Demand increases for maternal, infant information online

Song Kaiwen, 32, a white collar worker in Beijing with a 5-month-old daughter, frequently feels worried and stressed about her role as a mother.

"I feel overwhelmed as a new mom when my baby cries and doesn't go to sleep at night. I try different ways to get her to stop crying, such as feeding her, changing her diaper, holding her in my arms and walking around the house. My husband also gets up to help me," Song said.

"However, the results are not satisfactory. My daughter usually cries for 30 to 40 minutes each time, and only falls asleep when she is tired. I try to stay awake even though I am exhausted and need to go to work the next day."

When Song's daughter gets a fever or cough, she is even more anxious. "Should I see a doctor immediately or give my baby some medicine? I am not clear about the dose and am worried about the side-effects."

Song's child-raising knowledge is limited. Her concerns were eased when her friend recommended she use Dingxiang Mama, a maternal and infant information platform.

Song is able to find solutions to her daughter's problems quickly. "I am willing to pay for the online courses provided by the platform, as they teach me how to be a good mom."

Dingxiang Mama, which is affiliated to Dingxiangyuan, an online health information service provider, is committed to providing professional maternal and baby information services for mothers, with its users reaching more than 10 million so far.

The company is banking on online paid knowledge services and will increase investments through offering online lessons related to pregnancy, childbirth and parenting to help mothers eradicate anxiety, said Chu Yang, vice-president of Dingxiangyuan and founder of Dingxiang Doctor and Dingxiang Mama.

"The paid knowledge services account for about 80 percent of the total revenue of Dingxiang Mama, with the number of paying customers surpassing 800,000," said Chu.

"We wanted to help new mothers finish their role transition and ease their anxieties. So we decided to engage in the systematic knowledge field."

Chu is bullish about the prospects of paid online content, while noting the maternal and infant segment is the biggest sector of the health industry.

Market research and consulting group iResearch said China's online paid knowledge industry is expected to witness explosive growth in the next three years. Its revenue is expected to skyrocket to 23.5 billion yuan ($3.35 billion) in 2020 from 4.91 billion yuan in 2017.

The post-1990s have become a major driving force of the maternal and infant goods market. The main users of Dingxiang Mama come from first-and second-tier cities with high levels of education and high incomes, and have huge demand for pregnancy and parenting knowledge from the internet, said Du Yidan, business head of Dingxiang Mama.

"We have more than 800 experts, most of whom are doctors from Chinese Grade 3A hospitals, the highest of China's three-tier grading system for public hospitals, and a reviewing committee that is composed of more than 1,000 people," Du said.

The company has launched maternity "college" for pregnant women in the first phase, teaching them how to prepare for pregnancy, stay healthy and get in shape, as well as providing information about giving birth and caring for newborns.

More content will be introduced in the future. Users can independently choose courses and customize learning plans based on their own needs, Du added.

Statistics from iResearch also showed the revenue of the maternal and infant market reached 2.5 trillion yuan in 2018, and the figure is expected to reach 3 trillion yuan in 2020.

Yu Bin, an independent commentator on the internet industry, said the knowledge-sharing sector should focus on high-quality content and verticals, and explore more forward-looking knowledge to attract more users.