Survey Explores Impact Of Motherhood On Media Habits

Giving birth marks a turning point in a woman’s life: priorities undergo a massive overhaul, certain habits are dropped and new ones are formed. Of particular interest to our marketing fraternity is the way motherhood affects women’s shopping habits, their interaction with brands and their media consumption.

The key findings of a survey conducted among 600-plus UK mums by BabyCentre, the Johnson & Johnson-owned operator of the eponymous parenting and e-commerce site.

The 2012 UK Media Mum report is the most recent instalment in a series called 21st Century Mum Insights. The first thing that grabs the attention is the huge impact motherhood has on traditional media use.

More than 50% of the UK mums polled watch less television since giving birth and an equal proportion read fewer magazines and newspapers. On the other hand, there is a sharp increase in the use of digital devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops. BabyCentre found a 45% jump in Internet use and respective increases of 31% and 28% for e-mail and mobile usage.

Smartphones remain the most crucial gadget for mums, with almost three-quarters having one and more than 50% declaring they could not live without their smartphone. The survey also established that UK mums spend 35% more time on the Internet compared to the rest of the population. Social media use is a regular activity for 80% of the poll participants and almost three-quarters access Facebook on a daily basis.