Economic Trends

It’s back to school time, and moms are spending more this year on some categories vs. others.

Families with children in grades K-12 were expected to spend an average of $603.63 on school supplies, apparel and electronics, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation, an amount close to the average of $606.40 a year earlier.  Spending on clothing and school supplies was projected to slightly decrease over last year, while spending on computers, cell phones, mp3 players and tablet devices was expected to increase slightly. This is despite the fact that 51.9% of families with school-age children planned to buy electronics this year, down from a historic high of 63.7% last year.

Moms and other consumers are encountering higher prices than in the past. The cost of cotton, e.g., has climbed, impacting clothing prices. But, according to the NRF report, ”Americans are compensating for the difficult economy by buying more store-brand or generic items, comparison shopping more often online, and shopping for sales.” 

What about you? Did you spend more, or less, for back to school this season? By how much, on what, and why?

Are you a coupon queen?

Moms love coupons. Stats show that coupon and discount-themed blogs are among the most popular for women.

And no wonder. According to the USDA, a household of four spends between $524 and $1,014 per month on groceries, toiletries and cleaning supplies. As one way to manage those costs, couponing redemption increased 27% to 3.3 billion in 2009, and the total value of all CPG coupons distributed in the U.S. in 2010 reached $485 billion, up 13.9% from $426 billion the prior year.

Moms, do you regularly use coupons? Do you do so now more than in the past, and will you continue to do so once the economy improves? What kinds of products do you use coupons for?

As some of you may know, my son, CollegeBoy, is currently studying and working in China. In a previous post, I noted that while visiting him there earlier this year, I was struck by the paucity of children on the street — and that, to my mind, this illustrated the results of the country’s one-child policy. At the time, it was something of a jolt to realize that it was still very much in force in the 21st century. The policy, which has led to some forced abortions and sterilizations, has also resulted in millions of dollars in fines annually from those who violate the rule.

It turns out, according to the just-released Chinese census, that while the strictly enforced policy has proved highly effective in reducing China’s exploding population and helping to pull it out of poverty, it has had a potentially negative effect on the country’s future: There are now too many old people and not enough young ones to assure the country’s continued economic growth.  China’s traditional preference for boys also means the country now has about 120 males for every 100 females, and that by 2020 there could be as many as 24 million single young men with little opportunity to marry or have their own children.

Why is that relevant in the context of this blog?  Certainly, the subject fits within the first half of what this blog is all about — the social and marketing trends that impact moms. And as a mother living in a country that puts no restrictions on the number of children we are allowed to bear, I feel for those who don’t have that choice. It also, perhaps, says something about government interference in family planning. Lastly — and appropriately enough — I can’t helped but be reminded of, yes, that old Chinese saying: Be careful what you wish for.

If you think parenting grinds to a halt once your kids hit 18, think again.

According to a new study by the Kitchens Group, a public opinion research firm in Orlando, FL, more than half of Baby Boomer moms are still supporting their adult children financially and 60% are the go-to persons when their kids are having a problem. This contrasts dramatically with Boomers’ own experience:  86% of 46-65-year-old women reported being fully independent of their own parents by age 25.

Nine percent of  Baby Boomer women with offspring over the age of 18 reported having adult children living back home for an indefinite period.  Twelve percent were responsible for their adult child/children’s financial well being, and 31% said that they had children who returned home, relied on them, but expected to become independent.

Hmmm. CollegeBoy graduates next year. We shall see….

Some of you know that my son is currently studying and working in China, and that when we visited recently I was struck by how few children there were on the street. This led to a post about China’s one-child policy. So I thought I’d share an article that ran in today’s New York Times, about a change in that policy. It said, in effect, that China’s slow population growth rate has moved the government to offer some families the opportunity to have a second child, but those families are often choosing not to.

The reason: They don’t feel that they can support another child in the way that they would like.

I wondered: How has the recent state of the economy impacted the decision of American moms to have, or hold off on having, more children?

Your thoughts?

Add the economic downturn to the recent shift in traditional gender roles and what do you get?  A modern day dad worthy of your marketing dollars.

In a recent  Advertising Age article entitled “Time to Rethink Your Message: Now the Cart Belongs to Daddy,” the magazine takes a look at how the expanding role of today’s American father is shifting the way companies are marketing the consumer goods and services formerly considered “for mom only.”  Jack Neff writes:

“Through decades of media fragmentation, marketers of packaged goods and many other brands could take solace in one thing – at least they could count on their core consumers being moms and reach them through often narrowly targeted cable TV, print and digital media.  But a study by Yahoo finds that… dads in particular are taking up the shopping cart, with about six in 10 identifying themselves as their household’s decision maker on packaged goods, health, pet and clothing purchases.”

While the men’s perception is a tad off – the article goes on to state that “actual behavioral research of these shoppers shows a number more like 35%” – it does raise the question: what about dad?   With more men embracing additional responsibilities at home, not to mention the recent surge in the number of “stay-at-home-dads” pushing strollers around the city,  it’s no surprise that savvy companies are interested in reaching the new “modern day” dad. 

According to the article, brands such as Head & Shoulders and Huggies have already started running ads targeted specifically to men.  And online, marketing giant P&G has recently launched manofthehouse.com, an online destination for dads where they can find articles, blog posts and product news on topics ranging from “family & parenting” to “looking good” – subjects traditionally reserved for women’s magazines and mommy blogs.

At Child’s Play Communications, we’re dedicated to reaching moms with influence over the family’s purse strings.  We also have a longstanding Digital Dads program, for some of the very reasons outlined here.  

Moms, when it comes to purchasing everyday household goods, who wears the pants in your family these days?  Do you think it’s time for marketers to start paying more attention to dad?

Marketers, have you shifted your focus to include dads in your outreach?