New research emphasises the relationship between Millennial mums and their smartphones. A Millennial mum is aged roughly between 19 and 35, 8 in 10 births are to Millennials and most new mums fit into this category.
Research commissioned by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and BabyCenter (released February 2015) titled “2015 State of Modern Motherhood: Mobile and Media in the Lives of Moms” revealed that mums in the US, Brazil, Canada and China now spend more time on their smartphones than watching television. Smartphone usage in the UK is quickly reaching equivalency with those of TV.
Other insights from the study include:
- Globally the research demonstrates that smartphone usage is on the rise. In the US smartphone ownership has surpassed computer ownership amongst mums and 93% of mums in the UK now own a smart phone.
- Becoming a mum has a big influence on smartphone usage. Woman reported an increase in smartphone usage across all countries studied since they became pregnant/ gave birth.
- A dramatic shift in brand preferences can be seen once women transitions into motherhood, creating an opportunity for mobile marketers. In the US it was found that:
- 63% of Millennial mums revealed that their purchase criteria for food and drinks has shifted since becoming a mum, likewise 52% experienced a shift when it came to cleansers/ detergent.
- In relation to personal care, financial services, apparel and consumer electronics purchase criteria remained mostly the same.
- The shifts in brand choices varied across the countries surveyed, emphasising the importance of tailoring communications to suit a particular geographic audience. It was found that while certain types of messaging are consistently appealing in many Western countries there are significant variances in how that creative message is perceived in China.
- For example, around three quarters of Millennial mums in the US said that visuals of a family spending time together would be most likely to engage their attention in interactive marketing, in China less than half Millennial mums felt the same.
Read the full study here