NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Crowdtap, the People-Powered Marketing Platform, has released the findings of a comprehensive study on Millennial parents, who today head up a quarter of all U.S. households (Source: Barkley Agency, 2013). Crowdtap which focuses on brand engagement and insights, surveyed nearly 1,000 Millennial parents to inform the research, which unearthed similarities and differences between how Millennial moms and dads view technology in relation to parenting, make family purchase decisions and form connections with brands after having children.
Eighty percent of U.S. Millennials – or 60 million people – will become parents in the next decade. The Crowdtap study explores how Millennials are bucking misconceptions as they mature into the next phase of their lives. With an estimated $2 trillion in global buying power, understanding Millennials as parents will be critical for brands vying to capture attention and ultimately drive sales from this cohort in 2016 and beyond.
To field the first-of-its-kind study, Crowdtap recruited Millennial moms and dads from its member community and engaged them in a series of online polls and discussions over the course of several weeks. This iterative approach enabled the research team to explore and validate trending themes as they emerged, leading to stronger insights over time.
The study found that today’s Millennial parents are driven by their desire to simply be “good parents.” Millennial moms and dads (ages 20 to 35) agree that being a parent means “being there for your family and putting the needs of the family before your own.” Additionally, parents rely more on social media for advice and fathers are more “present” in their children’s lives.
Key Findings:
- When describing their role as a parent in today’s world, Millennial moms were much more likely to proactively cite the words “technology” (35 percent) and “social media” (15 percent) than Millennial dads, who used these phrases 10 percent and less than 5 percent, respectively.
- On the other hand, approximately 15 percent of Millennial dads noted that being a “Millennial” dad is about “being there” for their children, compared to roughly 4 percent of moms who described their role in a similar fashion.
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For parenting advice, Millennial parents say they turn to their
mothers (AKA “Grandma”) before consulting parenting websites, social
media and blogs. The Internet and social media are the next most
influential sources of parenting advice.
- 46 percent of mom and 35 percent of dads say that social media is “extremely helpful” when it comes to parenting.
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49 percent of moms and 37 percent of dads said that they use social
media sites as least once a day for parenting advice. While overall
time spent on social media isn’t decreasing as Millennials become
parents, time on specific platforms do change:
- Millennial parents, especially moms, spend more time on sites like Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube after they have kids.
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Social media isn’t just a source of advice and inspiration for
Millennials parents.
- 20 percent of both Millennial moms and dads consider social media a “distraction” that detracts from quality time with family.
- 17 percent of moms and 10 percent of dads are concerned with the “social pressure” that social media creates.
- 11 percent of moms and 6 percent of dads say that social media contributes to “information overload” that can add to their anxiety and confusion.
- On the role of technology in their children’s lives, 40 percent of Millennial parents said they were concerned about technology’s impact on their children, especially being able to appreciate “being outside.” However, nearly a third of all moms and dads have purchased a tablet for their children.
- 70 percent of Millennial moms consider themselves the primary decision maker of the family.
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42 percent of Millennial moms and 38 percent of Millennial dads said
that price is the number one factor they consider when purchasing
items for themselves.
- When purchasing for their children, Millennial parents are more willing to splurge depending on the quality of the product and whether or not it will make their child happy.
- 80 percent of Millennial moms and dads say they shop online at least a few times a month.
- Millennial parents expect brands to provide “value” for their money and proper “customer service.”
“As Millennials increasingly transition into parenthood, marketers must understand and speak to this digitally native and highly influential cohort as individuals who are dedicated to their families,” said Rachel Schwartz, Director of Client Success at Crowdtap. “The goal of this report was to unearth key insights to educate marketers aiming to better connect with this up-and-coming generation of parents.”
The full report can be found here.
About Crowdtap
Crowdtap, the People-Powered Marketing Platform, is a new operating system for brands powered by the people who love them. Crowdtap makes it easy for marketers to build open brands by accelerating customer feedback and inspiring content and conversations at-scale. In 2014, Crowdtap was named one of the 100 Most Promising Companies in America by Forbes and the No. 54 fastest-growing private company in the Inc. 500 List. The company has been ranked one of the Top 10 Places to Work in Marketing & Advertising by Fortune, the No. 3 Best Place to Work in New York by Crain's, and the No. 6 Best Tech Company to Work For by Mashable.
With a growing community of passionate members, Crowdtap works with leading brands including General Mills, Heineken, Kraft Foods, P&G, Verizon, Walmart and Yum Brands. Headquartered in New York, Crowdtap has raised $15 million through the Foundry Group, Tribeca Venture Partners, Alta Communications and The Mustang Group.
Visit corp.crowdtap.com for more information.
