STUDY REVEALS TECHNOLOGY HABITS OF AMERICAN MOMS

Great information just released from the Marketing to Moms Coalition!

Moms use the Internet Three Hours a Day and Report

Spending More Time Online than their Kids

Move over, Junior, Mom needs to check her email. In a study released on the eve of the annual International Consumer Electronics Show, American mothers revealed some surprising technology habits, including the fact that moms of school-age kids use the Internet more than their children do.

These moms report that they’re on the Internet for three hours a day, while their children are logged on for two.

“Mothers, now more than ever, are using technology like video, blogs and wireless devices to multi-task through their busy days,” says Maria Bailey, industry exert and author of the book, Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today's Mothers by Leveraging New Media & Technology. “2009 stands to produce a record number of tech-savvy mothers bridging devices together to create everyday solutions.”

The new report from the Marketing to Moms Coalition, a not-for-profit industry association that studies the habits and purchasing patterns of mothers, provides a glimpse into the relationship between the most powerful consumer-spending group in America, and the consumer electronics industry.

The study includes findings such as:

• The cell phone is the technology used most often by moms to communicate with their kids – 80% say it is the direct line to their child and babysitter.

• 60% of moms use text messaging. African-American moms and Hispanic moms text more than Caucasian moms.

• MySpace is the most common personal networking site used by all moms (42%).

• Best Buy is the leading electronic retailer for moms of all income groups, and particularly moms in high-income households.

• Full-time working moms use technology at the highest rates.

The top 10 activities for moms online are as follows:

1. Checking/sending email (85%)

2. Paying bills/online banking (64%)

3. Reading news (57%)

4. Checking weather (56%)

5. Researching other products/price comparisons (49%)

6. Playing games (46%)

7. Shopping for her children (45%)

8. Shopping for herself (44%)

9. Planning travel (39%)

10. Researching health-care information (38%)

About the Survey

The survey was comprised of a nationally representative sample of American Moms contacted between June and July 2008, via an online invitation. The sample was balanced on region, household size, population density, income and ethnicity. An ending sample of 1,033 Moms with children under 18 living at home completed the online questionnaire. The research firm Insight to Action analyzed results.

About The Marketing to Moms Coalition

The Marketing to Moms Coalition is the only industry group dedicated to furthering an understanding of America’s most powerful consumers. A not-for-profit organization, the group’s goal is to share knowledge and insights about moms to help marketers create programs that engage and empower this driving force of the American economy. More information about the coalition can be found at www.marketingtomomscoalition.org. The founders of the coalition are Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media; Bridget Brennan, CEO of Female Factor; Michal Clements, Managing Partner, Insight to Action; Amy Colton, Senior Vice President, Current Marketing; and Teri Lucie Thompson, Chief Marketing Officer, Purdue University.