Posts Tagged "CES"

 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.

It’s not news to us that moms are a powerful consumer group – but that was the talk of the town at this year’s CES MommyTech Summit. The presentation focused on what’s new in tech for the mommy market, and tried to answer the question of how marketers can deliver the right message to this audience.

 Although I wasn’t able to make the trip to Las Vegas this year, I’ve enjoyed reading what my fellow bloggers on the scene had to say. In post after post, there seems to be an interesting theme emerging, that of “tech-equality.”

 According to one report, Becky Worley, Good Morning America contributor, discussed the “technology inferiority complex.” She asked that rather than creating products that are nearly impossible to figure out, companies should spend their effort on making products that are easier to use – an undertaking that would benefit not just moms, but all consumers.

 On BlogHer, Susan Getgood posted interesting comments about the potential stereotypes involved in targeting certain electronics products to moms, citing the industry perception that “Dads like the biggest, bestest, baddest stuff. Moms, well, we like the appropriate, nurturing stuff. And cleaning products.” She pointed out that when it comes to electronics, many moms like their “toys,” too.

 This discussion definitely isn’t new, but CES brought it back into the spotlight. I remember when Dell released the “Della” line. There was a lot of hubbub about how it was patronizing toward women, and the nerve of a company to assume women needed their own pretty laptops.

 As more tech companies target “moms,” what will be the features that really appeal to women? Will it be simpler, easier to use technologies? Or will women prefer to be marketed to in the same way as men?