A consumer research company in the United States, The Harman Group, has released a report Clicks & Cravings: The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture revealing that mothers with children under thirteen are the main online market and consumers of social media in the food industry.

The report said that in the US, mothers with children under thirteen are shaping food trends though social media, as they spend 15.2 hours a month on social networking sites (compared with men who only spend 8.4 hours a month.)  Furthermore, it showed that 44 per cent of ‘mums’ are spending significant time on social media reading posts from companies.

Mothers prefer to get information online over magazines

The Harman Group’s report said that mothers with children under thirteen are favouring the online arena to learn about food. 48 per cent of mothers preferred online sources to learn about food, as opposed to 16 per cent of some mothers that would prefer to read magazines.

Mothers are most likely to consult and contribute to product reviews

The report further showed that mothers were most likely to consult product reviews and to contribute to reviews if a product was particularly satisfying or disappointing. 23 per cent of mothers with children under thirteen indicated that they contribute to product reviews, as opposed to 18 per cent of overall females.

Mothers are reliant on smart phones in the purchase process

The report showed that 52 per cent of mothers are using smart phones while shopping, to compare prices, make their purchases, and then to share the overall shopping experience with friends via social networking sites.

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