With Mother’s Day flowers still on the kitchen table and the card still taped to the fridge, I can’t help but reflect on the “mommy” demographic, which has always been a critically important target audience for marketers. It’s no secret to Dad, the kids and the rest of the family (including the dog!) that Mom is the decision-maker, not just at home, but also in the marketplace. In fact, with $2.1 trillion in spending clout, a mom’s brain is “built for shopping,” says Forbes.
And in many ways, digital shopping is built for moms. Digital moms are empowered with mobile devices, and they’re no longer a segmented group reached only through niche sites. Whether it’s searching for a healthy recipe, finding reviews on a local repair shop or looking for medical insight, moms are heavily dependent on search engines. In addition, “mommy bloggers” are now thought leaders, and many moms find information in online communities like CafeMom and Cool Mom Picks.
Moms as “Mombassadors”
According to another new study by Performics, moms are active and engaged users of social networking sites, compared to other women. They’re more likely to visit these social media sites regularly, trust what they read their about their favorite brands and make a purchase – such as a car, clothes or travel – based on social media recommendations.
What’s more, moms are recommendation engines. Once a mom discovers a brand or company she likes, she is more likely to become a brand ambassador. Mothers were 34 percent more likely to recommend companies and brands through social networking sites and 25 percent more likely to talk about companies and brands they follow. This is probably a reflection of the finding that almost two-thirds of moms believe they can influence companies by voicing their opinions on social networks.
Let’s face it: moms like to talk about their likes and dislikes, including passing on brand information. (“You should see this deal I got today!”) Thousands of women are online generating brand buzz and acknowledgement, but remember: This kind of WOM doesn’t happen overnight. It takes an integrated media approach to fully understand what makes moms want to engage and how best to get them talking up your product/service.
Moms are Most Engaged on Pinterest
Pinterest is a rising star and already has the attention of top brands across the board. Moms have taken to Pinterest quickly as well and according to Nielsen, they’re 61 percent more likely to use the network than the average American.
Better yet for Marketers, Pinterest has moved past Twitter in terms of the amount of referral traffic it delivers and it’s also closing in on referral giant StumbleUpon. The power of Moms as recommendation engines coupled with the visual appeal of Pinterest’s user interface, allows a whole new way for marketers to engage with Moms and incorporate their loyalty into their brand.
Moms are Deal Hunters
Marketing Charts recently released study results that reveal even more insights for marketers who want to target moms, the “Chief Purchasing Officer” in many households:
- Digital moms look for best deals. Moms are coupon clippers, but this isn’t your grandmother’s sort of clip-and-save; it’s more like click-n-save. Moms are 70 percent more likely to download coupons from retail marketing websites than the general population, and 65 percent more likely to download coupons from a manufacturer’s website. They’re also twice as likely to use social media to find and use coupons. How can you use digital coupons and promotions to engage moms and turn a discount hunter into a loyalist?
- Moms read signs. Unlike some dads, who are map-adverse and label-blind, moms are more than twice as likely to respond to in-store messaging on kiosks, signs and in-store circulars. The study also showed that 71 percent of shoppers as a whole, not just moms, are likely to make lists at home in an effort to penny pinch, up from 67 percent in Q1 2011. Among those polled, more than half (56 percent) said they choose stores based on discount price offerings. Once again, these results tell me moms are thoughtful, budget-minded shoppers. Can you use in-store signage to: 1) grab their attention, 2) play into their desire for convenience, 3) offer a discount, and/or 4) integrate your online messaging into a compelling customer experience that reinforces your brand?
Moms are Going Mobile
Today, mom is tied to her smart phone, and a joint Nielson and BabyCenter study showed that moms use the latest digital devices (including laptops, digital cameras, DVRs, gaming consoles and tablets) as necessities—not luxuries.
“This research confirmed what we’ve been seeing over the last couple of years—that mom is at the forefront of technology adoption, readily transforming behaviors to better support her journey of motherhood,” said Mike Fogarty, SVP and Global Publisher at BabyCenter in a press release.
Undoubtedly, moms are leading the charge, but this is the kind of consumer we’re going to see increasingly queuing up at our cash registers –both on- and off-line.
About Paige O'Neill
