“Jill repositioned PayPal for the modern consumer, made National Geographic the most followed brand on Instagram, and transformed H&R Block into a modern fintech platform,” Gordon said. “We are at a similar inflection point at Babylist.”
Working in Cress’ favor is the sheer size of the baby category, which topped $87 million in 2024 and is growing at 5.7% annually.
It also doesn’t hurt that Babylist’s would-be competitors have already stumbled, opening the way for its initial growth. Retail chain BuyBuy Baby filed for Chapter 11 three years ago, shut down its 360 stores in 2024, and now operates only online. Babies R Us, a onetime category killer, shuttered its stores in 2018. It got a second lease on life through Kohl’s, which opened 200 outposts inside of its locations, though Bloomberg reported last year that the mega retailer was looking at shrinking Babies’ square footage.
In addition to marketing Babylist’s nascent sidewalk presence, Cress will also be working with an innovative business model.
Babylist’s revenue comes from selling its own items and also via weblinks. These range from major retailers like Target and Amazon, down to more specialized and upmarket destinations such as Nordstrom and Etsy. But the site lets parents assemble a wish list from items they find for sale anywhere online. It also features price comparisons, reviews, and advice.
Enough, maybe, to cut down on the $19,000 cost of having a kid.