The Mobile Life of Moms study is based on a scan of 
available research data and a digital ethnography study conducted with 25 participants recruited via
GigCoin. We focused on early adopter moms (ex. social influencers, bloggers who are smartphone power users).
The study used the participating bloggers online footprint, a short survey and a Pinterest collage exercise to better understand how and why moms are using mobile phones. Here are some of the key findings:
Moms are highly mobile, early adopters of smartphone features and heavy users of apps
A scan of secondary research on moms and mobile phones shows that moms are highly mobile, early adopters of smartphone features and heavy users of apps:
- 61% of moms own a smartphone*
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- Moms are more active users of Texting 86%, Social Media 53%, Mobile Banking 30% and Mobile Shopping 23% than the general population**
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- Moms have an average of 13 apps loaded on their phones.***
75% said they would feel “anxious”, “lost” and “cut-off” without their phones.
Without their phones moms would be unable to keep track of their kids, stay connected with husbands, check-in with friends, get where they need to go and access the info they need. Phones serve as alarm clocks, fitness diaries, coupon clippers, calendar and “me time”. Most of all their phone make moms feel safe and in charge of life.
http://pinterest.com/CookiesandClogs, @CookiesandClogs “I was once without my phone for two hours – I didn’t know what time it was, forgot the date, couldn’t check e-mail, didn’t know if my husband texted me, couldn’t use it to track my daughter, etc. I would miss not being connected with my family.”
65% felt that mobile phones are a “necessary” and a “must have” parenting tool
Moms are using their smartphones as a command center to stay connected, informed and in control of their family’s day. Moms with kids at home are using the mobile phones to distract, entertain and for parenting information. But the stakes are higher when the kids aren’t home, phones become a critical tool for emergencies, to track their child’s movements and parent remotely.
http://pinterest.com/nomadicpixie @pixiedeals “It’s a huge role, especially as the kids get older. The little ones, its not as big a deal – I use the phone to entertain then when we are out, but not much beyond that. For older kids that you need to communicate with its absolutely essential.”
http://pinterest.com/SocialSavvyMom @SocialSavvyMom “We would be like chickens with our heads cut off! Most of my parenting resources are used via my phone as well as household management and grocery shopping.”
80% felt opportunities existed to make phones even more family friendly
Moms felt that mobile phones could use the following features and apps to better serve the needs of families. Note some of these features are available but even highly connected and power users aren’t fully aware of them which points to a big opportunity to better communicate their availability.
Child proof and build-in safety on the phone:
http://pinterest.com/smashbravo @smashbravoteam “My phone does not have tracking for my girls phones. That would be something that would bring more peace of mind, if I had it.”
http://pinterest.com/momwithadotcom @momwithadotcom “It would be nice for my phone to be indestructible.”
Facilitate inter-family connectivity and bonding:
http://pinterest.com/TheMommaYoung @mommayoung “It needs more syncing abilities; apps we as a family can use and share.”
Offer moms lock down capabilities:
http://pinterest.com/stacymolter @stacymolter “I would love to be able to open an app and lock the screen so my children could watch movies or listen to music without being able to press buttons.”
Better connect families with schools and teachers:
http://pinterest.com/colleenstout @MommieDaze “I wish the school had an app. It would make it a lot easier to look up information like school calenders and events.”
http://pinterest.com/goodncrazy @CarissaRogers “Could they create a homework monitor system of some sort that would help while in the car or during the run-around car pooling etc? Ideally that homework ‘app’ would also communicate with their teacher! I hate all the ‘sign this’ release and initial my homework and reading chart..Can I click a button.
YES she read for 30 minutes!!!”
Provide enough battery for mom and the kids:
http://pinterest.com/happymothering @HappyMothering “I think my biggest challenge on my phone is battery life. If I download a game for my girls and they want to play it, the battery gets run down quickly and it kind of defeats the purpose.”
Hands-free, voice recognition:
http://pinterest.com/marixsa @Marixsa “In addition to voice recognition, it would be great if the phone could talk back to me reading an email or giving step by step directions while I AM busy using my two hands and doing all the things a mom do (we sometimes feel we need more than two hands).”
Pin Stories: The Mobile Life of Moms
Moms are using their mobile phones to live more rewarding, connected, and efficient lives, according to our study. We asked the Mobile Life of Mom study participants to share on Pinterest how mobile phones impact their life as a mom. To see the full collection of pins, visit the Mobile Life of Moms Pinterest Board. Here are some of our favorite pin stories:
Marketing to Mobile Moms – Top Takeaways
It’s clear that adding mobile marketing to reach moms makes sense. Here are our top tips for focusing your mobile marketing efforts:
Focus on increasing utility and your customer experience on mobile:
Moms are turning to their mobile to save time and better manage everyday activities. Mobile apps which help moms on the go use your product efficiently offer an opportunity to build more loyalty and improve your user experience. Make it easy to buy, report an issue or do other transactions offered on your website.
Help moms get inspired:
Moms use mobile for inspiration, from recipes to things to buy to exercise. Campaigns that help moms take action to do something new and rewarding are good areas to explore.
Facilitate inter-family bonding:
Help families better connect via apps and campaigns. From games letting you challenge your kids, to new ways to share pics with grandma there is a huge opportunity to promote family bonding via mobile.
Recognize and reward moms:
Delight moms with a just in time offer when she needs it most in the retail location. Offer exclusive items, perks and deals that make it worthwhile to download your app.
To learn more about the study and a more -in-depth debrief with the research team please contact info@sociallensresearch.com. Sources: * Edison Research: http://www.edisonresearch.com/home/archives/2012/05/moms-and-media-2012-the-connected-mom.php ** Emarketer: http://www.emarketer.com/(S(ymlsvy45dtwl1nvcjvh4w355))/Article.aspx?R=1009417 *** Baby Center: http://www.babycenter.com/100_press-release-mobile-mom_10349212.bc