The National Retail Federation has some words of advice if you are marketing to moms of tweens: Go online! According to a report from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, a division of the NRF, mothers of kids age 9 to 12 read more blogs and use Facebook more often than other adults. In fact, 48.2 percent of moms with pre-teens regularly use Facebook, compared to 39.9 percent of other adults. But don’t go looking for them on other social sites. These moms use LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter less frequently than other adults.
Although they are posting to and maintaining blogs slightly less frequently than other adults, they read blogs more frequently. And these moms are multitaskers. More than three-quarters say that while they are watching TV, reading a magazine, or surfing the Web, they are also doing laundry and housework.
Offline, moms of tweens are very likely to use coupons. Almost eight out of ten say that a good coupon is the number one reason they will buy one grocery item over another, beating out in-store promotions, word of mouth, advertising inserts, and direct mail. And many of these moms are hip to the latest tunes. A plurality of them listen to modern rock and pop, compared with those aged 18-plus listening to classic rock and oldies.
Sears launched a new marketing campaign aimed right at tweens and their moms in August. The NPD Group reports dollar volume sales of apparel worn by U.S. seven to 12 year olds totaled $13 billion for the 12 months ending in March. Retailers can tap that large market by getting their message to the decision maker in the family: Mom.