• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, May 21, 2013

According to a new survey by PunchTab, 81% of moms will engage more with a brand when offered some type of reward, and rewards can work to increase a brand's social following, boost positive word-of-mouth and drive more sales. Also, elite status or early access to products can be effective behavior motivators. 

Angela Sanfilippo, CMO at PunchTab, says that "... moms are... most critical demographic segment for many brands... primary decision makers... (for) household purchases... influence $2.4 trillion in annual spending... “

Rewards are most effective at driving participation in surveys and polls, with 72% saying they would take a survey or poll if provided with an incentive. Rewards can also help with building a customer database: 59% of respondents say they would sign up for regular email updates when a reward is offered, and 41% say they would share personal details and purchase behavior.

According to the report, 41% of moms will post a review when offered a reward, and 50% of moms on Facebook say they would be willing to share brand content on Facebook. Increasing positive word-of-mouth through rewards can lead to more sales: Studies, says the report, show that more than half of moms rely significantly on the online recommendations when making purchase decisions.

57% of moms on Facebook say they will "Like" a brand's page on Facebook when offered a reward:

• 50% of moms will follow a brand on Pinterest when offered a reward
• As will 52% of moms on Twitter
• Social followers will take a number of other social actions to promote the brand when incentivized
• 92% of moms who say they would be willing to "Like" a brand on Facebook when offered a reward, say they would also be more likely to share brand content, post reviews or purchase additional brand products if incentivized
• 98% will do this for Twitter and 93% for Pinterest

Financial rewards are highly valued by moms, with 67% of respondents saying they would be interested in receiving perks associated with elite status, such as free shipping or branded merchandise. Moms indicate they would value incentives that offered them exclusive access to a brand, such as:

• Being able to buy new products ahead of the general public (39%)
• Being able to influence a brand's future products (38%)
• Getting advanced notification of new products (36%)

Free products and services from the brand are the most popular incentives, with 83% of respondents saying these would be effective motivators, followed by receiving gift cards from popular retailers (82%).  60% of moms they would take an action in return for a discount or coupon to use on the future purchase of a brand product.

While gamification strategies such as leaderboards and badges have historically been popular, the data shows these types of "social recognition" programs are the least effective at motivating behavior. Only 6% say they would be interested in being rewarded with badges, and only 23% say they would appreciate recognition for their contributions. 

Finally, 73% of respondents say that they would be interested in a loyalty program for a parent company, with 59% of all moms in the study saying they would buy other products from the parent company if doing so resulted in more loyalty points. 

The Digitally Engaged Moms study was conducted by PunchTab, and fielded online, between April 18, 2013, and April 22, 2013, among a random sample of moms between the ages of 18-44. The survey asked what channels moms use, what actions they would take in exchange for earning loyalty points, and what rewards they would like to receive for points earned in the program. In addition, PunchTab combined secondary research from multiple sources around channel usage and various motivations for interacting with brands.

For more from PunchTab, please visit here.