Archive for October, 2013

You are likely to find her sipping coconut water in a cafe while shopping on her wireless device. She’s sporting Tom’s shoes and garments tied to some kind of philanthropic cause. Her toddler sits in a stroller close to her, gliding chubby fingers comfortably over an iPod. She’s the Millennial Mom, and she’s all the buzz in marketing to moms. To engage with this influential group of moms, it’s important to understand what shapes her identity and behaviors.

Engaging with Millennial Moms, gaining their loyalty and winning their business means using dramatically different tactics compared to prior generations of moms. The differences are critical, and are sharply influenced by factors like how she was parented, school-aged influences, her parent’s affluence, and above all, technology. I’ve covered the demographics, parenting and school influences in a prior post; now, let’s dig deeper in to technology.

How Technology Shapes Millennial Behaviors

Technology impacts almost everything a millennial mom does and buys for herself and her family. Whether she is browsing through an online retail site, checking her Facebook page or posting a photo and location on Instagram, her phone or device (plus the device to entertain baby) is one of the most valuable tools she owns. If moms from older generations have mixed feelings about their cell phones and devices (is it a necessary tool or necessary evil?), Millennial Moms won’t leave home without them. They are rarely disconnected and expect immediate, 24/7 gratification. Our survey shows how much Millennials love their mobile technology and social media:

• Almost all Millennials — 90% — admit to texting photos of a possible purchase to another person for approval
• 58% say they use their phones to look up store hours and locations.
• About 55% check their social media accounts at least twice each day totaling an estimated 17 hours each week
• 80% say they watch at least one video each week

Millennials embrace new social media quickly, as seen by the explosive growth of Pinterest and Instagram. Almost 75% of moms use Pinterest for recipes, inspiration and decorating ideas. Keeping up with Millennials as early adopters of new technology and social media is the challenge of marketers, businesses and brands. Products and brands with a presence in social media are in the Millennial Mom’s virtual playground. Keeping her loyal and spreading the word to her friends and family involves engaging with her in a way that can be easily shared with those same friends and family. Recall that her background and experiences pre-parenthood mean that she is also looking for ways to customize products and relationships, paying attention to those that make her (and now her family) feel special.

Technology affects how these moms socialize, communicate and, more importantly, purchase items for themselves and their families. To reach the influential Millennial Mom means engaging with relevant dialogue that she can access with any electronic device, so your product or brand will capture her attention and purchase power while she is sitting in the cafe.

As a consumer group, Millennials control an estimated $172 billion a year and influence $3,000 in family spending annually. Most Millennials enjoyed a prosperous childhood and are the most diverse population of women in the history of the U.S. (both socioeconomically and ethnically). Minorities make up 34% of this generation, up from 24% in the Baby Boomer category. For the baby market, the Millennials bring good news since it is predicted that these moms and moms-to-be will have more children than previous generations.