Do women change when they have children? You bet! But not to a one–dimensional state of motherhood. As most of you know urbanmoms.ca recently conducted a survey with our members and the results are pretty interesting! Our urban mom members are sending a strong message to marketers, demonstrating that today’s modern mom is just as interested (and sometimes more) in the activities and products associated with her child-free years.
Once women have children their need for knowledge and information expands, but their pre-motherhood worlds have not been left behind. At urbanamoms.ca, we instinctively knew this, but this recent survey confirms our premise and carries a strong message for marketers aiming to reach the very influential moms demographic.
In the survey, approximately sixty per cent (60%) of moms said cosmetics, hair and skin care products are just as important to them now as before motherhood, and many reported an increased interest in these items, including thirty two per cent (32%) citing increased interest in skin care. Fifty-two (52%) per cent also indicated that their interest in fashion has not diminished with motherhood and nearly 20% actually have a greater interest in personal style.
And today’s moms are hip and technologically-smart. Approximately ninety per cent (90%) have the same or an increased interest in personal electronics (i.e. cell phones, personal organizers) and electronics for the home.
Talking of homes, décor and home furnishings are extremely popular with moms, and leisure activities both inside and outside the home such as travel, movies and community activities, remain as equally important as before motherhood.
One of the strongest messages in the survey is for the financial services sector, with sixty-eight (68%) of moms indicating an increased interest in insurance since becoming a mother, and fifty-nine per cent (59%) and forty six per cent (46%) respectively, identifying investing and banking of more interest to them than during their child-free years.
Grocery and food producers also need to take note, with sixty-six per cent (66%) of moms citing greater interest in dairy products, sixty per cent (60%) in packaged goods, fifty-three per cent (53%) in produce and forty-eight (48%) in meat and fish.
And how does today’s busy mom have the energy to manage all these interests? Perhaps the answer to this question lies in the fact that sixty-five (65%) of moms indicated a greater interest in health and wellness activities.
As moms we know we are important consumers and that companies and brands are just as, and in many cases, even more relevant to us once we become mothers. But we also know that to truly connect with today’s modern mom organizations need to relate to how multi-faceted and dynamic our world is and know how to communicate with us in a meaningful way.
To that end, when asked “what typically encourages you to purchase a new product or service?”, sixty-three per cent (63%) cited a recommendation or sample from family, friends or colleagues; fourteen per cent (14%) said reading about it in a newspaper or magazine. Only thirteen per cent (13%) cited advertising as their source and just seven per cent (7%) noted seeing a product at a store would encourage them to purchase.
The message to marketers is that they need to communicate with moms by non-traditional and more grassroots methods and respect who we are – moms, yes, but so much more! We know that moms are much more tuned into the opinions of their friends, many of which are likely other mothers, than they are to more traditional advertising campaigns.
We were thrilled with the response from our members to this survey and thank all of you who participated. Being an urbanmoms.ca member not only gives you the chance to connect with other like-minded women but it also gives you the opportunity to impact products and services relevant to you by educating organizations on the needs of moms today. Congratulations to Michele from Toronto who won the $100 Pampering Gift Set in the survey’s random draw! Be assured that we will be sharing this information with companies in order encourage them to produce relevant communications, products, and services for today’s modern mom. Thanks for having your say!