Shopping is a fact of life for busy moms everywhere. When it comes to the products they buy, they want to know that they are getting the quality they expect to help them raise their families. Knowing that each Mom’s needs and shopping preferences are unique, we polled our Moms Meet Members to find out just what influences their purchasing decisions.
While there are many avenues available to learn about new products, it turns out that Moms still rely on their personal network most when it comes to product recommendations. Over half of our Moms find out about new products from their friends, Facebook, family members, and Moms Meet. One Mom had this to say about her experience of being a part of our Sampling Programs, “I am happy to be in a mom’s group because I learn about new healthy products and we get to try before we buy. I have bought some healthy products I didn’t like and it was a waste of money.”
It makes sense that Facebook is a popular source because it is the most used social media platform for our community with 95% of our members using the site. From our experience, our Moms share everything from cute family photos, momspiration and humor, parenting tips, and product recommendations on Facebook.
The responses also showed that the power of the personal recommendation outweighs the effectiveness of traditional advertising through web ads and TV commercials. Additionally, although Amazon is frequented by most of our Moms, it still came out behind the Mom’s personal network in exposing them to new products.
With new, convenient ways to shop emerging in recent years, there are still concrete reasons Moms hit the brick-and-mortar stores. Six out of 10 Moms surveyed like to shop in store so that they can use their coupons and shop the various sales. Half of the Moms also like to see and touch the items they purchase. And when it comes to picking products, many Moms still prefer to do the choosing themselves.
This is not to say that online shopping doesn’t have its perks. In fact, 89% surveyed said that they purchased online once a month or more in the last 12 months, proving just how much Moms like filling their virtual shopping carts. Clothing, shoes, and jewelry are the most popular categories for our Moms with over eight in 10 purchasing these items online. Other popular categories include beauty and health; toys, kids, and baby; food and grocery; and home, garden, pets, and tools.
Of those who shop online, more than half do so because they like reading product reviews on the items they wish to purchase. Over five in 10 Moms surveyed say that they now purchase items online that they used to buy in brick-and-mortar stores. Their main reasons include: having items delivered to their door, getting products at a cheaper price than at their local store, the convenience of reordering frequent purchases, and the ease of getting everything they need at once. At least half of the Moms said they have done more shopping and spent more money online this year than they have in past years.
Amusingly, Moms are split on whether they like shopping with the kiddos. Almost three in 10 moms shop in store because it’s an enjoyable activity to do with their kids. On the other hand, those who have made the jump to online shopping for items they used to buy in store do so because they’d rather get it done without their kids. According to one Mom surveyed, “Moms Meet has provided some great products that I now buy online because it’s easier. With small kids and no free time, it’s easier to have someone bring it to me rather than find a sitter (or deal with crazy kids in a store).”
For our members surveyed, Amazon was the dominant player in the online market with 97% of Moms having purchased from the mega-retailer over the past 12 months. This is slightly higher than the national average polled by CNBC in which they report that 75% of U.S. online consumers shop on Amazon most of the time. Our survey showed that more than 80% of those who have shopped on Amazon have done so once a month or more in the past six months with an average frequency of 1.2 times a week. Over seven in 10 of our Moms have an Amazon Prime membership and estimate that their group members do as well.
The top three reasons they are turning to Amazon over other shopping outlets, according to the survey, include: the free shipping that comes with their Prime membership, the benefits of delivery, and the lower prices found at Amazon versus their local store. A majority of our Moms are also shopping online at Walmart and Target, but to a somewhat lesser extent. Amazon makes up the bulk of the purchases in every category except handmade. It is the key player in the books and Audible; toys, kids, and baby; beauty and health; and food and grocery categories.
Many of the Moms surveyed see Moms Meet as a great source for learning about new products and Amazon as a convenient and low-cost way to purchase the products they love. One Mom said, “Amazon is a great resource for a plethora of products and Moms Meet is great for support and ideas.” Another had this to say, “I love Moms Meet to stay up to date with the newest trends in health and nutrition, and I love how easy it is to shop for these and other items on Amazon.” What’s clear from this survey is that Moms have greatly benefited from and are frequent users of online shopping avenues and that personal recommendations still reign supreme.
