TOTSY Unveils the Secret Desires of Moms Through Annual Moms' Shopping Trends Report

NEW YORK, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TOTSY (http://www.totsy.com), the private sale site exclusively dedicated to delivering deals on must-haves for parents, babies and kids, releases results from its second annual Moms' Shopping Trends Report in conjunction with BSM media, a survey of a nationally representative sample of moms. The survey delves into who moms trust, what makes them feel beautiful, what they want most when expecting, how they choose the homes they buy and how they make those houses feel like home sweet home.

• Moms still care about beauty! Even though over half of moms reduce spend on their beauty products after conceiving their first child, nearly a quarter maintain the same budget.
• Of all beauty product categories, hair care make moms feel the most beautiful.
• While moms spend the least on furniture, they say it is the most important element in turning a new house into a home, indicating that it is a long-term purchase moms treasure over of time.
• When asked which area of the house they most frequently shop for, 40% resoundingly answered, "The kitchen!"
• While gardening is not on the minds of Gen Y moms, this tends to change with older generations, with 11% Baby Boomers listing it as their spending priority in the household.
• When it comes to buying homes, neighborhood and price were voted the most important factors, tied at 31%. Size (17%) came in second and school district (12%) came in third.

The survey also looked into the preferences of how moms spend on educating their kids and what forms of media and marketing they listen to the most.

• Reading and comprehension skills were the skills most coveted by moms for their kids, ranked as the highest priority for 57% of moms, with social interaction coming in second with 23% of votes.
• Despite reported trends towards multilingual education, 42% put that skill as the lowest priority
• 40% of moms said word of mouth marketing impacts them the most favorably, followed by TV advertising at 26%.
• What about social media? 69% of moms say social media has somewhat to drastically changed the way they shop, with product reviews impacting their purchasing decisions the most (50%). Friends' online opinions came in second at 21%, closely followed by blogs at 18%.

TOTSY even delved into what moms want most when expecting and the results are clear:

• Moms want the right to choose! 33% ranked gift certificates as their favorite baby shower gifts, followed by clothes. No teething rings, pacifiers, sleep-time accessories or nursery decor, please!
• When looking for ways to help moms out when they're expecting, give them recommendations! An overwhelming 74% of moms said that they trust the recommendations of friends and family the most when it comes to items they need to buy when expecting their first child.
• Advice is especially handy when it comes to their most stressful buys: Car seats led the pack in most stressful with 35% of the vote. Second was the crib or bassinet at 20%.

Shopping isn't always a piece of cake. TOTSY unveils the most stressful and enjoyable experiences.

• Generation Y moms stress about winter holidays 10% more than the overall average (66%). They also said their spouse is just as stressful to shop for as their parents, while Generation X moms said in-laws are as stressful to shop for as their parents.
• Shopping isn't always a dreaded trip. In comparison to last year, 30 percent of moms increased the number of the "feel good" purchases they make from a bi-monthly to a monthly basis.
• When shopping for something that makes them happy, 60 percent buy clothing, 48 percent buy sweet treats and 45 percent by accessories. Generation Y moms also buy shoes.

"We are very excited to release the second annual Mom Shopping Trends Report with BSM Media and Maria Bailey," said Guillaume Gauthereau, TOTSY Co-Founder and CEO. "This year, we worked closely with the top media outlets for women and moms to answer the most relevant questions they wanted to ask moms today, and added a layer of multigenerational analysis to reflect the diverse group of moms we serve," adds Guillaume. "We're very happy to share these results and continue to build TOTSY's brand as a trusted source of information that help companies serve moms better.

"This research has shed light on important topics that are relevant for moms and we are continuing to develop longitudinal information that show us how different generations of moms evolve over time," said Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media. "Moms are a significant force to be reckoned with and our hope is that our continued partnership with TOTSY will help clarify the voice moms want to hear from companies. One that truly understands the things they prioritize and how diverse they really are," adds Bailey.

Source: BSM Media surveyed 1930 moms, offering six survey participants a chance to win $50 and two survey participants a chance to win $100 in TOTSY credit.

About TOTSY
Headquartered in New York, TOTSY is a privately held company dedicated to providing its members with access to essential products and brands designed for expecting moms, parents, babies and kids at sample sale prices. Shopping events are designer-specific and held over a 72 hour period. Membership is free of charge and by invitation only. For more information, please visit http://www.totsy.com.

SOURCE TOTSY