Brand Loyalty, Moms And The Web

by Stephanie Azzarone, May 25, 2011, 7:44 AM

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Has the Internet killed brand loyalty among moms? Recent research shows that when it comes to shopping, today's consumers value research over loyalty. And since moms clearly exert the majority of influence when it comes to household purchasing decisions, it's moms -- and the very many products that they buy -- who would be impacted by such a trend. According to the report, from AMP Agency, unlike in previous generations "very few consumers between the ages of 25 and 49 are moved to purchase by habit, or sentimental considerations for a brand."

In fact, just 3% of those surveyed by that agency said they are loyal to a particular brand and never buy anything else -- very different from past generations. A key reason is that it's so easy for shoppers today to research a product before buying -- even read reviews from other people about that exact same item or service. According to the company, "with more information, consumers have seized control and are more open to the wide choices in the marketplace." Ninety-four percent of people said online research positively influenced their decision to make a purchase.

Some other findings:

• 44% of those surveyed said they do research when buying baby products

• 38% of the survey group said they do their research on social media sites

These findings relate to our own research, with the NPD Group, on how social media impacts moms' purchasing decisions. We found that nearly a quarter of moms who are active in social media have made a purchase for their child based on a social media recommendation.

We talked to moms after reviewing the Consumer Insights results and found that while research was crucial and influential, there was still a degree of brand loyalty, more in certain product categories than others.

Liz Thompson, a mother of four who blogs at This Full House, said that there are "brands that I grew up with and now trust with helping me to raise my family." In her case, this mostly applied to foods, clothing brands and department stores.

Yet, she continued, "I do, however, appreciate the opportunity to research new products and the ability to visit websites to see what my favorite brands are up to. For example, I look for how and where the product is manufactured, nutritional value, price comparisons, customer reviews and/or comments, along with any other information that helps me decide on whether or not to remain loyal to a particular brand."

Added Thompson, "Raising two teens and two tweens, I have researched a wide variety of products, including appliances, books, cars, cell phones, computers, educational aides, food, health and medical supplies, air and hotel rates, and vacation venues, just to name a few. I will run a general blog search on the product or service and then visit the corporate website."

Marketers: How has consumers' access to research negatively impacted your sales -- and what have you done about it?

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