5 Things Moms Want from Brands

Moms and their purchasing behaviors are changing rapidly, but are marketers accounting for the modern mom? Studies answer this question with a resounding no, with 56% of moms in the United States stating marketers don’t understand them (MDG Advertising). In part one of our two-part blog series, we delve into the facts and methods brands can use to reach moms and truly understand them. The modern mom sees being a mom as one of the many roles she plays throughout the day, thinks her parenting style is imperfect, and doesn’t believe there is only one way to be a mom. So how do brands update their marketing strategy to fit moms’ needs? By delivering what she wants.

1. Advice

One in three millennial parents feel anxious when purchasing a new product for their child (Tinybeans), which is tied to more than 66% of moms wanting brands to offer them useful information, advice from subject matter experts, or exclusive content (McLoughlin). Brands will win when they make moms’ lives a little easier and allow them to make the best choices. Offering sound advice comes in many forms, from how-to videos to virtual tours of brick and mortar stores. We’ll discuss the content and platforms brands can use to win moms over in the second blog of our two-part blog series, but for now, we’ll focus on brands giving advice. Advice pertains not only to purchases moms make for their children but also to any information that makes her daily life easier. It’s important to note family brands aren’t the only brands that appeal to moms. A brand that wins at giving advice (but isn’t a family brand) is West Elm, which has how-to videos as a part of their #askwestelm series on topics from how to set a table (which comes in handy during the holidays) to DIY faux molding. This is a way for the brand to promote their products and services without directly advertising to the consumer while simultaneously building trust, thought leadership, and loyalty.

2. Real-Time Customer Service with Full CX

Moms have a lot on their plates—dealing with poor customer service doesn’t need to be a part of their customer experience. This is why the consumer experience (CX) is critical throughout the buyer’s journey, especially when it comes to what Google calls the Zero Moment of Truth. The Zero Moment of Truth or First Moment of Truth (when a user first experiences a brand’s product or service) could be the first time a consumer encounters a brand’s website or brick and mortar store, so it’s important to make a good impression. A poor user experience could hinder or halt moms from purchasing altogether. LogMeIn found when consumers try contacting customer service support, their pain points include the problem taking too long to solve (33.7%), the problem never being solved (23.6%), and a poor customer experience on other brand channels (e.g., social media) (15.2%). Allow multiple ways for consumers to connect with support, such as call, email, online chat, social, messenger, or Skype, and scale the options using AI or chatbots. Make it friendly and approachable, like BarkBox, which calls their customer service team their “Happy Team” (picture wagging tails). The majority of moms with children ages 18 and younger have full-time jobs and work close to 100 hours per week between parenting and work, so a friendly, convenient, and seamless experience is a top priority for connecting with moms (Marcoux).

3. Social Responsibility

At this point, most brands know it’s no longer acceptable to be solely sales-focused. To capture the attention of millennial and Gen Z audiences, brands need to be socially responsible. In our 2017 Transparency Study, a brand’s corporate social responsibility was 23% more important to millennial moms than general consumers. Mom brands like cuddle+kind, a company that donates 10 meals for every purchase of a handmade doll, resonate with millennial and Gen Z moms. Brands have to understand social responsibility provokes an emotional response and a sense of goodwill on the part of the consumer. When a consumer feels they have fostered goodwill by shopping with a brand, the rule of reciprocity occurs. This can lead to acquiring more long-term customers, repeat purchases, and positive reviews. Cone Communications conducted a study where 87% of those surveyed said they are more willing to pledge their loyalty and trust to brands and companies devoted to a social or environmental issue. A few things should happen when brands select a cause:

● Make sure the cause or nonprofit connects with the brand’s mission and vision; otherwise, efforts can appear disingenuous.

● Plan accordingly and keep up with the latest news, updates, and trends affecting the cause or nonprofit.

4. Innovation

In this digital age, innovation seems to appear at the tip of our fingers. For many brands, taking a new approach can lead to big results. In a study conducted by Morning Consult, moms were asked to associate words with brands they were loyal to, and 65% said the word innovative. Coupled with convenience and safety, brands can offer a world-class service to moms. This is one of the many reasons why the D2C model and subscription-based services are surging in popularity. There are subscription boxes and services covering almost every part of mom’s life. For example, the subscription box Blumm has baby, mom, and toddler products; Nestify offers monthly home decor; and OwlCrate Jr. is filled with books for middle schoolers. Innovation, convenience, and safety could also account for the projected boost of grocery app usage. Currently, almost 28% of U.S. adults use grocery apps but this stat is expected to grow over the years (eMarketer). Seeing a pattern? Innovation is critical when delivering value to the evolving needs and habits of moms, and the brands ignoring this will be left behind.

5. Transparency

The word transparency is a buzzword millennial and Gen Z shoppers love to hear from brands. But what does it truly mean? In our 2017 Transparency Study, 80% of millennial moms surveyed are often or always influenced by transparency content when making a decision to buy and are 20% more likely than other consumers to look on brand social sites for transparency content. However, for many moms, transparency is more than knowing the ingredients in their child’s favorite foods or the materials used to make their clothes. Transparency encompasses internal company procedures and processes, workers’ compensation, company values, material sourcing, and product safety (just to name a few). Don’t believe us? Results from our study also show that millennial moms are influenced 14% more than Gen X moms by transparent content from brands. In a study conducted by SproutSocial, consumers (18+) want brands to be transparent about product/service changes (53%), pricing (43%), and marketing practices (41%). What’s surprising is when brands evade hot-button topics, like politics, they are viewed poorly. Millennials are currently the majority of young parents and desire to be a part of a bigger cause. A need for transparency combined with anxiety about making the right decisions and alignment on brand-mom values make it no surprise that 78% of parents do their research before purchasing a product (Tinybeans).

The Takeaway

Brands looking to gain loyalty with moms need to understand them and implement new strategies tailored to their evolving needs. By giving sound advice, brands can elevate their status with moms and help solve problems in their daily lives. An excellent CX and customer service allow brands to create a positive experience for moms, which creates a better and shorter buyer’s journey. By using a combination of brand innovation, social responsibility, and transparency, brands looking to target moms have a right to win. Speaking of winning, in part two of our blog series, we delve further into the content, platforms, and marketing strategies brands can use to boost their status with moms. Come back next week to find out more!