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Parent Consumer Journey - Expectant Parents
Expectant parents in the US mostly start the process of shopping for their unborn children in the second trimester of pregnancy. They mostly leverage social media to learn about parenting-related products and services, and they seek the opinion of friends/family in deciding what products/items to purchase. Below are details of the research findings.
WHEN AND HOW EXPECTANT PARENTS RESEARCH FOR PRODUCTS
- According to a Google 2014 survey, new and expectant parents are 2.7 times more likely to use a smartphone as their primary search device than non-parents.
- In 2014, parenting videos viewed from mobiles increased by 329%.
- According to a Facebook study, 28% of newly expecting(those in the first few months of pregnancy) parents who were surveyed in the US are members of an online buying-and-sell group.
- Also, 32% of mid-to-late (those in the later months of pregnancy) expectant parents are members of an online buy-and-sell group.
- The study also revealed that 28% of newly expecting parents are members of an online parenting group.
- For mid-to-late expecting parents, it was found that 38% are members of an online parenting group.
WHEN EXPECTANT PARENTS PURCHASE ITEMS/PRODUCTS FOR THEIR UNBORN CHILDREN
- According to Babylist, a universal baby registry provider, the average amount spent by a gift giver to purchase gifts for expectant parents is $130.
- Between 2017 and 2018, the number of baby bottles in the registries of expectant parents increased by 11%, the number of baby monitors increased by 9%, while the number of strollers increased by 8%.
- Most baby registries are created in the second trimester of pregnancy. Babylist users spend an average of 40 hours building their registries and 52% of what registrants add to their lists end up being deleted.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DECISION MAKING OF EXPECTANT PARENTS
- Fifty-nine per cent of newly expecting parents in the US use Facebook daily.
- Seventy-one per cent of mid-to-late expectant parents in the US use Facebook daily.
- Half (50%) of newly-expecting parents in the US are likely to use Facebook to get products/services recommendations from friends/family.
- Sixty-three per cent of mid-to-late expectant parents in the US are likely to use Facebook to get products/services recommendations from friends/family.
- For sixty-eight per cent of newly expectant parents in the US, social media helps them learn about parenting-related topics and products.
- For thirty-seven per cent of newly expectant parents in the US, social media is a preferred source of information on the latest baby-related products and services.
- Fourty-two per cent of mid-to-late expectant parents prefer social media as a source of information on the latest baby-related products and services.
INDUSTRY REPORTS/SURVEYS ON THE SUBJECT
- In 2018, a Facebook-IQ-commissioned study was published. The study involved interviews with 10 different sets of expectant and new parents, as well as a survey of 1,620 parents aged 18 years and older.
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
- In a 2017 survey, it was found that 36% of expectant parents believed that it will cost them between $1,001 and $5,000 to take care of an average US baby in its first year. 18% thought it would cost $1,000 or less.
- According to the survey, 50% of expectant parents believed that diapering items, including wipes and diapers constitute the largest expense in the first year of a baby’s life.
- The most common search themes for pregnant women in the US are health, safety, school, clothes and college.
RESEARCH STRATEGY
To fulfill this request, we leveraged various industry reports and surveys from research industry leaders such as Facebook, Pew research, and Nerdwallet. From these, we were able to find information on how and where expectant parents find information on products and services that they purchase. This strategy however failed to provide information on how and when expectant parents search for products/items that they purchase.
Next, we went ahead to look for reviews, feedback and guides from new parents, in an attempt to identify how they found information on the products and services they purchased before they had their children. This however only led us to suggested listings of items that are required for new born babies.
Finally, we went further to expand the scope of our search by including sources that are older than 24 months. We included source that are as old as five years. Doing so, we were able to find a 2014 report from Google that revealed how and when expectant parents research their purchases.