American mothers are the engine of the consumer economy, and while they continue to carefully budget money for their families, there is one area in which their spending has stalled – on products and services for themselves.
A new study by the Marketing to Moms Coalition, a not-for-profit industry group, reveals that mothers are sacrificing purchases for their own use in order to ensure their families get what they need. For example, 72 percent of survey respondents say they gave up on the quality of new clothes they buy, while 51 percent cut back on health and beauty product quality. Yet the majority of mothers say they are not scrimping on the quality of their children's' food, medical needs and clothing.
The annual State of the American Mom Report is a nationally representative sample of 1,225 moms with kids under 18 years old living in the home. It includes both English-speaking mothers and Spanish-speaking mothers in the U.S. Findings were analyzed by the research firm Insight to Action, and include valuable information for marketers such as:
· An overwhelming majority of moms (78 percent) have cut back on household spending this year.
· Moms are sacrificing quality for value in everyday expenditures
· 61 percent of moms are focused more on the environment this year
· More than half of all moms are making special trips to retailers that offer the best price
· Majority of moms (58 percent) are making more home-cooked meals
· 77 percent are using more leftovers
· 39 percent are on Facebook, while 11 percent are on Twitter
· Majority of moms plan to spend more than $600 on holiday gifts this year
The study, which is available to the public for purchase, was conducted in the second quarter of this year, and covers a range of insights and information, including mothers' media habits (both traditional and online); their computer usage; their consumption habits and priorities; their attitudes toward shopping and marketing; and the influence of their children in product purchases.