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The Gen X Mom: A Connected Consumer

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21st Century Mom

As the baby-boomers retire and transition from parenting to grand-parenting, Generation X is poised to take over as the next generation of 21st century, tech-happy parents. This new generation of moms was the first generation on the Internet, bought the first iPods, and now have smartphones as constant companions. They ‘pin’ family dinner ideas to their Pinterest boards and download Groupons right to their phones. Today’s young moms are not struggling to keep up with changes in technology; they are leading the charge.

A Connected Generation

The term Generation X ‘ Gen X for short ‘ was coined to describe the population born in the late 60’s through the early 80’s. In general, this segment of the population is tech-savvy, but it is the moms, in particular, that are the most active on social media and taking full advantage of mobile technology. According to research from BabyCenter:

  • The modern mom spends twice as much time on Facebook and 60% more time on blogs than the rest of the general population.
  • 80% of moms said they use social media regularly, compared to 55% of the general population.
  • One mom interviewed in the study explained that ‘my day begins on my phone. I’ll check Twitter, see what my friends are tweeting about, then head onto Facebook.‘?

The stereotype of the cooped-up housewife cut off from the outside world is a thing of the past ‘ moms today are plugged in and ready to be engaged.

Mom’s Retail Behavior

Technology not only helps mom feel more connected in the home and workplace, it also drives how she shops for herself and for her family. In the digital age, moms are turning to technology for product information, recommendations, and special deals. According to research from BabyCenter:

  • Moms are a whopping 243% more likely than the rest of the population to use social media recommendations when researching product information
  • Mom’s use their mobile devices to shop 58% more than the general population too. 
    • For example, 1 in 5 moms has scanned a barcode on her phone to compare prices in the last month. 
  • Over half of moms also belong to a daily deal site ‘ with an average of 9 downloads per year — and have a barcode scanner downloaded on their mobile phones.

What does this mean for marketers?

  1. Given the amount of time moms spend online, they are exposed to a lot of ads. Brands need to break through the white noise and engage with customers. The bar(code) has been raised ‘ moms want brands to interact with them online before and after purchases are made.
  2.  Brands should make mom’s life easier. Deals are not an added bonus ‘ they are an expectation. Today’s tech-savvy moms aren’t digging through the newspaper to cut out coupons, they’re buying the brands that bring the deals to them.  So get online, go mobile, and give moms what they are asking for!

Today’s moms are way ahead of the curve in adopting new technologies. The brands that reach the 21st mom will be those that continue to evolve with her ‘ which means staying ahead of trends in mobile and social marketing. So do you know what the next big thing is online or in the world of technology? Because chances are mom is already using it.

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