Living constantly on the go is part of the job description for being a mom, but now moms are bringing their entire social network along for the ride.
You’d be hard-pressed to see a mom without a smartphone in her hand these days. New data from BabyCenter proves just how indispensable smartphones are. Moms are 18% more likely than average to have a smartphone and usage has jumped 64% in the past 2 years. Many of these women upgraded to a web smartphone as a direct result of being a mom. To them, the phone if their lifeline to the world beyond their kids.
“The majority of moms sleep with their cell phone next to their bed and more than half check their phone first thing in the morning and last thing before they go to sleep. You can’t say that about any other medium. Mobile isn’t just a media channel, it’s her constant companion that makes juggling easier. It makes her feel like a better mom.”
- Tina Sharkey, Chairman and Global President of BabyCenter.
It isn’t email that’s driving them to the phones – it is social media. Moms are 40% more likely than average to use their smartphone for social networking. In fact, their top 3 activities are:
1. Reading social newsfeeds (56%)
2. Updating status (54%)
3. Reading responses to posted questions (48%)
Forget the advertising power of Oprah and soap operas, moms spend twice as much time with smartphones than they do with television. Access to their personal networks is changing the path to the register. Moms are 15% more likely to use their smartphone when shopping so they can solicit opinions, research reviews and compare prices. As you can see in the chart below, moms have loaded their phones up with apps for shopping, coupons and product reviews.
Moms are the perfect example of how social media is evolving. Social media conversations are extending beyond the desktop and into every part of our lives. When access to our social networks is available whenever and wherever we are, every experience can be shared and every purchase decision can be discussed.
More on the BabyCenter report 21st Century Mobile Moms is available here.
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