Attention retailers: The billions of dollars spent on advertising, celebrity endorsements and all efforts for social responsibility are nice. And surely, moms around the country are appreciative of your efforts. But do they drive loyalty? Short answer: no; they do not.
In fact, according to The Love And Loyalty Of Moms, a report by Collective Bias, nearly 60% of 5,000 moms surveyed are brand loyal because of quality, consistency and price. But, if the price isn’t right, even the most loyal moms will ditch a brand for a competitor.
While 48% of moms across multiple age categories consider themselves to be brand loyal, that loyalty only goes so far. In fact:
- 27% of moms would purchase a product from a competing brand based on price;
- 21% would swap brands due to quality;
- 20% would switch because of a peer recommendation; and
- 18% would jump brands they’re loyal to because of a coupon.
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Is there any hope for brands to nurture ongoing loyalty? Of course, but the tools for preventing brand-switching are only minimally effective. While 35% of moms can be kept from switching brands by offering them a discounted price or coupon, other methods garner impacts in the single digits:
- Only 9% would be kept from switching brands due to size/volume options;
- 8% would be kept from swapping brands if the product was available online vs. in-store; and
- A mere 7% would be kept from switching thanks to loyalty member club rewards.
Moms and other consumers show different levels of brand loyalty in different product categories. For example, 24% of moms are loyal to the beverage brands they buy, which include soda (probably for the kids), coffee (probably for dad) and alcohol (for both mom and dad when the kids go to sleep). Among the other categories that moms are most loyal to:
- Beauty products: 22%;
- Home products (paper products, cleaning, etc.): 18%;
- Electronics: 12%;
- Savory foods (pizza, chips, hotdogs, etc.) 8%; and
- Sweet foods (candy, cake, ice cream, etc.): 4%.
Turning Loyalty Into Advocacy
The best way to reach consumers is through word of mouth and mom can be one incredibly powerful brand advocate. In fact, approximately three-fourths of product-loyal moms recommend their favorite brands to friends or family at least once a year, and of those, 36% make recommendations at least once a month. So, where do they make these helpful referrals? You guessed it: social media platforms.
The survey found that approximately four-fifths of product-loyal moms are active on social media at least once a month, and 44% of them love to share images. Is it time to spend more marketing money on social media? You decide:
- 48.7% are on social media multiple times a day;
- 15% are on once a day; and
- Less than 10% are on only a few times a week.
How I Met Your Mother
Retailers can connect with moms in numerous ways, but the most important way to meet and keep her as a loyal customer is to offer quality, great prices and a sense of stability. But remember, don’t take advantage of her this holiday season, ‘cause if mommy isn’t happy, no one, retailers included, is happy.
