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Word-of-Mouth Matters Most for Moms

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Laura Fortner
SVP, Marketing and Insights
CafeMom

CafeMom is an online community where moms socialize and share advice and information. Laura Fortner, SVP of marketing and insights, oversees the marketing, business development and research teams at the site.

Ms. Fortner spoke with eMarketer about what mothers expect from brand marketers online and why social networks are important.

eMarketer: How does a woman’s shopping behavior change when she becomes a mother?

Laura Fortner: Her life changes in dramatic ways. There are three major shifts that pertain to her shopping behavior: One, she’s got at least one new person in the household with a lot of brand-new needs. Two, given all the demands that parenting is exacting from her, she has a lot less time for researching and shopping than she did before, on top of having new products to look into for her new baby.

And third, we’ve seen a shift in the information sources she goes to for shopping information and the brands she goes to—and trust is very important here. We find that word-of-mouth and connecting with other moms is a very important new resource for women entering motherhood.

eMarketer: Why is word-of-mouth so important to moms?

Ms. Fortner: In today’s fragmented media world, there are so many sources of information coming at moms, and so many places she could go for information, that really being able to find filters that she trusts is very important. In her new time-constrained world with a lot of priorities and a lot of information gathering, moms really prefer value and trust one-on-one communication sources.

eMarketer: Do you see any differences in the online shopping behavior of millennial moms [ages 18 to 34] versus older moms?

Ms. Fortner: In our “Digital Mom” study that we did in partnership with Razorfish, one of the things that we looked at by age was the effect of that on various digital channels and information sources she went to. Technology habits are different, certainly, between age ranges.

The real standout for the millennial moms is that you’re seeing relatively higher usage of social networks and mobile, certainly a greater preponderance of texting and mobile Web browsing. That’s not to say the older moms aren’t doing it, just that more of them in the younger age range are doing it more frequently.

eMarketer: How do moms want to be approached online by brands?

Ms. Fortner: In interacting with brands online, four qualities really stand out for moms. First, being respected and understood by the brands.

Second, moms like companies who listen to the feedback they provide. Offer them opportunities to really weigh in on the product as it stands today or where it may be able to go in the future, and make them feel like they’re partners in that process.

Third, honesty is very important.

And then, finally, in terms of how the brands connect with her, being able to find the information or offer she wants or needs, when or where she needs it, is really important. There are so many channels of information coming at her, really being able to find that at the right time is important.

eMarketer: How important are social networks to moms’ purchase decisions?

Ms. Fortner: They are an increasingly important resource. Moms are going to online friends—people like themselves who feel like friends—just as an easy go-to resource. Being able to go to one place and get many opinions at once, versus going to, say, a brand site and getting one point of view or consumer review, is another benefit.

Most important is that in a social network you have the ability to get personalized shopping recommendations from people who know something about you, and that’s not something you can get anywhere else.

You can go to Amazon.com and read a product review, but you’re not going to be able to ask somebody who knows you “If I’m choosing between the BlackBerry and the iPhone, and you know what I’m like and what my communication style is and my habits, what would you recommend?”

We have plenty of moms at CafeMom who ask for stroller recommendations. “I want to hear from a suburban mom who’s got a newborn and a 2-year-old. What double stroller makes the most sense?”

U.S. law forbids the use of lead in children’s toys and jewelry.

In taped remarks to be delivered Tuesday in Hong Kong, Inez Tenenbaum warned that her agency would keep a close watch on the imported products, the Associated Press reported.

“I would highly encourage all of you to ensure that toy manufacturers and children’s product manufacturers in your country are not substituting cadmium, antimony, barium, in place of lead,” Tenenbaum said in a transcript of a speech to children’s products manufacturers, exporters and regulators. “All of us should be committed to keeping hazardous or toxic levels of heavy metals out of … toys and children’s products.”

On Sunday, the AP reported that some Chinese manufacturers substitute cadmium for lead in inexpensive charm bracelets and pendants sold in the United States. That prompted U.S. officials to launch an investigation.

Along with being a known carcinogen, cadmium can hinder brain development in very young children. Youngsters can get persistent, low-level doses of cadmium by biting or sucking jewelry with a high level of the toxic metal.

HealthDay News

Mon, Jan 11, 2010 (HealthDay News) — The presence of the toxic metal cadmium in Chinese-made children’s jewelry is being investigated by U.S. officials.

Product safety authorities pledged to “take action as quickly as possible to protect the safety of children,” the Associated Press reported.

The move comes after lab tests showed that the cadmium content of some pieces of children’s jewelry ranged from 84 to 91 percent by weight, and that some of the items easily shed the heavy metal, according to the AP.

Along with being a known carcinogen, cadmium can hinder brain development in very young children. Youngsters can get persistent, low-level doses of cadmium by biting or sucking jewelry with a high level of the toxic metal.

On Sunday, the AP reported that some Chinese manufacturers substitute cadmium for lead in inexpensive charm bracelets and pendants sold in the United States.

– HealthDay News

But now get an even better look at the newest member of the Kardashian clan (he even has his eyes open!) in the latest photos of mom, baby and dad Scott Disick.

Kourt says Scott’s a great dad. Must be. Somehow he fits in both diaper duty and late-night partying—talk about a multitasker.

Posted on EOnline.com!

Anyone wishing to make charitable donations may do so by clicking on one of the links below:

Mercy Corps
Save the Children
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Baptist World Aid
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World Relief

Simple New Tool Makes Shopping on the Web an Easier and More Fun Experience

SAN FRANCISCO – Dec. 3, 2009 – Despite the great appeal of online shopping, finding the perfect holiday gift on the Web can still be a frustrating experience, particularly when struggling to recall the URLs of favorite stores and then entering the same search term again and again on different sites. Now, with the launch of Flit.com, shoppers can visit one site to initiate a search for a desired item – from clothing to toys to electronics – in all of their favorite stores.

Flit.com is the first-of-its kind shopping tool that emulates the way people shop naturally – by visiting their favorite stores. Unlike other search or comparison shopping engines that produce product listings from various vendors, Flit.com shoppers spend time inside different retailers’ sites, retaining the personality and customized search capabilities of each store. The site’s single-click search platform allows users to access more than 275 leading retail brands spanning 30-plus popular categories including fashion, home goods, jewelry, electronics, sports and gourmet foods. The Flit.com team adds stores daily based on user requests.

As shoppers “flit” easily from store-to-store, a search trail maintains a visual track of the stores they’ve looked in and lets them return directly to purchase. Shoppers can even save a lunchtime shopping session in order to continue their search later at home. Because results are not filtered through a search engine listing, shoppers experience all the richness and detail that comes from today’s quality online stores.

Visit www.flit.com to watch a short video demonstration of shopping for a new party dress.

About Flit.com
Flit.com is a new online shopping tool that supports the way people shop naturally – by visiting their favorite stores. The free Flit.com tool simplifies the internet experience by letting shoppers enter a search just once, then using that term to initiate a search in all of their favorite stores. The site provides patent-pending Shop InsideTM single-click search across more than 275 leading retail brands spanning 30-plus popular categories including fashion, home goods, jewelry, electronics, sports and gourmet foods. Visit the Web site at www.flit.com

Earlier this year we looked at devices that are integrating Twitter in remarkable ways, from enabling your plants to tweet when they need water to automated updates from bakeries when stuff comes fresh out of the oven.

Add another innovation to that list: the Twoddler. The prototype device, developed by a team at Hasselt University in Belgium, essentially hooks up a Fisher Price toy to a Twitter (Twitter) account, such that when the baby performs different actions, the account is updated.

Here’s how the team describes it:

“The software captures sensor data from the activity center and tries to select a predefined text that is related to that sensor data. We are extending the system so it becomes easier to relate certain patterns of sensor readings with a set of strings.

For example: when Yorin plays with mommy’s picture for over 3 minutes, a twitter message will be posted saying “@mommy_yorin Yorin misses mommy and looks forward playing with her this evening”, or when Yorin is hitting the doorbell button four times in a row, a twitter message will be posted saying “Yorin is showing off his music skills with a new tune”. We hope to even support dynamic composition of new strings in the future.”

There’s also a video demonstrating how it works:

Click here to view the embedded video.

At this point, it’s unclear whether or not the device will make it to market, but the team did win 5000 euros for their prototype at a developer competition earlier this year. While it’s unlikely to ever replace the baby monitoring tools that parents depend on, we certainly could see some use for it when your baby is with the sitter and you want to keep in touch, so to speak.

Would you parents out there be interested in a Twoddler? Let us know in the comments.

Some of these medicines are common sense not to give to our children…..but just to remind us here is a quick recap!

Young children are much more likely than adults to have adverse drug reactions, so giving your toddler prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medication – even “herbal” medicines – is serious business. Here are some medicines you shouldn’t give your 12- to 24-month-old.

Aspirin

Never give aspirin or medications containing aspirin to your toddler or to anyone 19 years old or younger. Aspirin can make a child susceptible to Reye’s syndrome — a rare but potentially fatal illness. Don’t assume that the children’s medicines found in drugstores will be aspirin-free. Aspirin is sometimes referred to as “salicylate” or “acetylsalicylic acid.” Read labels carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you’re not sure whether a product is aspirin-free.

For fever and other discomfort, you may want to give your toddler the correct dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises against giving OTC cough and cold medicines to toddlers. Studies show that they don’t actually help to soothe symptoms of kids this age. And they can be harmful, especially when a child mistakenly gets more than the recommended dose.

In addition to side effects like drowsiness or sleeplessness, upset stomach, and a rash or hives, a child can suffer serious effects such as rapid heart rate, convulsions, and even death. Every year, 7,000 children under the age of 11 are treated in U.S. emergency rooms after taking too much cough or cold medication.

If your toddler’s miserable with a cold, you may want to try a humidifier or other home remedies.

Anti-nausea medications

Don’t give your toddler an anti-nausea medication (prescription or OTC) unless her doctor specifically recommends it. Most bouts of vomiting are pretty short-lived, and children usually handle them just fine without any medication. In addition, anti-nausea medications have risks and possible complications. (If your child is vomiting and begins to get dehydrated, contact her doctor for advice on what to do.)

Adult medications

Giving your child a smaller dose of medicine meant for an adult is dangerous. If the label doesn’t indicate an appropriate dose for a child, don’t give that medication to your toddler.

Any medication prescribed for someone else or for another condition

Prescription drugs intended for other people (like a sibling) or to treat other illnesses may be ineffective or even dangerous when given to your toddler. Give her only medicine prescribed for her and her specific condition.

Anything expired

Toss out medicines, prescription and OTC alike, as soon as they expire. Also get rid of discolored or crumbly medicines — basically anything that doesn’t look the way it did when you first bought it. After the use-by date, medications may no longer be effective and can even be harmful. Don’t flush old drugs down the toilet, as they can contaminate groundwater and end up in the drinking water supply. See what our expert says about how to safely dispose of expired medication.

Extra acetaminophen

Some medicines contain acetaminophen to help ease fever and pain, so be careful not to give your toddler an additional separate dose of acetaminophen. If you’re not sure what’s in a particular medicine, don’t give her acetaminophen or ibuprofen until you’ve first gotten the okay from your doctor or pharmacist.

Chewables

For most toddlers, chewable tablets are a choking hazard. If you want to use a chewable tablet, crush it first, then put it in a spoonful of soft food, like yogurt or applesauce. (Of course, you need to make sure your child eats the entire spoonful in order to get the complete dose.)

Chinese herb ma huang (ephedra or ephedrine)

Never take or give your child the Chinese herb ma huang, also known as ephedra or ephedrine. In adults this herbal decongestant has been linked to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, seizures, heart attack, and strokes.

Check with your doctor or an alternative medicine practitioner before giving your child any herbal products. And always let the doctor know about any herbal remedies your child is taking before she prescribes a medication.

Many herbal remedies are gentle and safe, but just because something is natural, or derived from a plant, doesn’t mean it’s safe for your child. Herbal products can cause allergic reactions, liver damage, and high blood pressure. In certain doses or when combined with the wrong medications, they can be fatal.

Last year for the month of December we had one lucky mom talk about her product/service on our blog and we shared it with our members on a daily basis! So if your looking to increase your sales or just want to show off your products to over 3k Parents then email me these details:

Info on your company

How you got started

Images of your product

Email me now and get your spot on BabySpot!

James@BabySpot.com