Commentary

The Love And Loyalty Of Moms

While much is written about Millennials, Gen Z and other cohorts, moms are, and always will be, a key target for brands. Dads have evolved and are more involved with family decisions, but moms are still leading the pack when it comes to making and influencing purchase decisions. With so many opportunities to sway Mom’s decision, brands want to know what really makes her loyal. Is she even loyal to a particular brand anymore? 

In August, we conducted a survey with Mars to uncover the preferences and attitudes of U.S. moms when it comes to their product loyalty and brand selection. Allisha Watkins, shopper marketing team lead  for Mars Chocolate North America, said, “Everyone wants to earn their share of spending that women/moms hold in the palm of their hands. Her loyalty is paramount for repeat purchases, advocacy and so much more. But there have been so many changes in her purchasing decisions recently, including higher expectations for brand transparency and greater attention to health and well-being. And from a shopper experience, brands must note that her in-store and online experiences can be found dull or overwhelming.”

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So how does a brand earn her love?

After reviewing the responses of more than 5,500 moms aged 18+, here’s what we learned:

Almost half (48.3%) of moms are loyal to product brands.

Nearly 50% of moms consider themselves to be loyal to product brands. This is true across all ages, including Millennials, who the media often cites as not being brand loyal. The least loyal were moms ages18-24 while the most loyal moms fell into the 45-54 age bracket. 

It’s not advertising or celebrity endorsements driving her love.

No surprise here. She is not in love with advertising or celebrity endorsements. Less than 1% of the moms we surveyed attributed their love of a brand to the brand’s advertising or inclusion of a celebrity endorsement. 

It’s also not only a brand’s social responsibility or loyalty card rewards.

Contrary to other industry surveys, our results revealed that a brand’s social responsibility and loyalty card program have little to do with acquiring a mom’s loyalty. That does not mean, however, that brands should not be diligent with social responsibility. Moms do care about making a better world for their children and therefore, they are more likely to give points to a brand that is environmentally and socially responsible.

Moms are most loyal to their beverage brands.

Whether it’s coffee or soda, beverage brands topped the list of items to which moms are most loyal (24.2%). Beauty products came in a close second at 22.4%, followed by home products, such as cleaning and paper goods, at 18.7%.

What makes mom loyal?

A whopping 58.2% of moms said they love a brand the most because of its quality and consistency. In addition, one in five moms love a brand because it’s a good value for their money.

What would make a mom switch brands?

Price was the top consideration for potentially switching brands. And roughly a third (32.6%) of product-loyal moms said they would not be influenced to switch product brands because of the following reasons:

• discount price or coupons to share

• size/volume options

• availability online vs. in store

• loyalty member club rewards 

Therefore, the focus is on quality, and a brand will have the most success garnering a mom’s love by focusing on consistency and right price/value.

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