We recently conducted research that revealed why and how moms make their purchasing decisions. In this post, experts at marketing-to-moms shared both their reactions to the study as well as resources that can help marketers reach moms in smart and effective ways.

Moms are the driving force behind the $66 billion baby care industry. We wanted to get a deeper understanding of why and how moms make their decisions.  To do that, we needed to move beyond quantitative research. We conducted a qualitative research study using a Digsite Sprint.

In-Depth Insights on Moms’ Purchase Decisions

A Digsite Sprint is an on-demand market research study designed to provide in-depth insights from a targeted audience. Over a period of 5 days, 26 community participants took part in an online Digsite Sprint. The interactive interface allowed them to answer questions, share ideas and images, and respond to fellow participants’ comments.

You can read a post about the study here, and download the findings here.

Key takeaways from the research

• The number one influencer for moms’ purchases was “quality,” and they had to use the product themselves to evaluate the quality.

• Moms will shop online for commodity items such as diapers and wipes, but for new items like car seats or toys they prefer an in-store experience.

• Quality trumped price for moms, and brand heritage and emotional pull was also important.  

Now let’s take a look at how some of the top marketing experts for this demographic reacted to the study.

Expert Reactions

Amy Henry

SVP Strategic Planning

Strottman International

Amy’s reaction:

“Digsite’s Buying Habits of Moms study suggests that marketers and program developers should be conscious that today’s moms are smart and savvy, but often shop with equal part ‘heart’ when it comes to products for their children.

In our work on Millennial Moms (download our white paper From Me, Me, Me to Mommy: The Shifting Story of Millennial Moms), we found that today’s parents – especially Millennials – have high expectations from brands in terms of both value and quality. But, as this Digsite study suggests, Millennial moms and dads believe there’s no one way to parent, and that their child is unique and distinct. Thus, they are inclined to believe that there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all product.

Gone are the days when a simple endorsement from a celebrity or doctor can propel an item’s success - their own experience matters more to them than objective research or guidance from experts. For today’s brands, this means recognizing that parents want to experience a product before they commit, and that they want the opportunity to curate offerings that fit their style, their sensibility and their own beliefs about their child’s needs.

More than ever, acknowledging that parents don’t just want convenience or low-cost items and that they care deeply about their choices in childcare products will enable marketers of kid products to make a meaningful connection with today’s moms and dads.”

Holly Pavlika

SVP, Marketing & Content

Collective Bias

Holly’s reaction:

“Moms put their children first and make decisions for the good of their family. So it’s not surprising to see quality be high on their list. Moms really want it all: quality, a great value for the money, honesty and superior customer service. Foremost, though, is to make it useful and help simplify her life!  She already has enough on her plate so don’t be the brand that adds to it. If your brand can check all the boxes above you’re likely to have a loyal customer for life.

And don’t forget to NOT market to moms. They trust other moms and seek out other mother’s advice. Moms do their research/homework particularly with peers. Motherhood is isolating whether she is a stay-at-home mom or a career-oriented mom.

Social media allows her to connect to like-minded moms anywhere and at any time. And influencer marketing is a great way to connect moms with other moms who can help provide information with honesty and help brands build trust. But remember to use real moms, not celebrity moms. Our recent survey showed moms trust non-celeb influencers more and non-celeb influencers are 10 times more likely to drive in-store purchases.”

Robbin Chaber Allen

VP Strategic Alliances

Mom365

Robbin’s reaction:

“What marketers often overlook is that moms are also women, and they want to be recognized and marketed to for products and services for themselves as well as their children.  It's not surprising then, that Millennial Moms are less concerned about celebrity endorsement, because women as a whole are far more influenced to be driven down the path-to-purchase by other means.

In research conducted by Mom365*, moms told us very clearly that product sampling (especially those products meant for her enjoyment, and not just for her children/family), recommendations and reviews from other moms (that woman-to-woman connection can't be beat), and special offers that include a portion of the proceeds going to a good cause remain key purchase influencers.  

While a celebrity endorsement is "nice to have," if that endorsement is paired with a cause that the celebrity is backing, now you've got her attention. Cause-related promotions that benefit children or women are particularly close to her heart (no surprise there).”

* Click here to request a copy of Mom365’s research.

Marie Chevrier

Founder and CEO

Sampler

Marie’s reaction:

“We’ve definitely found our sampling campaigns agreed with Digsite’s research. Our Ultimate Online Baby Shower (UOBS) digital sampling campaign offered moms samples from several baby brands, and the results showed concrete proof of the behaviour noted in Digsite’s study.

A lot of fans showed excitement to try brands that they had never heard of to evaluate their quality, which play into Digsite’s finding that moms prefer to try the product in hand before buying. Sentiment and social following of the brands in the campaign improved soon after moms had a chance to evaluate quality of the samples they received.

Quality was the strongest topic in our survey feedback and communities discussion during and after the UOBS. It’s interesting to see that peer review wasn’t a strong factor in purchasing decisions because peer opinions were definitely shared quite often in our experience.

Moms preferring to see products in hand was the biggest key finding for us–it further validates the need for digital sampling.”

Sharon Vinderine

Founder & CEO

PTPA Media Inc.
 

Sharon’s reaction:

“We were not at all surprised with the results of the Buying Habits of Moms research conducted with Digsite.  What brands really need to understand, which was highlighted in the research, is that the price of products is not even part of the conversation with moms when it comes to products for their babies.  While consumers want a well-priced product, they prioritize quality, functionality and reliability over price.

Our awards program, Parent Tested Parent Approved, has been based on this exact foundation.  Moms have told us that they select products based on peer recommendations, awards received by the products and an emotional connection with a product’s advertising.  While a consideration, price falls lowest on their list of priorities.

When focused on millennial moms who (combined with Gen X’ers) hold over two trillion dollars in purchasing power, marketers need to know how to position their products.  Leveraging our own research, we have put together a Complete Guide to Marketing to Families for this exact purpose.”

Many Thanks, Much Work to Do

We appreciate the expert reactions from the industry’s top experts in marketing to moms. We encourage you to download their materials and reach out to them with questions. You can hear many of them speak at the upcoming M2Moms Conference in October 2016.  

If you’d like to learn more about how Digsite Sprints can provide you with insights like the ones generated above, click here.

See Digsite in action and discover how it fits your needs-join us for an interactive demo webcast!

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