il there is a problem,” Coote stated. Together, The Memo and When Fertility want to help consumers start the fertility conversation sooner so they have more options later, no matter what they decide.  While pharmacies have traditionally retailed preconception products like pregnancy tests and prenatal vitamins, The Memo has positioned itself as an alternative destination that is dedicated to supporting parents from family planning to raising children. The new addition to The Memo’s preconception product category hints at the power of retail to empower consumers with their family planning and fertility health. Completing the customer journey  “Over the last four years, The Memo has focused on meeting the needs of expecting and new parents, with a curated assortment and expert education to support you throughout pregnancy, postpartum and parenting,” Kate Casey, CEO and co-founder of The Memo, told Inside Retail. “But what about before all that? It starts with preconception,” Casey asked and answered. Since its founding four years ago, The Memo has been expanding not only its store locations but its category and product offering to include potential, expecting and current parents. “Our view on the industry in general is that there has been a lot of emphasis on the baby, and not enough on meeting the needs of the parent,” Phoebe Simmonds, co-founder of The Memo, told Inside Retail. “Other baby stores are good at selling stuff. But we’re about more than that – we’re about making long-term connections with our community,” she added. According to When Fertility’s research, decentralised and proactive healthcare is the future in terms of both consumer interest and market growth. “Understanding your health proactively puts you in the best position to affect your outcomes. Fertility is no different,” said Coote. Implementing empathy in retail  The Memo took note of consumers asking the Australian government and the retail industry for greater ownership over their healthcare journey into parenthood. “Information about our own personal fertility health can feel gatekept with ‘give it 12 months’ or ‘wait and see’” being some of the common phrases couples here from their doctor when trying to conceive. Simmonds said it can feel like you need to have  “a problem before we can seek information to guide a solution”.  “But fertility is a timed event – gaining insight into our bodies at the start can have a huge impact on how we get to the end,” she added. But while there was clearly a gap in the market for preconception products, introducing When Fertility into its offering required a deep understanding of the customer and an empathetic approach. “A category is a story, and if a customer is interested in preconception, they need to know they can come to us for all the essentials, from books to nutrition, to tests,” said Casey. Simmonds elaborated that “preconception demands nuance, an investment in education and empathy. That’s why we can do preconception and why others probably don’t or won’t.” It is this investment in the customer experience that helped Coote identify the brand alignment between When Fertility and The Memo. “The Memo had built into their DNA from day one, that parents deserved better – they lead with this approach in everything they do,” she said. “In the same way, When believes people deserve better during their reproductive journeys – better information, better tools, better education.”  The consumer response to When Fertility being stocked at The Memo’s online and offline stores has solidified Casey and Simmonds’ outlook on what a baby retailer focused on parents can be. “We’ve had so many meaningful conversations with customers online and in our physical stores since its launch,” concluded Casey.  “It’s been very rewarding to know this one test could deliver a greater understanding of one’s own body.”