Tech-Centric Moms

Moms have a tough job and deserve all the help they can get.  Recently, we’ve done posts on the social tools that moms use and actions taken after employing them.  Long gone are the days when moms didn’t understand the latest technologies.  In fact, nearly 85% of women with children in their household have gone online in the past month.  There is a new research study that looks at the devices moms use.  The wide range of digital devices moms employ gives you more ways to connect with them and promote your products.

• 99% of moms regularly use a laptop or desktop computer, 98% own a digital camera

• 85% own an MP3 player

• Over 80% of moms own a smart phone

• Over three-quarters have video game console in the home and almost 60% have a hand-held video game

• 56% of moms own a tablet

• Nearly half own a function based mobile phone

• 49% have an Ereader

What Does This Mean To You?

The multitude of devices gives you lots of device based targeting options.
Nearly every mom has access to a desktop or laptop computer, targeting them through content ensures that you are effectively creating engagement.  Through the use of networks, you can efficiently get your message across to moms who are in your market.
Moms are much more likely than the market to own smart phones.  There are many mobile tools you can put into play to create awareness with moms. There are mobile sites, SMS/Text and QR codes to name just a few.  But also remember because so many people access their email on a mobile device before their regular computer – email is another touch point. A large percentage of consumers conduct searches on mobile devices to find local businesses, this makes SEO another important mobile tactic.  Video is also becoming a mobile favorite and consumers tend to watch product-based mobile videos.  Tablet technology is rapidly expanding and it is mobile shoppers preferred device to make mobile purchases.  Utilizing apps that appeal to moms keeps you front
and center with them.  For more information on strategies to leverage dollars from online moms, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Manager
407.420.5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com
www.orlandosentinel.com/mediakit

Source: emarketer; BlogHer

Football: Not Just For The Guys

Vince Lombardi once said “If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?”
Even though baseball might be our national pastime, football ranks as adult’s favorite sport. And it’s not just guys; more and more women are going games, buying team merchandise and getting into the sport.

• 40% of NFL fans are women

• Nearly 11 million female adults in the US attended an NFL game in the last year.  That’s a jump of 13% since 2010

• The number of women who attended a college football game increased by 14%

• Women make up 45% of consumers who purchased NFL team logo’d apparel.  The number of women who made team apparel purchases increased by 8%

• Women are also buying more team merchandise.  From 2010 to 2011, the amount of NFL merchandise sold to women increased by 125%

• Women age 18-34 were more likely than the national as a whole to not only
buy team apparel but also to be interested in buying single game or season
NFL tickets

What Does This Mean To You?

Women are an important consumer group for your business to engage.

• Women control $4.3 trillion in household spending

• Nearly three-quarters of total household spending is controlled by females

• Women who are very or somewhat interested in football are more likely to be in the market to purchase a vehicle, home, furniture, appliance or mobile device in the next 12 months

If you are planning to utilize football in your marketing plans, it’s important not to forget about the female audience.  While there may still be more male than female fans, its women that have the purchasing control.  For more information on reaching women and creating loyal female customers, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Manager
407.420.5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com
www.orlandosentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Mashable; Harris Interactive; Boston Consulting Group; SportsBusinessDaily.com; IPSOS; SI.com; MobiThinking.com; Millennial Media; Marin Software; Neilson; Hightable; ESPN.com; The 2011 and 2012 Scarborough Reports, Release 1

Who Are The Fastest Mobile Shopping Adaptors?

Last month, we had a post about how smart phone owners are active shoppers.  In fact, over 70% of smart phone owners used their device on their last shopping trip.  A new study has been released that details what groups are the fastest adopters of mobile shopping activities.  Knowing who these groups are can help bring success to your mobile shopping offerings.  But it may not be who you think it is.

• African-American consumers outpace
the population as a whole in mobile
shopping activities

• More than 30% of African-Americans have located a retailer through a smart phone

• More than one in five African-Americans used a mobile device to read a product review

• Over 20% of African-Americans have also used a mobile device to store a shopping list

• 40% of African-Americans have interacted with a company through SMS

• While tech adoption is often considered a male first function, women have been quicker to move towards mobile shopping

• 25% of women have located a retailer via mobile device compared to 20%
of men

• Women are also more likely than men to read product reviews, keep a shopping list and make purchases on a mobile device

• Hispanic consumers are more likely to compare prices on a mobile device than other groups

What Does This Mean To You?

Most tech adoption happens first by younger, affluent male consumers. But with mobile shopping, that just isn’t the case.  When you are looking at targets for your m-commerce activities, you can’t afford to overlook the African-American & Hispanic segments or female consumers.
Metro Orlando Adults who live in a household with a smart phone:

• American-Americans – Nearly 40%

• Hispanics – Over 40%

• Females – 38%

Targeting will help you get the most out of your mobile shopping efforts.  Promote your programs and capabilities in relevant content.  Make sure you offer your customers real value and continue to fine tune your program once it is in place.  For more information on reaching the groups that can bring you mobile success, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Manager
407.420.5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com
www.orlandosentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Mobile Commerce Daily; The Integer Group; M/A/R/C Research

The What And Where of Back To School Shopping

In yesterday’s post, we provided information on the estimated growth of back to school shopping.  Just how large is the back to school shopping season? When you combine K-12 and college back to school spending, it’s the second biggest shopping season behind the winter holidays.  The variety of products that are needed to get kids ready for the school year is extensive and your business can certainly capitalize on back to school consumers.  Today, we’ll look at where people are shopping and what they are looking to buy.

• Over two-thirds of back to school shoppers nationally will make purchases at a discount store, six in 10 will shop at a department store

• Just over half will shop at a clothing store and over 40% will shop for back to school supplies at an office supply store

• 26% will buy something for back to school at an electronics store, 23% will shop at a drug store and just under 10% will make a catalog purchase

• Nearly 40% will shop online for back to school supplies

• 95% of back to school shoppers will be buying clothing and the average spending amount will be nearly $260.  93% will by shoes and the average amount spent will be nearly $140

• 96% of back to school shoppers are planning to purchase school supplies such as notebooks, pens, pencils backpacks and lunchboxes.  The average amount spent is roughly $100

• While 60% plan to buy electronics or computer related equipment, the spending amount is $365

• The economy is certainly effecting back to school shopping behaviors, nearly 40% plan on spending less overall and over a quarter will re-use supplies from last year

• Over half will shop more sales, one-third will do more comparative shopping online and 36% will be using coupons

• Over 35% will do more comparative shopping using newspapers and
ad circulars

What Does This Mean To You?

Metro Orlando is a great environment for back to school shopping behavior, over 40% of adults have children in their household.  To make sure your business capitalizes on back to school shopping trends, you need to make sure you have top of mind awareness.  The majority of back to school shoppers will be looking for sales, you need to make sure your message is front and center in products that reach those shopping for back to school products.  Digital will also be a major player, digital products also offer excellent targeting options. While men may be spending more on back to school products, women will be doing a larger percentage of the shopping. This means that social networking can also help increase your share of back to school shoppers.  Print options cannot be overlooked either.  A great many shoppers will be relying on coupons and newspaper circulars to save money.  For more information on targeting back to school shoppers and seeing success, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Manager
407.420.5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com
www.orlandosentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Shop.org, National Retail Federation; Biginsight.com; The 2012 Scarborough Report, Release 1

Back To School Spending To Increase

It’s that time of year again, vacations are coming to a close and soon school buses will be rolling through neighborhoods. The back to school buying period is here and even though the economy continues to be sluggish, a new research report shows school supply spending is set to rise. In fact, back to school is now the second largest consumer spending event for retailers behind the winter holidays.

• Total K-12 back to school spending is expected to reach over $30 billion, when you add college back to school spending and it rises to nearly $84 billion

• The average household with children will spend nearly $690 on back to school supplies, up 14% from last year

• Nearly half of back to school shoppers will start shopping three weeks to a month prior to school starting

• Almost a quarter will start 2 weeks before and 3 percent will wait until after school starts

• Men are expected to spend more on back to school supplies than women. On average, men are predicted to spend nearly $740, that’s 15% more than women. Women are more likely to shop at discount stores while men are more likely to shop at department stores

• Back to school shopping for those entering college is estimated to hit nearly $930 per college freshman

What Does This Mean To You?

Even if you are not necessarily a traditional provider of school supplies, there is money to be made from the back to school season. Back to school merchandise can range from pencils & pens to electronics to furniture. Back to school shopping can also be a great way to build your database.
Eight in 10 back to school shoppers say the economy is affecting their purchase. Things like loyalty programs, permission based SMS campaigns and social media drives can help you get a database built and extend your customer base. Tomorrow, we’ll look at where back to school consumers are shopping and what they are buying. For more information on reaching families and getting more results during the back to school season, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Manager
407.420.5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com
www.orlandosentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Shop.org, National Retail Federation; Biginsight.com

Snapshot of a Pinterest User

Since launching just over a year ago, Pinterest has rapidly become the number three social networking site. For the unfamiliar, it differs greatly from Facebook or Twitter.  Pinterest is a photo-based virtual pinboard where users create boards and pin photos to them.  Being a visually formatted social presence, Pinterest offers your organization a great way to create awareness.

• Some of the latest data has Pinterest with
over 100 million users, but their growth rate
has slowed recently

• Six in 10 users are female

• Over half of users are age 25-44

• Half of users have household incomes of $50,000+, over 20% are in the $75,000+ group

• The Pinterest iPhone app has been downloaded over 250,000 times

• Over 20% of Facebook uses are daily Pinterest users

• Some of the top Pinterest boards relate to crafts, hobbies, design and fashion

What Does This Mean To You

Pinterest can be a great sales driver for your company.  It’s not just Pinterest’s rapid growth it’s the basic format and the user’s propensity to purchase that make it valuable.

• Pinteret is projected to account for 40% of socially driven purchases in 2012

• Buyers referred from Pinterest are 10% more likely to make a purchase and spend an average of 10% more than visitors referred by other networks

• Shopify, one of the major e-commerce platforms, reports that orders generated from Pinterest have quadrupled from September 2011 to April 2012

Pinterest is quickly gaining adoption and awareness, but you need to direct customers to your Pinterest boards.  Three-quarters of consumers who “like” or follow companies on social media did so because of advertising.  Social media success begins with creating awareness about your offerings.  For more information keeping your business top of mind and developing loyal customers, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Manager
407.420.5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com
www.orlandosentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Forbes; thesocialskinny.com; Media Bistro; Mashable; Shopify; Compete

Relevant Ads More Effective With Women

Women can be a major factor when it comes to the success of any business.  Targeting them with online video content can help you build loyalty among them and increase brand affinity.  A new research report details how females feel about contextually relevant online video ads and the sites they appear on.

• Over six in 10 women say that relevant online video advertising makes them see the brand in a more favorable light

• 56% of women said they had a more favorable opinion of sites featuring relevant video ads

• Half of online females said that relevant video ads made their web experience more valuable

• Nearly 70% of female internet users said they were more likely to pay attention to video ads that were relevant to the site they were visiting

• 70% of women were likely to ignore video ads that were not relevant to the site they were visiting

What Does This Mean To You

These are just more examples of why targeting is so important to your business.  We’ve had recent posts showing how important online video is and consumers desire for it.  But if you are not focusing your message and using sites that don’t cater to your target audience, all your efforts could be wasted.
There are several ways to use video to your advantage.  Have customers create video testimonials and reward these loyal patrons with valuable offers for sharing them.  An actual customer saying how great your business is holds much more weight than you doing it yourself.  Besides posting these testimonials to your social offerings, ask the customer to put it on theirs.  Make sure all of your videos are share-able.  Make it easy for consumers to forward your video message to others.  Also investigate the ability to have your video ads expand to full page or cover the majority of the page.  This will give your message a dominant position and you won’t be competing with other messages.  For more information on how to increase customer engagement through video, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Manager
407.420.5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com
www.orlandosentinel.com/mediakit

Source: eMarketer; Vibrant Media; Dynamic Logic

Moms Are Active Social Networkers

Yesterday’s post showed us just how many moms are using social media and the types of content that shapes their opinions.  The influence of women with children on social media doesn’t just come from how many are using these networks; it’s how active they are compared to the total population.

• 80% of online moms use social media regularly – that’s 45% higher than general internet users

• Six in 10 moms “like” brands on Facebook – that’s 13% higher than the total online population

• Over half of moms have 200 or more online friends on Facebook – that’s over 60% higher than the general online public

• In 2012, over 70% of Metro Orlando women with children in their household have visited a social network in the past month

• Over half of them spend at least an hour everyday on social networks

What Does This Mean To You

Moms on social networks are not just a national fad – it’s a local phenomenon as well.  These are consumers that you can reach, influence and forge relationships with through social networks.  As we learned in yesterday’s post, these networks can also help you create loyalty with other shoppers as well.  Moms also tend to be keepers of the family purse strings, helping them save money and provide for their family can definitely help your business become a favorite of theirs.  Integrating offers, coupons and other ways to help drive “likes” among moms.  For more information on creating a winning social media strategy, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Manager
407.420.5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com
www.orlandosentinel.com/mediakit

Source: eMarketer; BabyCenter; The 2012 Scarborough Report, Release 1

Social Moms

Moms are huge influencers.  They not only influence behavior of their children, they are a big influencer of consumer purchasing and their opinions bear a great deal of cache with other moms. A new study has been released that shows us how moms are becoming a dominating force of social media and the impact social media has on their decision making process.

• There are currently nearly 28 million moms on social networks across the US.  The represents over 80% of all women with children under 18 in their household

• By 2014, that number will grow to nearly 29 million or 85% of moms

• Half of online moms say that product reviews are the top social influencer of what they buy

• Over 20% say online opinions from friends are also a major influencer

• One in six online moms say that blogs are the top social purchase influencer

• 12% said that a general social media buzz about a product has swayed their decision to buy

What Does This Mean To You

Moms are a huge social media segment.  They can be a big boost to your business, but they could also a big hindrance to your success.  Nearly 40% say that blogs and online opinions are their chief social influencer – if these social views are positive, they can be a tremendous virtual testimonial and a way to draw in more business.  If these comments or opinions are not a good reflection on your brand or products, it could mean trouble.   Managing your social reputation with moms is very important.  Product reviews hold the most social weight with moms. Posting positive reviews on your social offerings and linking to them from your web site can help move the meter with them.  For more information on targeting moms and managing your social reputation, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Manager
407.420.5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com
www.orlandosentinel.com/mediakit

Source: eMarketer; Totsy; BabyCenter

How Moms Engage With Social Media

In yesterday’s post, we talked about the benefits of targeting moms with social media.  Today, we’ll look at how moms engage with social media and why it could be a positive thing for your organization.

•   Over half of moms have “liked” a post

•   45% have read a company’s post in
their newsfeed

•   Roughly 40% have either visited a company’s Facebook page or  a company’s website through links on a Facebook page

•   41% have read comments others have made on company Facebook pages

•   Three in 10 have made comments on a company’s Facebook page

•   More than one in five have uploaded a picture or video to a company’s Facebook page

What Does This Mean To You?

In the past month, Over 70% of women with children in their household have visited a social media site. Moms are highly engaged with these sites, primarily Facebook.  They are open to receiving messages from advertisers and are influenced by messages left by others.   Nearly two-thirds of moms said they learned about a product or service through a social networking site and over half said they followed up because of recommendations. This is just more evidence that your social reputation is very valuable.  For more information on how to increase your engagement levels through all media, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: MarketingCharts.com; ROI Research, The 2011 Scarborough  Multi-Market Study, Release 1