Mums The Word - Word Of Mouth Is Biggest Influence On Mums When Making New Product Purchases New Research Reveals

    LONDON, ENGLAND, May 20, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Word of mouth is more likely to influence mums to make a retail purchase than any other form of media, according to a new study.

The major new research by influencer network Talk to Mums involved more than 2,500 mums nationwide who were asked how their shopping behaviours have changed and what influences them to add new products to their shopping baskets.

And it reveals that the biggest factor for getting mums to buy a product, named by more than a quarter of those polled (28%), is being told about it by OTHER mums - whether purchasing online or in-store.

The second biggest influence, according to the 'How Mums Shop and Learn about New Products' report, is 'experiencing or trialling the product myself', named by around a quarter (23%) - followed by 'seeing it in the shopping aisles' (14%).

And it's only after these top three that more traditional marketing platforms are considered as key purchaser influencers - such as seeing a product on Facebook, Twitter or other social sites (12%), seeing it on TV (11%), seeing an online ad (7%) and reading about it in a newspaper or magazine (4%).

Sally Durcan, founder of Talk to Mums, said: "The worlds of traditional and social media are speeding up at a dizzying rate, providing any number of marketing platforms to reach this demographic, yet it seems that peer-to-peer communication is the number one factor when influencing mums to make a purchase.

"And it's easy to see why - as any mum will testify, having kids means you rarely get to pick up a magazine, hardly ever notice advertising, and can barely find enough hours in the day to go through the stream of messages coming from friends.

"But when mums do receive a recommendation from another, trusted mum, it's more likely than just about anything else to influence their purchase decision."

The mums surveyed are all aged 20-50+, with dependent children aged up to 16; 71% of the women have children aged 2-16 years, and 29% have children under two years old.

The report describes them as 'one of the most powerful demographic groups to marketers', making up 62% of the total 20-50 year old audience - eight million of 13 million, according to the National Office of Statistics 2015, adding that 'understanding their habits, attitudes and behaviours can be vital for a brand looking to grow or sustain its market position'.

And it reveals that mums tend to be habit-led shoppers that rarely add new products unless reached prior to shopping day - while also highlighting that whether shopping in-store or online, around half of mums currently never have the opportunity to try a new product sample.

Trust
The vast majority of mums surveyed (82%) said that they DO speak to other mums about products they have used - while key influences that would mostly likely make them share product knowledge with other mums include value (named by 17%), a current retailer offer (16%), their kids' reaction (13%), an experience or free trial of the product before purchase (13%), and a recommendation from another mum (9%).

And trust is everything when it comes to what's most likely to make mums go and make a purchase after a recommendation: around half (46%), more than any other answer, said 'belief in the mum' was the key factor.

Sally Durcan added: "Trust is at the heart of so much for Britain's mothers, and this plays a hugely important role in their weekly shopping habits and retail decisions.

"They want to hear from other mums in their networks, and they want to see and try things before they buy - and it's vital for marketers to place this at the heart of their brand strategies."

Regionally, the power of mums to influence other mums is by far the most powerful in the South East, where around seven out of ten (69%) listed it as the most influential factor. While still the most powerful factor across the rest of the country, this compares to 30% in Yorkshire and Humberside, 29% in East Anglia, 27% in both London and the Midlands.

Trialling and experiencing the product is considered most important for influencing a purchase by mums in Yorkshire and Humberside, where it was named the key influencer by over a quarter of mums (28%), followed by London (25%), and the South West, East Anglia and the North West (all 23%).

In terms of annual household income, mums in the GBP50,000 or below category are the most likely to say trying before they buy something new is vital so they don't waste money on something they don't like: 37% put it as their top reason for influencing purchase decisions on new products, compared to 31% in the GBP50,000-GBP100,000 bracket, and 17% in the over GBP100,000 bracket.

However, the most important factor for mums across all household income categories, when asked why does trying a new product influence buying decisions, is that they are made aware of a product they didn't know about - from 45% in the GBP50,000 or under category to 55% in the GBP50,000-GBP100,000 bracket, and 56% in the GBP100,000 and over.

Sally Durcan added: "The results from this survey will offer brands a huge insight into the minds of their target audience and help them to be able to spend their marketing budgets more wisely to get greater impact. It was shocking to see that so few new products make it onto shopping lists each week simply because mums don't know about them.

"This is a great opportunity for brands to review their sampling strategy and target mums how they want to be communicated to."

Talk to Mums is a people-powered marketing platform that gives you nearly 200% return on investment. We help brands to reach UK wide mums through a powerful and influential network of mumbassadors. These mumbassadors sign up to become a brands personal ambassador by distributing hundreds of product samples (or coupons) to their peers in the local community or by hosting in-home brand events to trial, test and evaluate new products. These mumbassadors share their brand experiences in an authentic and personal way with their social networks. Visit http://www.talktomums.co.uk for more information on how you can use our media network.

For more press info, contact Suzanne Noble: [email protected] or 07957 371 840

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