34 Million Moms Are Online
Keeping up with their children keeps moms on the leading edge of new technologies and online activities. In fact, they are among the most savvy of all online users.
They are also one of the larger user groups online.
eMarketer estimates 34 million mothers in the US go online at least once a month.
Moms are the key decision-makers for many family purchases, and increasingly the information they obtain and activities they engage in online affect those decisions.
They shop for their kids–and themselves, and when they find something great for their family, they talk about it, not only with their family and friends, but often with a much broader online audience.
In ways that marketers are only beginning to understand, the
Internet is influencing mothers–and enabling mothers to influence
others.
A survey by Razorfish and CafeMom
found that Websites, referrals from friends and family, and information
from search engines were the most common sources online moms used to
make a purchasing decision.
The moms were less likely to use TV, magazines, newspapers or radio.
According to Experian Simmons, 70% of online moms made a purchase online in the past 12 months.
When it comes to what moms shop for online, the Marketing to Moms Coalition
found that 44% of online moms shopped for themselves–almost the same
as the percentage who shopped online for their kids (45%).
In addition, 49% said they researched products online.
Moms surveyed by Razorfish and CafeMom were more likely to have
shopped for clothing or accessories (40%) or food/cooking items (31%)
online than baby/parenting gear (26%).
“Moms constantly seek and share advice, and they are routinely
doing so online,” says Ms. Williamson. “Often they simply reach out to
family and friends but as more of them use social media such as
consumer review sites and blogs, an increasing amount of the
information comes from strangers.”