Posts Tagged ‘Marketing to Women’

In a recent survey, 85% of mothers said that having a baby “changed their purchasing habits” and 62% said as Moms, they “changed the brands they bought”. These women are not just purchasing with different criteria in mind, they are also making their decisions and purchases in different ways. Understanding their purchase decision methods is critical for almost any marketer targeting consumers.

Less time to shop turns into more time to compare
Since having children, women have far less time available to do their shopping. They have found different ways to address their often-hectic lifestyle. Many have embraced the big box stores where they can stock up and reduce their shopping frequency. Others prefer online shopping where they can find virtually anything they need, research competitors, and make a purchase and at any time of the day or night.
As care givers, Moms have become far more discriminating. They focus heavily on value, and try to stretch the family budget. It’s been estimated that mothers in fact, shop for and buy about 4 times as much as a married male of the same age. Moms are also very focused on product safety, health and environmental issues, which cause them to do more research than their male counterparts. Mothers don’t just buy the food, but also clothing, entertainment products, personal and healthcare items and household goods for her entire family. She is usually the influencer or final decision maker on almost all major as well as minor household purchases including cars and houses.

Almost half of Moms surveyed look to Social Media for advice
As the family gatekeeper, mothers search for information and compare quality and value for the products they need. They trust online comparison sites, chat rooms and social media centers for advice far more than the television and magazine ads where they gained their initial awareness, and still rely heavily on the advice of friends. Recent statistics from a survey by U.S. BabyCenter.com show that 44% of respondents used social media for recommendations on brands and products before making a purchase.
Since many women also use the Internet to share their own opinions on review sites, in blog comments or start blogs of their own, some marketers have enlisted the help of “mommy blogers in order to help introduce others to their product.” People have been overwhelmed with too much information and need some way to sort through the choices. They seek out recommendations, preferably from someone they know or trust. Next to recommendations from trusted friends, it seems that the Internet has replaced neighborhood chit-chat as the primary source of information on product and service related topics that are important to mothers.