Moms with young kids two times more likely to visit and participate on social media websites

NEW YORK, USA: A new analysis from Experian Marketing Services, a global provider of integrated consumer insights, targeting and cross-channel marketing, found that moms with young kids, defined as children under the age of 5, are often more active on social media, more likely to shop using mobile devices and more open to engage with brands across digital touch-points than other segments of moms and consumers at large.

The analysis focuses on the unique online, mobile and shopping behavior of young moms and offers suggestions for brands looking to expand their reach and relevance with these moms.

"Moms with young kids represent a highly active and digitally sophisticated segment of consumers who are eager to connect with brands and share their experiences through multiple platforms," said Bill Tancer, GM of global research, Experian Marketing Services. "Our research shows that these moms exhibit dramatic differences in both behavior and attitudes from other moms and the general population that marketers need to understand to productively engage with this lucrative segment."

The analysis leverages Experian Marketing Services' Simmons National Consumer Study, a comprehensive, continuously fielded survey of approximately 25,000 US adults, including both English and Spanish speakers, and Hitwise,the world's largest sample of online consumer behavior that connects online insights with offline lifestyle and life stage information.

The findings of the analysis include the following:

Moms with young kids are the most habitual social networking users

Moms with young kids are more than twice as likely as the general population to visit social networking sites three or more times per day. They also are the most participatory, being twice as likely as the general population to post or comment on social networking Websites.

They are the most habitual social networking users among all mom segments, surpassing moms with kids between the ages of 6 and 10 and moms with teenagers. In fact, the analysis found a negative correlation between kids' ages and the moms' social networking use. As the children grow older, moms are less likely to be socially active online.

They are mobile power users

Moms with young kids are more than twice as likely as the general population to visit Websites on their cell phone, ranking highest among all mom segments for "often" or "very often" browsing Websites from their mobile device. At home, moms with young kids are more likely than other segments to access the Internet on a tablet, with the Apple iPad ranking as their tablet of choice.

They respond well to advertising

Especially when shopping for their children, moms with young kids respond very positively to advertising. In fact, they rank highest among all moms for the statement "Advertising helps me to choose products to buy for my children."

They use their mobile phones to look for coupons

Moms with young kids are 62 percent more likely than the general population to use their mobile phones to look for local coupons while shopping. Additionally, they are the "mom" segment that is most likely to engage in show-rooming (the practice of using brick-and-mortar stores to find products that they ultimately buy online). They rank highest for the statement "If I find something I want in a store, I'm likely to go online to see if I can find a better deal."

Tancer continued: "Marketers looking to reach moms with young kids should consider a two-pronged email approach to share information and deals with these moms. They should employ a social media strategy that encourages sharing and commenting to individually engage and develop brand loyalty. Finally, marketers need to ensure their content is mobile-optimized and engaging and find advertising services that take advantage of this segment's propensity toward social networking and mobile online shopping."