Connecting with today's super consumers

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From parenting to beauty habits and from mobile devices to social media behaviours, moms are driving and shaping the new digital world. Mothers are a critical audience for marketers and understanding their mobile media behaviours and attitudes can help marketers to take advantage of the emerging trends. In the crowded marketing landscape, it has been an increasingly challenging task to keep on top of mothers' media experiences.

* Mobile mothers globally spend an average of 6.2 hours per day consuming media content, with more of that time spent on mobile devices than any other platform. This generation now devotes an average of almost 2.3 hours per day to mobile media, which includes smartphone and tablets, pushing mobile usage ahead of television (1.4 hours) and desktop computers (1.4 hours).

* Mobile mothers continue to contribute to the smartphone boom and are finding new ways to incorporate them into everyday life because of three convenience factors. Findings shows that 49 per cent of users prefer mobile because "it's easy to use," 47 per cent say that they use mobile most because "it's constantly with them" and 29 per cent agree that "mobile device is the most private way to consume information and communicate".

* Apps and mothers are made for each other. Our study reveals the accelerated usage of mobile apps among mobile mothers; 28 per cent of respondents have actively used 6-10 apps in the past 30 days, averaging six apps. According to our study, mobile mothers in the US and Australia top the list in terms of active apps usage. Mothers are always on the lookout for apps that are genuinely useful and not just for recreation.

* Mobile has become essential throughout the path to purchase. Our survey clearly shows that mothers are becoming more tech-savvy and are relying on mobile phones and wireless technology for m-commerce; they can shop and buy while in-store or on-the-go, wherever they are and whenever they need. They can purchase anything from family items like clothing and household products to other products, such as consumer electronics, or services, such as scheduling doctor's appointments.

What mobile moms mean for marketers:

The fact that mobile is mainstream and is 'always on', creates infinite possibilities for today's marketers. Here are a few things to consider:

* Develop strong multi-screen advertising strategies to connect with mothers to provide information and to improve perceptions of brands

* Native advertising options are gaining in popularity and prevalence with marketers. Align your advertising content for mothers to consume on their mobile devices.

* A mobile-optimised site or an intuitive and interactive mobile app ensures a better mobile experience for the consumers.

* Consider geo-targeting to reach mothers-on-the-go and see to it your brand is present on mobile devices before a competitor purchase is made. Funnel your ad messages across multiple channels.

* Tap into the creative side of new-age moms by giving them control to customise how they communicate with your brand whether it is Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, text, etc.

The author is Shamala DN, global research manager, InMobi. Re-printed with permission.
Link: http://www.inmobi.com/blog/2014/04/29/connecting-with-todays-super-consumers-mobile-moms