Moms and Media · August 3, 2011

Moms: Unlikely Trailblazers

By Edison Research

Anyone who is a mom is no doubt a professional multi-tasker, so it is not surprising to see moms embrace anything that can help simplify their chaotic, task filled days.  Case in point:  the smartphone.

Recent studies have cited the love affair with moms and their smartphones, and no matter the source, they all seem to point to the same conclusion:  they are a match made in heaven.

Moms depend on their smartphones to stay organized and streamlined, and now that they have them, they show no signs of giving them up.  As the technology advances, moms continue to grow with it, applying more and more tasks to their smartphones.

According to a recent study conducted by Greystripe, a mobile ad network, 66% of moms use their smartphone during the shopping process, with 36% citing its use specifically for price comparison. Another 45% said they use their device for locating the nearest store.  Sounds pretty savvy doesn’t it?  Moms have come a long way from the days when learning to program the VCR was a skill left for dad.

In The Edison Research/Arbitron Multimedia & Internet survey from January 2011, we asked respondents to compare themselves to their peers when it comes to buying or trying new products and services. While the moms who own smartphones in our study didn’t view themselves as exceptionally early adopters, they did view themselves as faster to buy/try than the average.   22% of our smartphone moms said they are likely to buy/try new products/services before others, with 8% of those saying they would be first. While 30% of the total sample of respondents 12+ said they are usually the last to buy/try new products, only 15% of smartphone moms classified themselves that way.

The hectic life of a mom in not likely to slow down anytime soon, which means there will be many more opportunities to adopt mobile technology and all it has to offer.  Smartphone implementation by moms will undoubtedly continue and not just be a trend, but a standard part of a mom’s daily life.

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