By Jasmine Agnes T. Cruz
Filipino mothers are tech-savvy. They are online, are mobile first, and are the decision makers for household purchases.
This is according to the “2015 Asian Digital Mom Report — Philippine Edition.” Produced by a parenting Web site theAsianparent.com Philippines, the survey, which covered six countries (the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India) was conducted among 2,700 mothers who have children up to the age of 16. The report was presented to the media on Oct. 23.
Internet penetration in the Philippines is at 44% and that comes up to 101 million people. Unlike other kinds of media, the internet is king among mothers — upon becoming mothers, 30% of them have decreased their television consumption, 47% lessened their time reading magazines, and 54% lessened their time reading broadsheets. But 75% increased their internet searching. The internet is preferred as the mothers can “filter, specify, and choose the information she needs,” said the report.
When accessing the internet, Filipino mothers prefer using mobile phones and tablets (86%) rather than desktops (14%). Android is the preferred mobile operating system for Filipino mothers (71%) with iOS coming in a far second (19%) followed by “others” (10%).
Eighty-eight percent of Filipino mothers, according to the survey, are active social media users. If advertisers want to interact with them on social media, it’s better to do so after 7 p.m. as 49% of Filipino mothers get on the internet at that time. This is probably because this is the time when mothers finish working and attending to household responsibilities, said Ameetess Dira, country manager of theAsianparent Philippines.
A recommendable social media platform for advertisers is Facebook as 100% of the Filipino mothers surveyed said they are on it, while 67% of them said they are on Instagram, and 61% said they are on Google+.
During these evening hours, 98% of the Filipino mothers are searching for parenting tips, followed by information on cooking and baking, and then education and enrichment tips. Of the Filipino mothers surveyed, 63% said they trust online advice.
They are also active on online communities as 70% of them interact online while 12% do so offline.
Of these mothers, 22% interact on online communities multiple times per day. Their busy schedules make online interactions more convenient than meeting friends offline, said Ms. Dira.
Interacting with mothers can be advantageous for advertisers of household products as 83% of Asian mothers are the primary decision makers for those purchases. Among Filipino mothers, 60% of them are willing to shop online and this number is higher than those online shopping in the US (40%) and the UK (44%).
“More and more brands, organizations, and fellow moms are looking to connect with the digital mom,” said Dazzle Ng Sy, content director and special projects lead in the Philippines “She is hungry for content that gives real value and anything that will make her a better parent.”
