Tuesday 24 January 2023

US-based baby registry operator Babylist, a vertical marketplace and commerce destination for baby, has acquired health and wellness app and media site Expectful, the company said.

Babylist's established media business provides product recommendations and expert-guided content to over 7.5m unique visitors each month.

This deal will enable Expectful to expand into the leading media site for anyone on the pregnancy journey, providing a one-stop destination for information, resources, and support, focusing on mental health and wellness.

This acquisition complements Babylist's established media business and its recent expansion into health through new audiences and content.

The deal further secures Babylist as the premier media destination for all things baby, parenthood, and pregnancy.

Babylist's editorial content will continue to focus on best-in-class expert-tested product guides, unbiased editorial guidance, and informative weekly newsletters.

Expectful will become the new hub for Babylist's library of dedicated health and wellness content and will provide deeper resources for those trying to conceive, pregnant and postpartum.

In the coming months, Expectful will expand its content and network of experts and launch a new site featuring curated content, including articles, videos, and audio, on topics such as prenatal mental health, postpartum depression, and pumping at work.

The company will expand its range of services, including guided meditations, mindfulness exercises, and expert advice on topics such as prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum recovery, focusing on mental health support and education.

It will expand its platform across its apps, website, email newsletter, and social media channels.

The new media property will not only provide expecting and new parents with the information and resources they need, but it will also help educate and destigmatize mental health struggles that can arise during this time.

Immediately after the acquisition, Expectful offered new users free access to its paid membership for a limited time. Additionally, Expectful made some of its most popular courses available for free indefinitely to democratize access to this valuable content.

Babylist is the marketplace and content platform for millions of families, driving purchase decisions for 8m shoppers and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually.

In addition, Babylist's media business, which partners with premier brands such as Nike, Pampers, Skip Hop, and Afterpay, doubled in revenue last year.

It also launched its full-service content studio, The Push, for brand storytelling.

In addition to the acquisition of Expectful, the company recently entered the USD 3tn US healthcare industry with the launch of Babylist Health, which was supported by a strategic acquisition of a durable medical equipment supplier specializing in maternal health.

Babylist registries connect new parents and their community of family and friends who help plan, prepare, and shop for a child's arrival.

Babylist is the generational brand in baby, leading the USD 67bn baby products market as the trusted go-to solution for growing families.

Expectful is a digital health and wellness platform for pregnancy, offering guided meditations, mindfulness exercises, and expert advice on prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum recovery.

Since launching in the App Store in 2018, Expectful has helped more than 500k users, built an engaged subscriber base of 400k women, and earned 3.4k five-star reviews.

Its investors include Harlem Capital, Chingona Ventures, and Powerhouse Capital.