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Mobile's impact on new product purchases by moms rises 26 percent over 2013

With moms on the go, smartphones in hand, the study finds that a majority use their mobile device specifically for shopping while in-store.

November 18, 2014

Mobile devices are increasing their role in moms' lives across the board when it comes to shopping, especially with regard to purchasing new products, according to the "BabyCenter U.S. Mobile Mom 2014 Report: Small Screens' Big Influence on Moms' Path to Purchase," the latest installment in BabyCenter's 21st Century Mom Insights Series. BabyCenter, a pregnancy and parenting Web and mobile destination worldwide, conducted the study, which it says reveals a significant uptick (26 percent) in mobile's influence on moms buying new products and testing new brands, rising from 47 percent in 2013 to 59 percent in 2014.

With moms on the go, smartphones in hand, the study finds that a majority (79 percent) use their mobile device specifically for shopping while in-store. Of those who shop in-store with their phones, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) said they used their phone to comparison shop while in a mass retailer, 35 percent in a supermarket or grocery store, and 22 percent in a discount wholesaler.

When asked which types of products they shopped for in the past six months using their mobile phone, moms cited clothing, shoes and accessories as the top category (54 percent), followed by toys, books and games for children (43 percent), and food and beverage (38 percent). The latter category, including grocery shopping overall, also was a significant spark for another type of smartphone use by moms — mobile couponing. More than 1 in 3 mobile-shopping moms (34 percent) said they used their mobile devices for coupons while purchasing groceries.

Coupons also proved to be a key feature in mobile advertising, according to the study's findings. Nearly three-quarters of moms polled (72 percent) stated that the inclusion of a coupon was the most appealing feature in mobile advertising, marking a 36-percent jump in this opinion compared to 2013, when just 53 percent of moms said that coupons were important in garnering their interest in a mobile ad. Other factors that moms called out include:

• Knowing that the deal was located at a store nearby (30 percent);
• The ability to scan a barcode for more information (23 percent);
• GPS pinpointing to know they are close to a store with the advertised deal (23 percent); and
• How-to videos showing use of the product (21 percent).

Each also saw an increase in interest year-over-year, with the GPS ability receiving the highest jump at 64 percent over last year's 14 percent. The digital video feature was very close behind, showing a 62-percent bounce over 2013 findings at 13 percent.

Besides using mobile for in-store purchase decisions, moms are also shopping on-device, although they express a greater comfort level buying small ticket items on their phones. (Travel, however, is the exception to that rule.) Shopping apps are a popular way for moms to buy products on mobile devices. When asked to share their favorite shopping app, moms chose Amazon, Target Cartwheel and Retail-Me-Not as their top three.