Marketing to Moms Conference: A little spark-le this holiday season

Much of the presentations at this month’s Marketing to Moms Conference focused on how much moms are spending on their families and themselves. Expecting moms spend on average $2,700 to prepare for baby and 90% create a gift registry receiving, on average, $300 in gifts at their shower, according to research shared by The Knot’s Bump.

Not to be outdone, veteran moms having their second, third or fourth child spend to renovate their home or buy a new home to garner more space, and on financial services as they plan for their growing family. They also spend on consumer electronics, shifting more entertainment dollars to the home—plugging in their Wii game systems and gathering around their new flat screen TV.

“It was enough to make you almost forget the chilly economic climate just outside of the Chicago Cultural Center, where M2Moms was held. In fact, the market dropped more than 600 points during the two-day conference. Still, everyone agreed moms will be shopping this holiday season. Moms we talked to are eager to take advantage of anticipated discounts at retail and online promotions. And if you’re still not sold on the mom opportunity this holiday season, try talking to grandparents. At an average age of 48, the latest generation of grandparents is younger and more actively involved in raising their grandchildren – and spending significantly at an estimated $1800 per grandchild, according to Grandparents.com.

With December 25th just eight weeks away, this issue of the Trendletter focuses on how moms will be shopping (link to first article below). In addition, we couldn’t resist a closer look at The Hockey Mom (link to article) and what this newly labeled segment of moms means for marketers.

Moms click-through the holidays

By Marta Loeb, Silver Stork Research

With time at a premium, it’s no surprise moms will again be turning to the Internet to do their holiday shopping. But unlike seasons past, they’ll be shopping on a broader range of ecommerce sites, as moms have become increasingly savvy Internet shoppers in the past 12 months.

Silver Stork Research surveyed 1,600 moms this month to gain insight to moms’ holiday shopping plans. 80% said they plan to shop online, with 40% saying they plan to do the majority of their holiday shopping online.

• 56% will go out of their way to get that “hot gift” by searching regularly, with repeat visits to sites.
• 89% say they will use Google to locate hard-to-find items, and 32% report they would be willing to purchase gifts on sites like eBay and Craigslist.
• 28% had already started their holiday shopping in October.
• 9 out of 10 of the moms who plan to shop online say they will watch for sales and coupons to make their holiday budgets go farther.

In addition to scouring the Internet, moms plan to hit the stores and their kids’ schools to get their holiday shopping done:

• 53% will shop at community/school holiday fairs.
• 62% will schedule a few special shopping nights without the kids.
• 47% will take advantage of holiday shopping hours.
• 39% will be up and out in the wee hours the day after Thanksgiving to take advantage of super holiday savings.

Ho Ho No? Dealing with the bleak economy as the holidays approach

By Whitney Wingerd, www.mommieswithstyle.com

So the economy’s in the toilet as we gear up for the holiday season. Food costs continue to soar, and the stock market’s too scary to even glance at. Fox News reports that some analysts are forecasting this holiday season to be the weakest in 24 years.

For most moms this year, shopping for the holidays is feeling a little less festive and a little more grim. Saving money is crucial in today’s market, yet it’s only natural to have a hard time cutting back when you get excited with the spirit of the holiday season. The good news is that there are sales to be had, and ways to shop frugally, without compromising your holiday spirit.

Aggressive discounting and sales blitzes

MSN reported last month that the trend will most likely be “aggressive discounting and pre-Thanksgiving sales blitzes” as stores are trying to get every dollar they can out of cautious shoppers.

So in the face of this bleak economy, it has me thinking that shopping early is key – sifting through the competing sales and keeping an eye out for the best deal will not be too difficult as retailers fight for customers. Kmart’s “layaway” ad, featuring an entrepreneurial mom planning ahead and putting her kids’ gifts on layaway, is just right for the times.

Sometimes a homemade gift is more appreciated, and it almost always saves money. Crafting, cooking, and do-it-yourself brands have a great story to tell in this economy, and can be a real solution to moms looking for ways to save. Moms are a crafty group and will make this holiday season as bright as Christmases’ past.

Whitney Wingerd is a mom blogger and founder of Mommies with Style. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.

The Hockey Mom defined

By Amy Florek

For years, marketers have been targeting soccer moms. The term soccer mom is even in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: "A typically suburban mother who accompanies her children to their soccer games and is considered as part of a significant voting bloc or demographic group." But now marketers are scrambling to understand a newly labeled mom.

So who are these hockey moms? We know they have the disposable income to afford equipment, travel fees and expensive ice time. But are they really “pit bulls with lipstick,” as Governor Sarah Palin described them? According to Corinna Kersten, a hockey mom from Nahant, Mass., “Sarah Palin is kind of right, some hockey moms are pit bulls.” “Hockey moms are very intense, trying to out-cheer the other team's parents,” adds Ronni Minnig, former hockey mom from Long Island, NY.

“Hockey Moms are a special breed, since they are totally dedicated to the game their kids love from October to May,” continues Minnig. Unlike soccer, which is played outside and in daylight hours, “ice time is at a premium and it’s not unusual for moms to drive their kids to practice twice a week at all hours – sometimes 6 am and sometimes 10 pm. [The Hockey Mom] gives up all weekends for games and gives up all social activities for those eight months of the year.”

Soccer moms attend one game or practice once a week. Hockey moms have a much more rigorous commitment level – both in time and money spent. We see hockey moms as a relatively niche segment of moms, though the term can be applied more broadly to a type of mom – one who is all about her kids, who sacrifices her schedule to her family’s schedule, and is less likely to strike a balance between mom and the woman inside the mom. As such, the hockey mom just may have some staying power in marketing circles, in addition to at the polls this November.