Socially engaged mums are using networks to influence purchase decisions
The majority of mums are using their social networks to actively seek recommendations on holidays, products and brands, as they prefer to research their options thoroughly prior to purchase, research has found.
Over half (52 per cent) of mothers surveyed by FanFinders said they use their social networks to seek recommendations on occasion, while eight per cent said they always conduct this research via social media prior to purchase.
Two-thirds (67 per cent) like to 'research thoroughly' when making a big purchase, and another 30 per cent said that they will read at least 'a few reviews'. In fact, only three per cent do not seek out any recommendations at all, highlighting the power of word-of-mouth in this consumer group.
The survey of 3,000 mums in the UK also found that 43 per cent are members of private parenting groups on social media, highlighting the importance of community to this particular demographic.
Facebook is the preferred network for the vast majority, at 84 per cent, and more mums access social media via their smartphones (76 per cent) than any other device.
Meanwhile, mums are early birds on social, with almost half (41 per cent) having checked their social media accounts by 8am.
Value and convenience
When it comes to shopping, the survey suggests the majority still prefer to do their grocery shopping in-store (70 per cent) with 27 per cent opting for online home delivery. Of those who do shop online, convenience is the presiding factor for half, while a third cite better offers as their main motivation.
Tesco (31 per cent), Asda (29 per cent) and Aldi (21 per cent) are the preferred supermarkets for mums, with Waitrose the least popular at just two per cent.
60 per cent would opt to buy a recognised brand over a store's own, even if it's more expensive, compared to 40 per cent, who would opt for the store's own version of the product.
The sample uncovered a fairly even split between stay-at-home parents (37 per cent) and those working full-time (40 per cent), while a further 23 per cent work part-time.
Class perceptions
Over half (53 per cent) perceive brands to be marketing to them based on class. Tesco and Asda are the most popular supermarket brands to perform consistently well across the varying class perceptions of those surveyed – ie Tesco draws a minimum of 28.6 per cent of respondents from each of the (self-determined) class brackets.
All research was conducted by FanFinders.