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- US Marketing to Moms Consumer Report 2024
Moms in the US have multifaceted concerns and priorities as they navigate parenting post-COVID-19 and post-inflation. Social restrictions during the pandemic prompted a more holistic understanding of children’s health, and inflation has (and still has the potential to do so) forced a reevaluation of priorities. A strong emphasis on education persists, with 82% of moms encouraging their children to pursue higher education, despite the evolving conversation about the ROI of a college degree. Social changes also affect their children, such as the increasing prominence of social media and technology. While moms express general approval of social media, they also desire stricter moderation of sexual and violent content. Throughout, moms’ attitudes and behaviors regarding their children remain rooted in their desire to see them happy.
To that end, stress management and support systems are crucial for moms, with many seeking more family time or spousal support. While social values regarding equal division of household labor have evolved, moms still perceive an imbalance that can be addressed.
Resonating with and authentically marketing to moms requires insights into their generational, financial, and other demographic differences.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Market dynamics affecting moms
- Moms’ top concerns regarding their children
- Moms’ attitudes towards parenting
- How moms relax and relieve stress
- Moms’ past-year purchases and what drives purchases for their children
- Moms’ sources of product and parenting information
- Best practices for social media
- How moms feed their children outside the home
- Innovation and marketing examples
Motherhood, like society, continually evolves. Addressing moms' diverse needs requires keeping up with societal and technological advancements.
Hiro Takemasa, Senior Consumer Lifestyles Analyst
Market Definitions
For this Report, “parent” refers to all adults with children below the age of 18 in the household, “mom” refers to female adults with children below the age of 18 in the household, and “dad” refers to male adults with children below the age of 18 in the household.
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Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want & why
- Opportunities
- Key opportunities
- Aiding consumers in product discovery in the age of AI
- To reduce stress, prioritize enjoyment over convenience or efficiency
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Moms in America: an overview
- Market context
- The US economy has made significant improvements over the past year
- Moms' labor force participation has more than recovered since the pandemic
- Graph 1: moms' labor participation rate, by marital status and age of child, 2019-23
- Households' outlooks on their personal finances remains bullish
- Graph 2: opinions on financial future, 2023-24
- Graph 3: income growth in the past 12 months, by financial outlook, 2024
- Potential for lower discretionary spending among those resuming Federal student loan payments
- Graph 4: impacts of student loan repayments, by parental status and gender, 2023
- Moms by the numbers
- Moms of children under the age of 18 decreased by nearly one million since the pandemic
- Graph 5: number of co-resident mothers, 2019-23
- Graph 6: number of co-resident mothers of children under the age of 18, by age of mother, 2019-23
- Total number of families declines, average family size stays the same
- Graph 7: average number of own children under 18 per family, by type of family, 2013-23
- Graph 8: families with children under 18, 2013-24
- Market drivers
- Fertility rates have declined since 2016, with some increases since the pandemic
- Graph 9: fertility rate, by race and ethnicity of mother, 2016-22
- Graph 10: fertility rate, by age of mother, 2016-22
- Having children later in life creates new consumer needs and opportunities
- Graph 11: share of births, by age of mother, 2020 vs 2000
- Graph 12: average age of mother at first birth, 1980-2020
- The impact of the overturn of Roe v Wade on families
- Potential changes to the Child Tax Credit and its effects on families
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Consumer fast facts, continued
- Attitudes towards parenting
- Moms’ top concern is for their children’s happiness/mental health
- Mental health/happiness and physical health, along with progress at school, are moms' top concerns for their children
- Graph 13: top concerns regarding their children (any rank 1-3), by moms and all parents, 2024
- A holistic understanding of children's well-being has been evolving for years, calling for nuanced approaches
- In an age of information overload, prioritize transparency to gain parents' trust
- Graph 14: top concerns of moms (any rank 1-3) – impact of outside influences and who they socialize with, by financial circumstance and child aged 15-17, 2024
- Educate and reassure first-time moms about their child's health
- Graph 15: physical health as a top concern (any rank 1-3), by age of child and experience of mom, 2024
- Flexibility in finances and time drives the pursuit of extracurricular success
- Graph 16: extracurricular activities a top concern (any rank 1-3), by age of child, by financial circumstance and employment, 2024
- Focus on accessibility, de-stigmatatizing and partnerships to address disadvantaged children's mental health issues
- Graph 17: mental health as a top concern (any rank 1-3), by by financial circumstance, employment and marital status, 2024
- Authoritarian vs permissive; cater developmental products and services to individual styles
- Graph 18: moms' parenting styles regarding values, by select demographics, 2024
- De-stigmatization of mental health proceeds, but some demographics still appreciate a nuanced approach
- Graph 19: moms who speak with their children about their mental and emotional health, by financial circumstance and race/ethnicity, 2024
- Demand for educational offerings is high across demographics, but especially for the higher educated and affluent
- Graph 20: moms' parenting styles on education, by financial circumstance, employment and education, 2024
- Screen independence jumps at 12-14, spending and food choices at 15-17
- Graph 21: moms' parenting styles on consumption, by age of child and experience of mom, 2024
- Higher education is at a cross-roads: remind parents of the benefits and help them find the optimal education paths for their children
- Graph 22: moms encouraging their children to achieve a college education or higher, by select demographics, 2024
- At what point and in what aspects do parents let their children become independent?
- When pressed, moms prioritize hands-on education
- Financially struggling moms prioritize education over other developmental aspects of their children
- Graph 23: moms' parenting styles, by financially struggling/in trouble, 2024
- Perception of disenfranchisement drives many behaviors and attitudes
- Graph 24: differences in attitudes and behaviors towards parenting, by moms' perception of thier children's social treatment, 2024
- Parents' attitudes towards social media
- Social media must align with parental expectations to maintain their reach with children
- Graph 25: teen/tweens device ownership, "I have my own…" by age, 2024
- Graph 26: parenting styles and concerns – social media use and control, by moms and all parents, 2024
- Acknowledge social media's impact on children; long-term trust is gained through deeper introspection
- Graph 27: moms' parenting styles and select top concerns (any rank 1-3) – social media use and control, by age of child, 2024
- Social media concerns center around sexual and violent content
- Graph 28: desired changes to social media platforms, by moms and all parents, 2024
- Address parental concerns over content and back-door tactics
- Reasons children bypass parental controls on content
- Content restriction and internet safety will remain ongoing conversations as net practices and tech evolve
- Digital native moms have an expansive view of social media content
- Restrictions on social media are trending lower
- Graph 29: moms' desired changes to social media, by generation, 2024
- Opportunities to reduce parenting stress
- Social contact, spending time on hobbies and "me time" are top stress-reducing activities
- Graph 30: what would most help to relieve stress (select up to 5), by moms and all parents, 2024
- Help first-time moms and Black/African American moms maximize the value of their alone-time
- Graph 31: activities that would most help reduce moms' stress (select up to 5), by select demographics, 2024
- Promote equal division of labor when and where it matters most
- Graph 32: spouse taking greater childcare responsibilities as a reducer of stress, by age of child, 2024
- Graph 33: spouse taking greater childcare responsibilities as a reducer of stress, by age of child, 2024
- Equal division of household labor rises with dual income families
- Greater emotional independence a priority for younger and more affluent moms
- Graph 34: moms stating greater emotional independence would reduce stress, by financial circumstances and generation, 2024
- Savor the enjoyment of planning with meal services and products
- Shopping priorities for children
- Purchase factors for food are top priorities for moms when buying for their children
- Graph 35: purchase factors when buying for children (very important), by moms and all parents, 2024
- Taste reigns supreme across all financial situations, but new moms focus safety and ingredients
- Graph 36: moms' purchase factors when buying [food] for children (very important), by financial circumstances and first-time moms, 2024
- Values compete with price for many mom demographics
- Graph 37: moms' purchase factors for products for their children (very important), by select demographics, 2024
- Some entertainment goals change as children age
- Graph 38: moms' purchase factors for [Toys/video games]/[Entertainment] (very important), by age of child, 2024
- Help parents with generally high expectations prioritize with clear communication of differentiations
- Graph 39: moms' purchase factors for buying for their children (very important), by Black/African American and healthy finances, 2024
- Self-expression, video games and socialization expenses top moms' purchases for their children
- Graph 40: non-essentials purchased for children in the last year for children, by moms and all parents, 2024
- Moms' purchases for children have peaks and valleys
- Graph 41: non-essentials purchased for children in the last year for children, by age of children, 2024
- Moms may project their own interests and experiences onto daughters – and vice versa
- Graph 42: non-essentials purchased for children in the last year for children, by age of children, 2024
- Sources of parenting information
- Brick and mortar still drives product discovery
- Graph 43: product discovery, by moms and all parents, 2024
- In-store product discovery displaced by other venues as financial health increases
- Graph 44: moms' product discovery, by financial circumstances, 2024
- Social media usage highly correlated with financially health
- Graph 45: moms' daily social media usage, by financial circumstances, 2024
- Search engine usage is evolving – carefully monitor to optimize marketing spend
- Graph 46: moms' product discovery – select items, by generation, 2024
- Trust is highly correlated with closeness of relationship
- Graph 47: top sources of parenting advice (select up to 5), by moms and all parents, 2024
- First-time moms exhibit heightened information-seeking behavior
- Graph 48: moms' top sources of parenting advice (select up to 5), by first-time moms, 2024
- Word-of-mouth works universally, while those in better finances consider more angles
- Graph 49: moms' top sources of parenting advice (select up to 5), by financial circumstances, 2024
- How moms feed their children away from home
- Moms (still) hold the key to their children's stomachs
- Moms use a variety of outlets to feed their children when away from home and on-the-go
- Graph 50: moms' frequency of bringing/buying food from different outlets for children while away from home, 2024
- Moms with tight finances see convenience store food as a good value
- Graph 51: moms' frequency of of bringing/buying food from different outlets for children while away from home (at least once a week), by financial circumstances, 2024
- Acknowledge the values of first-time moms to maintain them as a consumer base
- Graph 52: moms' frequency of bringing food for children while away from home (more than once a week), by select demographics, 2024
- Food service marketing to older teens should shift towards appealing to their tastes vs those of their moms
- Graph 53: moms' frequency of of buying fast food, other restaurant food for children while away from home (more than once a week), by select demographics, 2024
- Child options for dining in should focus on ages 6 through 14
- Graph 54: moms' frequency of of buying dine-in, takeout, drive through food for children while away from home (more than once a week), by age of child, 2024
- The perception of convenience store food is improving with younger gens
- Graph 55: food options used more than once a week, by select demographics, 2024
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Innovation and Marketing strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Identify and address white spaces of modern motherhood
- Enjoyment, convenience and development are keys to marketing to moms
- 7-Eleven is reinventing convenience food in the US
- Marketing and advertising
- Instagram and other social media platforms actively engage in mental health conversations
- Carter's “uncomfortable but not unnatural” More than Just Cute campaign reaches out to a new generation of moms
- Scouts Association modernizes its image but keeps skills and confidence messaging
- Nintendo continues its commitment to family-friendly fun with hardware and software innovations
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Appendix
- Market definition
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- TURF analysis methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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