Moms and Mobile Apps: A Force To Be Reckoned With

To all the moms out there let me start by saying this, we appreciate you. Coming from a dad of 3 daughters, I know how insanely difficult it can be to balance your work, home and personal life, but you’re doing great. Not only are you doing an amazing job, but some of you may also be unaware that a huge business is being created, centered on you.

According to a recent mobile app report by eMarketer, moms love their iPhones and are spending significantly more time on the mobile web (6.1 hours a day) than the PC-based web (4.1 hours). To put this in perspective, the general population is spends about 2.1 hours a day on the mobile web. You get where I’m going with this right? Moms and mobile apps are quickly becoming a very lucrative business.

To help make sense of it all, I turned to my ultra tech savvy momma task force: (Cue A-Team theme music) Missy of Marketing Mama: @MarketingMama, Nathalie of Fun Educational Apps: @EducationalGame, Shelly of V3IM: @ShellyKramer and Lorraine of Moms With Apps: @MomsWithApps.

A quick heads up, this post is a little longer than usual even after editing, but you’ll want to read their answers very carefully, what they shared is priceless. In an industry that’s so fixated on games and entertainment, it’s almost easy to forget that there’s so much opportunity, not to mention far less competition in the educational category.

I have to begin by asking you all, why do moms and mobile apps fit together so well? There seems to be a connection that wasn’t previously there with desktop software.

Lorraine – it still takes a village to raise kids, but our village is changing. It used to be that we could throw open the garage door, let the kids play until dark, and chat with our neighbors. Today, family schedules are fuller and more diverse. In order to connect with other moms, we are using mobile phones to coordinate school pickups and park outings. The spirit of connecting with families is the same, but instead of hollering over the fence, we using the tools in the palm of our hands to reach out and connect.

Nathalie – I believe as Moms we are always trying to find ways to “make things better” and improve everyday life. Apps on mobile devices help us to a certain extent make the most out of it. They are convenient, handy and easy to use anywhere, any time. As a mom, you spend a lot of time waiting for the kids, with a mobile you can then access your email, browse internet, etc… There is no need to be at home to do so as it was previously the case with desktop software. Moms and mobile fit so well simply because it is available anytime and anywhere.

Shelly – That’s easy. Moms are mobile. They always have been. So when technology finally caught up with us (ha), we use it. I do everything on my smartphone – and it makes my desktop my backup, not my go-to piece of equipment. I also have an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and IPad2 so that no one is ever arguing over a device. My kids love learning on the tablets. When we’re traveling – either on a plane or in the car, they are always at the read to keep them not only entertained, but learning. I’d much rather them be using the iPad and engaging their brains than watching TV.

What do you look for in the apps you choose to download and use? Educational value, fun, etc… ?

Missy – I look for apps that add functional value to my life (apps from my bank, doctor’s office, note taking) as well as connectivity (TweetDeck). I also use apps to educate and/or entertain my children – I look for ones that provide some educational value (memory games or spelling) or creativity (drawing).

Lorraine – I look for apps that have educational value that I can use as a supplement to our classroom curriculum. For example, my daughter is learning her times tables, so I’m currently looking for “an app for that”. If I find one, I plan to run it by her teacher first, to make sure the learning goals are complimentary (and not contradictory) to classroom instruction.

Nathalie - For all apps I first look at the quality of the app and what it will it do for me or the kids. I tend to go for the ones that bring innovation and maximize the use iOS technology. I really like apps that manage to mix education, games and fun together via interaction, great design and ease of use. I am also looking for apps that can engage and stimulate children, today our kids are surrounded with “screens” and most of their education will be based on knowing how to use and integrate these devices and technologies into their life. Devices such as the iPad offer a new way for our kids to learn and discover, so any app that encourages learning in a smart way is a go for me.

Shelly - All the above; I have 5 year old twins. We have apps that teach them how to play the piano which my kids love. We started playing with Kiboomu Kids’ Twinkle Twinkle Little Star App when they were 3 and that literally taught my kids to play the piano in a few weeks.

We, of course, love apps that delight, like Make Me a Princess, by Captive Games, as well as apps that entertain and teach via familiar characters like Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom.

Right now, with two girls getting ready for preschool and loving learning to read, write and do simple math, we’re more focused on educational apps than anything. And did I mention the stats (which you can find very easily) that point to tablet learning and online learning being amazingly effective for people of all ages?

I’m now looking for more great learn-to-read apps but am having trouble finding good ones. I’ve asked my friend, fellow mom and favorite app developer, Aliza Sherman (@alizasherman) of MediaEgg to get on that for me. But, of course, if you want to do that for me, or one of your readers, they can be my favorite app developer, too!

What are your top 3 apps?

Missy - My top three apps as a working mom are: Evernote – allows me to take and access notes, pics, screen shots and access from my phone, ipad, home desktop and work laptop. Tweetdeck – it’s a great mobile app on my droid (I use hoot suite on the ipad). And CamCard – A fabulous app for keeping business contact info handy, scanning in cards and importing contact info. Our fav entertainment/kid apps are Osmos – a science-minded space-themed game with amazing graphics and music on the ipad, Dyno puzzles and Garage Band (instruments).

Let’s talk app monetization – How would you recommend monetizing apps that are targeted to kids?

Lorraine – I would like to see developers offer a set, discreet price upfront for their apps, with a great demo-video so that families can “see what’s inside”. Offering sales periodically can help create buzz, while making the app more accessible to teachers, schools, and families on a budget.

Nathali - Monetizing apps for kids is not easy. I am not in favor of ads for kids apps. I think it is not appropriate. Free app and in-app purchase, I am not a big fan either as it is frustrating for kids and annoying for parents, but probably a good way for parent to try before buying., if done correctly it could be the best way.

Probably the best way to monetize an app for kids is to educate parents that apps do have an educational value. Parents easily go to a bookstore and spend 4£ to 8 £ on a book without any questions. Then they look at a book app at £0.59 or £1.19 and are reluctant to buy! Then same goes for games or educational games, it is normal to spend 30£ to 40£ for some handled devices, but when people turn to apps, anything over £3.00 is expensive.

Missy - When making free “lite” app versions, don’t make my kids trip all over “buy this app” pop ups every few seconds. Nothing frustrates me and them more. A three year old can’t read anyways, so it only makes the experience come to a grinding halt. If my kids love your app and play it for more than a few days, I’ll buy the advanced version. But if they keep getting tripped up on your “buy this app to get more features” pop ups, I’ll just get angry and delete it.

Lastly; what should app developers know when created an app targeted to moms?

Shelly – We want things to be easy. But we’re smart. We get annoyed if we download something that crashes, doesn’t work, or doesn’t live up to the hype. I read every review before I download an app – even if it’s free. And it bugs me if I waste my time on an app that turns out to be worthless. We don’t only want things that entertain our kids (but that’s nice), we want things that teach them. Moms are always interested in teaching – it’s what we do.

In addition, the app store is bursting with apps and the process of finding good ones is exhausting, to say the very least. A good marketing campaign can potentially sell hundreds of thousands of apps – that needs to be factored into the product development costs. If you want some stats about average app downloads per user, I wrote about it on my post, Mobile Apps: Success Is In The Marketing.

Thank you for your answers. I’m sure this post was a big eye opener for many developers who are currently debating how to approach their next big app project.

Bottom line, mobile is a strong platform to reach busy mommies, especially those who might not be online all day via a full time job. Developing a mobile app that makes a mom’s daily life  a little easier, more connected or more enjoyable is recipe for success, but you’ll have to do it on their terms.