More often than not, mums are the ones deciding what to buy and how much to spend in households across Australia including special occasions such as Mother’s Day. 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,” says Christie Nicholas, CEO of Mumpower.
“While some categories are performing better than others, mums are spending less across most categories to try and stretch their dollar further.”
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.
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.
Read more about creating marketing campaigns that work in our Mother’s Day feature in the latest Giftguide Autumn edition.
