The wheeled goods market splits into two with all singing, all dancing pushchairs suitable for babies from birth and the stroller market. The best selling pushchairs at the moment appear to be the Silver Cross 3D and other similar pushchairs - pushchairs that do everything. Carrycots seem to be making a come back which is good news and not just because they add to turnover! Young babies should lie flat and be supported along their backs and, although many lie-back pushchairs are pretty good, this is best achieved by a carrycot.

In the stroller market, it is those like the Quinny Zapp - strollers that are light and fold compactly - that are the most popular. Here it is the weight of the stroller and how easy it is to fold that appear to be the main selling points, though, of course, colour and price are always significant features.

Andy Crane of BabyStyle is the one person in the industry that knows the pushchair market. "There is very much a North - South divide in wheeled goods. In the north, especially the north-east, mums and dads are more likely to buy a traditional pram with the carrycot. In the south, from the Midlands down, it's a pushchair that converts. For example with our Mutsy pushchairs, in the north, customers are more likely to buy the complete package. In the south, it's more likely to be the 2-in-1 with a car seat."

The purchase of a pushchair is generally bound up with much emotion. After all, it is generally the first major purchase for a couple expecting their first baby and somehow it just has to be right! "I sometimes ask if they would be so wound up buying a washing machine," says Roy Weaver of Kiddieland in Liverpool. "If they have abused a product and come back six months down the line, it has always collapsed right in front of the bus and ‘nearly killed our little darling' but it's amazing how that can all disappear when you mention the magic word - refund! Suddenly everyone's happy! Many people seem to expect so much from a £35 buggy. They expect things to last forever."

The quality of pushchairs, especially the lighter and cheaper models is often a contentious point. One major problem is that a poor quality pushchair looks very similar to a good quality one. It really does take an expert to tell the difference. It's not the weight - aluminium is lighter than steel. It's not the price - simple cheap buggies can be just as strong. The strength of a pushchair lies in the design and quality of manufacture. For many other retailers, this is the key. Once sold, retailers don't want to see them again! However, in many cases, this is a vain hope. Pushchairs are complicated products and they do need some TLC! Mums shouldn't dump it in the boot of the car and then pile all the week's shopping on top - but they do. They shouldn't leave it on the drive and back the car into it - but they do. They shouldn't let other people who have no idea how to, attempt to fold the pushchair, but they do. And they expect to have all their money back six moths later when they decide it isn't the right set of wheels for them!

Despite the fact that a pushchair is an item that will be used most days and needs to be practical, it is very much a fashion item. Having the ‘right brand' in the ‘right fashion shades' seems to be the priority. There are many ways of asking which brands are the most important. Sales data and asking what they have bought gives a good indication on what parents are choosing to spend their hard-earned cash. Asking what brands they are considering shows the brands which might be bought in the near future. But for this report, the Wilkinet survey asked slightly different questions to measure desirability and brand appeal. A brand may be appealing but not feature on a list of brands they are considering because of factors like price, availability or a partner's opinions. By asking questions of desirability, we take people away from the reality of the purchase and get feedback on what brand they would choose of they could pick any brand and have it handed to them free! This is useful to show brand status, if not market share. It can also highlight brands that are rising stars - ones who don't currently have a high market share but are growing and have a buzz around them. This buzz, if developed correctly could soon turn then into a big player in the market.

By asking an open, unprompted question, we can also get a spontaneous response which shows which brands are both desirable and doing an effective job of getting their brand to the forefront of people's minds. The Wilkinet Survey asked new parents, second time parents and parents-to-be to imagine they were offered any brand of pushchair/pram/buggy they wanted without having to pay for it. The brands they choose were:

It is interesting to see that Mamas and Papas are still at the top but Silver Cross is close behind as the most desirable brand. The fact that Graco is in third place is interesting. Though the Graco brand has many qualities, I, personally, never saw it as a brand to aspire to! Perhaps it's time to reassess!

Finally, what is happening in 2008 as regards colour? The Wilkinet Survey* shows how the choice of colour has been changing over the year.

Darker colours are be-coming less popular but that totally impractical, colour white, is has significantly increased in popularity!

"Colours are changing significantly," says Andy Crane. "Last year it was soft pastels, but for the coming season, colours are more striking following the fashion in interior design. Our new colours for 2008 certainly follow this trend. For example, we have Aero Black and Aero White which are essentially black with white and grey circles or white with black and grey circles. When I first looked at these fabrics, I thought they would mainly be ‘showstoppers' and generally a bit risky. However, sales have been exceptionally strong in these and Humbug which is also in black and white."

What's going to capture the public's imagination in 2008? Have a look on the following pages.

The Wilkinet Survey data is based on 364 new mums and dads (children under 2) and parents-to-be (first or second time pregnant) between the 7-9th December.

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