Digital-savvy mothers now decision-makers on key household purchases, survey finds

“Today’s mothers have gained greater influence and decision-making power within households on purchases. Therefore, they are now one of the most important economic players and drivers of consumption,” Natthanathorn Ford, country manager of Tickled Media, said yesterday.

Run by Singapore-based Tickled Media, theAsianparent.com provides community services for Southeast Asian parents. Its online “Asian Digital Mum Report 2015” survey contacted 1,600 mothers, aged between the late 20s and early 30s, in Thailand to find out about the digital behaviour and trends in this group, and to find the key implications for marketers.

The survey found that the online community had gained traction over other traditional media with a greater role in Asian mums’ lives. Of the total respondents, 82 per cent said they sought information to improve the quality of their families’ lives on mobile phones and tablets.

Facebook is the preferred media platform for this group, with the survey indicating that 90 per cent of Asian mothers have personal account on Facebook. After the arrival of YouTube Thailand, the study also found that this online video-sharing site was gaining popularity among Thai mothers looking for parenting information. Other key social-media applications are Google Plus and Instagram.

“We found that Thai mothers are the most active users of the Line application. Ninety-nine per cent said this app had become a primary massaging tool, a huge increase from last year,” said Ruoshan Tao, regional marketing manager at Tickled Media.

Of the mothers responding to the survey, 55 per cent said they interacted and communicated with other mums via online channels at least once a week, and 87 per cent said they went online for parenting tips.

Natthanathorn suggested that the prime time to engage with this group was around 7-9pm.

Another key finding of the survey was that 90 per cent said they were key decision-makers on the purchase of goods and products for their households.

Some 59 per cent of mums said they went to websites to research product offers, vouchers and discounts before making a purchasing decision, followed by 38 per cent who went to social media and 3 per cent who referred to their friends or relatives.

Natthanathorn said Thai mums were more likely to be influenced by an online advertisement than by an advert on traditional media like television, magazines, newspapers and radio.

"Approximately 800,000 new babies are born [in Thailand] every year. This creates a huge opportunity for marketers to tap into this group of chief household officers," she said.

She expects that theAsianparent Thailand site will enjoy at least 300-per-cent growth in revenue from last year, mainly from online advertising.