Word of mouth is as important—possibly even more important—to mothers as it is to
consumers overall.
In a 2007 study, mom-focused research company BSM Media found 64%
of moms asked other mothers for advice before they purchased a new product. Moreover, 63% of mothers surveyed by BSM considered other moms the most credible experts when they had questions.
Pregnant women and new moms also use WOM more than women in general or consumers as a whole, according to a Keller Fay Group and BabyCenter.com study fielded in 2008.
Seven out of 10 pregnant and new moms trusted what they heard from other moms. More than half said they tended to pass that information along.
NPD Group's 2007 "Juvenile Products: Exploring the Booming Baby Business" survey yielded similar results. Nearly three-quarters of the mothers surveyed received product information via word of mouth or from the Internet..
Women in general have a high propensity to share positive information about a product. According to SheSpeaks, 87% of female Internet users will mention a favored product in conversation and 64% will forward an
e-mail link to others.
"Marketers and retailers must recognize and encourage
moms’ interest in sharing ideas with other parents," said Debra Aho Williamson, senior analyst at eMarketer. "This helps empower mothers in their purchase decision process."
Moms are heavy Internet users. Read more in eMarketer's Moms Online: Browsing, Researching, Buying report.