:

Right now Japan is somewhat on the forefront of that curve. They're heading well into "upside-down" population age territory, with more elderly than infants. Adult diapers are becoming a lot more mainstream there simply due to higher percentage need in the general population. They're also on the forefront of diaper recycling because of their limited land resources for things like landfills / garbage dumps.

I find it somewhat surprising that China seems to be the current revolutionary location for diapers, considering how Japan is both a technological innovator AND one of the greater areas of need. It just seems natural to me that they'd be the leaders in the game?

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Japan was leader in Pull-Ons...they invented the machines that make pull-ons about 20 years ago. They don't use much briefs. Like Europe, they prefer to use large pads instead of briefs when heavy absorbency is needed or an aid is doing the changing. They consider briefs to be wasteful excess and not needed in most situations.

Additionally, Japan doesn't have much need for high absorbency products because culturally they believe that all people should be changed right away out of respect. They do this for both babies and adults...as many changes a day as wettings.

I have to believe the AB community in Japan is relatively large though.

NorthShoreAdam said:

Japan was leader in Pull-Ons...they invented the machines that make pull-ons about 20 years ago. They don't use much briefs. Like Europe, they prefer to use large pads instead of briefs when heavy absorbency is needed or an aid is doing the changing. They consider briefs to be wasteful excess and not needed in most situations.

Additionally, Japan doesn't have much need for high absorbency products because culturally they believe that all people should be changed right away out of respect. They do this for both babies and adults...as many changes a day as wettings.

I have to believe the AB community in Japan is relatively large though.

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I find that very interesting. I've personally see much of their culture openly acknowledges, and sometimes seems to encourage, the use of adult diapers. (For me that's been japanese tv, anime, and books mostly) Interestingly enough though, when I was there I saw almost no adult diapers or pullups for sale anywhere. I mean some of their major pharmacy outlet stores had one or two pullup selections but that was it. I had to scour Osaka cor several hours before I found a hole in the wall store that sold cloth backed diapers too. I came to find out that like with the US in Japan all of the decent diapers are sold online though, so I have no idea how big it really is over there.

Slomo said:

I find that very interesting. I've personally see much of their culture openly acknowledges, and sometimes seems to encourage, the use of adult diapers. (For me that's been japanese tv, anime, and books mostly) Interestingly enough though, when I was there I saw almost no adult diapers or pullups for sale anywhere. I mean some of their major pharmacy outlet stores had one or two pullup selections but that was it. I had to scour Osaka cor several hours before I found a hole in the wall store that sold cloth backed diapers too. I came to find out that like with the US in Japan all of the decent diapers are sold online though, so I have no idea how big it really is over there.

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Yes, China and Japan currently by twice as much health products online as we do in USA. Also Japan uses twice as many diapers per day as the rest of the world. They find it disrespectful not to change at first sign of mess.

I love the professional and caring attitude of Northshore. In my opinion, its not just about making money, but truly understanding your real customer bases, and not as much the stock market. Thank You NorthshoreAdam.
One thing that bothers me, is when parents or other adults say "He's too old to be wetting the bed." or "Why is she still wearing diapers?", and other things like that, especially towards children. Many think, just because the child can walk, there's no need for diapers or Goodnites, when their might be developmental issues or whatever. In most cases, it's not their business.

I keep seeing posts from people about adult-sized diapers being released with child-friendly prints. That, as much as anything else, would suggest to me a subtle recognition by the manufacturers of the needs and wants of the ab/dl community. I would the community would be the driving force for that kind of product far more than non-ab/dl medically incontinent wearers, who wear them out of need, but wish they didn't have to.