How mothers use ecommerce to benefit their lives
A survey has found that mothers are using online researchers to research not only their children’s health but their own. It was found that search engines and apps were the most popular choice in regards to these beneficial needs. Online shopping has also increased for mothers especially when using mobile devices like smart phones and tablets.
Research Now and BabyCenter survey mothers in the United States in November 2013 and found surprising statistics. The most popular activity was looking up illness symptoms on search engines with 76% of mothers doing so. 73% of mothers researched child development, 58% searching for information on medicine or healthcare and 55% tracking child’s development. The same percentage of women also tracked ovulation and pregnancy. Only 16% of mothers used digital channels to actually communicate with a health care provider.
Mobile devices showed pretty much the same results. Eight in 10 women used smart phones or tablets when searching for health information. Half of these women tracked ovulation, childhood development and pregnancy. Apps also have become prominent with 53% of mothers downloading a health or well-being app. With the easy access that apps provide examples could be diet trackers, calorie counters, workout tracking, or clean eating and organic recipes.
This study did not research how mothers used their devices for healthcare related practices. Online shopping habits of the women were also taken into account. The main difference in why mothers chose online shopping over visiting stores was the offer of free shipping. Free shipping can be seen as a benefit as it costs less than attending the store and is a double impact if discounts are offered online. If lower price could be found in-store they were less likely to shop online.
Signing up for subscription on ecommerce services was not a high priority for mothers. They were also less likely to check out online product reviews from other parents or research heavily about products. It appears that mothers use the online industry for ease and peace of mind in regards to their busy lives. As parenting websites share a large portion of the ecommerce market it is no surprise that mothers are an important part of the online retail community. Family health choices are usually made by the mother so an increased presence by these companies is beneficial in years to come.
