5 minute read
MOTHER'S DAY: WHO’S THE BOSS?
WHO’S THE BOSS?
Show mums some love ahead of Mother’s Day by creating marketing campaigns that work.
By Christie Nicholas, CEO of Mumpower
More often than not, mums are the ones deciding what to buy and how much to spend in households across Australia. But how retailers target this six million strong demographic depends on their understanding of what really makes Aussie mums tick.
The latest Mumpower Australian Mums Today survey reveals that for the third year running, mums are reacting to the cost-of-living crisis by continuing to cut non-essentials from the family budget and not splurging on themselves in order to pay for their kids’ education and groceries. The survey found that eight out of 10 mums have significantly cut back on their spending due to cost-of-living pressures albeit not as aggressively as they have in the previous six months.
Mums are pros at navigating the challenges of rising costs and they’re rethinking their financial habits en masse to ensure their purchasing decisions are strategic. While some categories are performing better than others, mums are spending less across most categories to try and stretch their dollar further.
For back to school spending they’re turning to discount department stores like Kmart, Big W and Target and the cash they’re not forking out for beauty, dining out, fashion, entertainment and travel spending is being put towards utilities, supermarket shopping and financial services instead.
Children’s education is the only category where spending has remained the same for close to half of mums.
In light of the current economic climate, mums are still spending, but they’re only parting with their hard-earned cash on the brands they know, like and trust. Only brands that evolve with mums’ shifting priorities to make targeted, customer-centric moves will remain front of mind for this segment.
How mums learn about which products to buy
Mums are discerning buyers who are turning to research and word of mouth reviews before parting with their hard-earned cash. One fascinating finding from the survey demonstrates the power of word-of-mouth recommendations and social media in winning over mums’ trust.
When gathering info about a product they want to buy, more than 85 per cent of mums say they rely on social media like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X, a trend that has remained consistent since 2024. Far from being indifferent observers, the vast majority have used social media specifically to see influencers put products and services in action. Other key sources of information when researching a product or brand are friends or family, internet searches and review websites.
Mums are pros at navigating the challenges of rising costs and they’re rethinking their financial habits en masse to ensure their purchasing decisions are strategic.
Above all, mums depend on real-life testimonials from other mums to validate their purchasing decisions. Driven by the need for value-for-money, quality, utility and to a certain extent, stylishness, mums won’t pull the trigger on a purchase unless they receive personal recommendations from those they know and trust. The breadth of these sources reflect mums’ comprehensive research habits and their need to gather information from multiple channels before making a choice.
One single recommendation from a mum will have a ripple effect throughout entire social networks with platforms like Google reviews credited as a trusted source of information for more than half of mums. Unsurprisingly, 92 per cent will avoid buying something purely because of negative reviews while 86 per cent will make a purchase if the reviews are glowing.
Big-ticket items tend to command more in-depth research from mums with six out 10 mums researching automotive items, seven out of 10 checking out reviews for baby and children’s items over $100 and three quarters of mums investigating home appliances and homewares. When it comes to social media, mums tend to congregate on popular social media sites like Instagram and Facebook where Facebook groups serve as a rich source of consumer information. These are places where mums are connecting with each other and sharing honest information about the products and brands they have experience with, whether positive or negative. As much as they benefit from receiving information, mums also love to share their authentic views—six in 10 have organically shared their opinions online about brands and products.
As Aussie mums navigate the financial challenges of 2025, their purchasing decisions will continue to reflect their need to balance their family needs with their limited budgets. With a clear trend of cutting back on discretionary spending, mums will shape the retail landscape by focusing on the essentials and seeking value-for-money alternatives, which they will select after careful consideration and information seeking via the trusted avenue of family and friends.
In 2025 the brands which authentically meet mums where they are with valuedriven products and services will be the ones to dominate this lucrative and powerful segment.
