Thirty-nine percent of women begin using technology more when they become moms, and women’s tech purchase criteria change when they have a child, according to a BabyCenter study.  Nearly half of women – 49% — said they were interested in technology that “empowered them to be a good mom.”

That said, earlier this month I attended the Consumer Electronics Show, an annual blow-out in Las Vegas that highlights technology innovations. I made my way through 15 miles of exhibit halls buzzing with celebrities, scantily clad women (seriously? companies still do that?) and a crowd of 150,000 plus, in search of how tech companies were adapting their products to market to moms. Happily, a number of exhibitors homed in on a mother’s need for convenience, value, and other benefits that helped them parent effectively. Some highlights:

• Moms hesitant to share their expensive iPad with their kids need no longer fear. A number of companies are launching or updating kid- friendly tablets designed to offer many of the iPad’s features for significantly lower prices. Rullingnet’s Vinci early learning systems for toddlers and preschoolers stood out.

• You gotta love Origami, the “world’s first power-folding stroller” from 4moms: The stroller folds flat and unfolds with the touch of a button. Any mom who has ever stood at a bus stop struggling to get her child out of, then close, a stroller before the bus pulls away (as I have, many times), will understand the appeal. And just to make it even more interesting, the built-in battery that makes the process work recharges while the stroller is in use.

• Net Nanny, known for its desktop parental control software for PC, now offers an app for both iOS and Android devices that allows parents to use their phone to control what sites and content a child has access to.

• For moms whose job it is to keep track of everything for their families (isn’t it always?), BiKN offers thumb-drive-like devices that attach to what moms want to locate (backpack, keys, pet, etc.).

• PowerBag is a line of backpacks, rolling luggage and messenger bags that charge gadgets as they are transported, via a built-in battery and pre-routed USB and Apple charging connectors. For a mom (or anyone) who travels on business, this is a great option..

• For the fashionable woman in every mom, there are iPad, computer, and phone covers in more styles than most of us could possibly imagine. I particularly liked the creativity and fun shown in the styles by Built.

Clearly, smart companies are finally recognizing moms’ role in tech purchases and launching products that enable them to be the best moms that they can be.

What features attract moms and dads who are car shopping? Following are some key findings from a recent report about parent preferences from the organization Leasetrader.com:

• Parents’ Must-Have Tech Gadget: Rear Back-up Camera. The rear back-up camera scored the highest marks among parents polled because it offers a great sense of security regarding anyone or anything potentially behind the vehicle. 39.3% of parents said this would be their first choice in a tech gadget, followed by the ability to synch all electronics in the vehicle (21.7%).
•  Most Overrated Car Feature: Cool box. Of all the features available in cars today that are important to parents, including safety, functionality and technology, 42.4% of parents said they felt the cool box was the most overrated feature in a car. The cool box allows parents to keep food, beverages and other child essentials chilled during trips. 
•  Given the Choice Between Optional 3^rd Row Seats or DVD Package: Optional 3^rd Row Seats. 47.3% of parents chose optional 3^rr row seats over the DVD package (38.6% with 14.1% saying neither)

 Some other discoveries:

•  Most Surprising Vehicle: Mazda 5 Crossover. Parents love its ability to seat up to six passengers comfortably, the ease of getting car seats in and out, the abundance of storage space and a USB jack for technology favorites. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 the best, the Mazda 5 Crossover received an average score of 8.3. 
•  Best Sedan Choice: Ford Fusion Hybrid. Packed with features, this vehicle scored highest marks out of all sedans because of its full array of creature comforts along with its impressive fuel economy. It also offers a rear back-up camera and rear sensors, plus technology features that allow families to charge gadgets during the trip. On a scale of 1-10, the Ford Fusion Hybrid received a score of 7.9.

It’s been the year of the mommy blogger, as companies of all sizes have fully recognized the potential impact of blogging moms on consumer purchasing decisions.

So what will 2012 bring? As one who has been involved in connecting bloggers with brands for many years, I’d like to proffer these projections:

• Wheat and chaff. Brands will become more selective about whom they work with. No longer will they blast out information and product samples to mass lists of a thousand or more moms, many of whom don’t cover relevant topics, reach the right target audience or have enough posting frequency or readership to make even the most minimal effort worthwhile. Instead, companies will be discerning in the numbers and quality of the bloggers they contact.
• Defining influence. These same brands will look beyond UVMs and even Facebook and Twitter numbers to more closely identify true influencers.
• No need to apply. Brands will get increasingly frustrated with the lack of professionalism among many mom bloggers – leading to a further narrowing of the field.
• Raising the bar. As bloggers partner with brands for more paid activities, the cost of hiring these moms to serve as ambassadors, host special events or create content will rise.
• Fear factor.  When blogging was young, many companies feared doing or saying “the wrong thing.” For 2012, companies will feel more comfortable about making their expectations clear.
• Analyze this. Brands will take a much closer look at measurement. Most companies have moved beyond the “gotta be in social media” stage to the “what does this get me” level. Eventually, bloggers will have to demonstrate that they can drive traffic or accomplish other key corporate objectives. Right now, only the top few are succeeding in doing that. At some point, visibility and buzz alone will not be enough.

 Marketers, what have your experiences been with mom bloggers this year, and what are your own predictions for 2012? Mom bloggers, do you agree or disagree with the points above?

We’ve all heard the terms bridezilla, ecotourism, and juvenescent (right?)…but what about brattle? Dictionary.com gives brattle the unbiased definition “to scamper noisily.” Lizzie Skurnick’s “That Should Be A Word” column in last week’s New York Times Magazine gives brattling a new definition: “to discuss one’s children, often at length.” We somehow didn’t think she was giving the word a positive connotation and our suspicions were confirmed after reading her definitions for spamily (Facebook or Twitter updates about kids) and spawntourage (a group of approaching strollers).

Do you agree that incessant chatter about kids is annoying or should Ms. Skurnick lighten up? And do you ever brattle about your own kids?

Moms, perhaps the most discerning of consumers, are shopping differently, according to a just-released Google study called the “Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT).”  The study addresses changes in consumer shopping habits overall, but in great part focuses on moms. In his compelling presentation delivered at the recent BabyCenter 21st Century Moms press conference, Jim Lecinski, Chief ZMOT officer, Google, explained how moms and others are increasingly “pre-shopping” using social networking and the Internet to determine their purchase choices–a point this blog has made many times. This shift is one that today’s marketers targeting moms must pay close attention to in order to deepen their engagement with and foster trust among this highly influential audience.

Becoming a mom is a key driver to this online research: The study shows that 73% of women change their purchase criteria and reliance on social media after joining motherhood. “Women have deep sharing habits,” said Tina Sharkey of BabyCenter, who also spoke at the 21st Century Moms session, citing heavy reference to product reviews, articles,  conversations and discussion boards. In fact, moms on average will consult 13.3 sources before actually buying, according to the ZMOT research. Whereas in the past, moms would make purchase decisions within what some marketers call “two moments of truth”–the first”moment” at the store shelf, and the second at home during product trial–today, the path to  purchase is no longer direct, but more like a giant zigzag, which poses new challenges to marketers.

As an example of how the ZMOT applies to a “real” mom, I will share the experience of a member of the Child’s Play Team Mom network. After her husband lost his job, this mom became obsessed with finding the best deals on line via coupon and deal sites. Instead of routinely heading to the nearest mall to buy back-to-school clothes and supplies for her kids, she first made a shopping list, and then went online to scope out the latest styles and best prices. After reading other moms’ reviews of the brands and items she was considering, her choices shifted somewhat. Additional recommendations from moms in her weekly playgroup also had an influence. As she became ready to buy, she printed out store coupons. Then, on the day she was planning a store trip, she discovered special online discounts for a few of the items. I will bet that many of your customers pre-shop in a similar fashion.

Later this week, I’ll talk about how companies can make the most of this Zero Moment of Truth when marketing to moms.

Intriguing piece on “the single mom” in this week’s Advertising Age. It appeals to me both because it takes a different view of the cliched “harried and hassled” single mom and because one of my closest friends became a single mom 22 years ago, long before it became a common choice.

The gist of the  article: Single moms are a force to be reckoned with. Today there are about 10 million of them in the U.S. with children younger than 18;  about 40% of all children now are born to single mothers. But these moms are older than what one typically imagines (average age, 39) and almost one-third have the support of a live-in partner.  While they do tend to have lower household incomes than their married counterparts, about 80% work.

The circumstances of their pregnancies also often defy perceptions. “That old fashioned idea that a single mother is someone who got pregnant by accident or didn’t want a child is just not true anymore. These days there are plenty of single moms by choice,” said Dana Points, editor in chief of Parents/American Baby.

She also pointed out that “Millennials seem to downplay the importance of marriage related to the importance of parenthood.” 2010 Pew research  found that 52% of Millennials think being a good parent is “one of the most important things” in life, compared to just 30% who said the same thing about a successful marriage.

Interestingly, in a recent Women at NBCU study,  55% of single moms agreed to the statement, “I consider myself to be a very traditional mom.”  The same study divided single moms into four groups: Girl Interrupted, Dream Girls, Survivor Mom and Secondlife Moms, each with its own very different set of experiences, influence and value to marketers, whether it’s the young Girl Interrupted’s digital communications skills or the older Survivor Mom’s brand loyalty.

For more, visit here.

Single moms — which of these four categories best describes you? Marketers, how are you targeting this  growing market?

Here at Child’s Play, we keep our fingers on the pulse of what moms are doing, especially in social media. For that reason, last month we launched a study to understand specifically how moms are using Twitter. The results made their debut last week in Engage: Moms, and I would like to share that article with you here.

How are moms using Twitter?

Earlier this month, Child’s Play Communications asked that question of our Social Savvy research panel, comprising moms active in the social media space.  We are announcing the results here. The responses, from 317 moms, provide a clear indication of what moms like about Twitter and when and how they prefer to use it. Marketers trying to reach moms via Twitter may want to consider these key findings:

• Moms tweet a lot. The highest percentage — 36.3% of moms — report tweeting 10-20 times a day.
• Midday means more conversation. Most moms indicate that the hours from noon-3 are the most popular for both tweeting (30.5%) and reading others’ tweets (24.8%). 
• Information is queen.  The No. 1 reason most moms tweet (43.2%) is to share information about products for kids and other moms – a fact that should be of considerable interest to companies and agencies alike. This is followed most closely by moms’ wish to interact with other moms (21.8%). The response shifts just slightly when moms are asked why they read other people’s tweets:  While 63.0% do so to get information about products for themselves and their kids, more – 67.5% — read tweets to interact with other moms.
• Moms want to see you tweeting. Asked how they decide whom to follow on Twitter, the vast majority – 78.2% — said they follow companies that interest them. Furthermore, 95.7% of moms who follow those companies do so to find out about new products, discounts and coupons.
• Tweets drive sales. The best news for those marketing to moms is that 73.1% of moms indicate that they actually purchased a product as a result of another mom’s Twitter recommendation.

 Other research questions looked at the types of products purchased following a Twitter recommendation, the popularity of Twitter parties and their impact on purchasing, what moms think of sponsored tweets, and moms’ specific Twitter experiences, positive and negative.

The conclusion: Today’s moms look to Twitter for information in a major way, and smart companies will use the space to reach this important demographic effectively.

Moms, do you agree with the results of the survey? Marketers, what has been your experience reaching moms through Twitter?