Who is the decision-maker? Moms.

• In 2014, a new report from Cars.com in the US said that 73% of moms consider themselves to be the sole decision-maker in the vehicle shopping process. It said that women with children were a highly engaged group of shoppers.

• The study found that 71 per cent of moms agree that shopping online for a new or used vehicle makes the process much easier, but 68% still prefer to conduct in-person negotiations. 

• Moms prefer to have a  long-term relationship with dealers, as the research showed that the majority (59%) preferred to purchase multiple vehicles from the same dealer.

• More than 60 per cent of moms said they trust the internet more over the dealers which means that the dealers must work harder on building trust and credibility with the moms.

However, most tv ads are almost always directed toward men. When moms are decision-makers, then, why are car companies talking to the dads only?

• In 2018, another study in the UK revealed that more than four-in-five mothers claimed they are the "key decision makers", drove the entire purchasing process from start to finish and have the "final say" when it comes to choosing the family motor.

• It discovered that  82% of women involved in buying a new family car with their partner are equally or mainly responsible for research, planning and decision-making. 

• In 2021, an Australian study concluded that it was the moms who were the key decision-makers when it came to buying a family car with almost 57 per cent claiming so.

• It is interesting to note that, of the women that were surveyed, 80 per cent drove regularly and 51 per cent were the primary driver in the household.

• During the research phase, 59 per cent of the women were considering just one to three different brands of car. Unless car brands can place themselves in the consideration set from the offset, they won’t stand a chance. But with over 50 different car manufacturers available in Australia, how can auto brands ensure they’re top of the consideration list?

What challenges do Moms face?

Car brands just don’t get us!

Women and moms would choose a brand that has the same values as them and is able to communicate with them. Car companies and dealerships do not speak the mom language yet! Most women feel patronized at the dealership where it is assumed that they want a good-looking car when they have specific features and usage in mind. 

Women shop differently than men. In particular, moms are known to be practical shoppers. Moms tend to be more concerned with space, safety and durability. Moms care about the mileage especially, when it will be them who will lug the children around from school, classes and play.

Various surveys across the US, Australia and the UK revealed that moms desire almost the same things when it came to discussing what car to buy at the dealership.

• Tell me more about the practical usage of the car that I can relate to in my everyday life

• Provide a play area or amenity where children stay occupied while I talk to the dealer

• Tell me what other parents think about the specific car/cars that am interested in 

• Don’t push me to “buy”

• Treat my future car as an extension of my identity. Stop pushing the stereotypical ‘mom look’ on me

• A transparent negotiation process with no “hidden fees” 

• Female dealers over male dealers

How can you reach out to Moms? 

Moms do not rely on the traditional ‘car media’ for research and purchase decision-making. Instead, they rely on a broad range of sources including online reviews and discussions.

Car review channels on Instagram and Youtube such as @mobile_mamma_reviews (220k followers) and @the_car_mom (332k followers) have moms that specifically “talk the mom talk” because a majority of moms rely on other moms for their recommendations.

Other sources are word-of-mouth recommendations from family and friends, print reviews, newspapers and magazines. They would also include their partners in these discussions beyond the financial aspect.

Has any company done mom marketing before?

In 2017, Vauxhall launched its new SUV in the UK, the Crossland X, by taking a cultural point of reference. It did not go to a women’s magazine or product specifications or any of the past campaigns route. The campaign was called the ‘Pyjama Mamas’. It was a tongue-in-cheek retort to a head teacher in the UK who asked parents to stop doing school drop-offs in their pyjamas. The tv ad gained significant attention and started a passionate debate on parenting sites as well as auto enthusiasts' forums.

For those who are unfamiliar, Vauxhall is one of the big mass-market brands in the UK. While it needed to have a mass-market appeal for the Crossland X, it also needed to be “something different”. Ironically, marketing to moms and not dads was that ‘different’ flavour!

The luxury car maker, Volvo, is one of the few car brands that seems to understand modern mothers. They set up booths at bigger mother and baby shows connecting with moms who are just starting out with the family car search project. They talked directly about car safety for babies and children, child seats and car accessories for children. Their tagline? ‘The car that looks after you like you look after others.”

In 2022, Acura launched its MDX crossover SUV in Spain targetting Hispanic moms. Their “working moms” campaign showed a female stunt driver who drove an MDX for stunts as well as school pickups. The aim was to appeal to moms as well as highlight the importance of having a family. This campaign was launched just as Acura’s sales are showing a rebound from the drop in sales due to the pandemic and supply chain issues. In addition to running the spots on national broadcast networks, Acura targeted consumers on Facebook and Instagram.

Approximately 16 million cars are forecast to be sold in the U.S. this year 2022, up almost 10% from 14.6 million in 2020, according to TrueCar survey data cited by CNet.

Do more of “mom marketing”

Some car companies are recognising and speaking to the moms. Agreed, your car would sell anyway because it offers value to the buyer. But when it comes to the high competition, being a part of the consideration set can be an uphill task for many companies.

Moms - an entire segment that is willing to buy a new car because the family size has grown or the mum is getting back to work after her maternity leave or they want a car that is more practical, roomier and has some ‘personality’. This mom segment is not only the prime decision-maker for the new family car but is also the spender, probably with her partner as the “front” at the dealership. They are very loyal buyers and are willing to develop a long-term relationship with the dealer for future purchases as well. Moms rely heavily on other moms and therefore, companies must find ways to reach out and develop mutually beneficial trust with the mom hive! They must up their content game since moms tend to research and rely on online reviews, magazines and word of mouth from other moms. 

Lastly, moms want personality! We are moms but we also have swag and attitude. We want our chariot to speak for us!