Let Mother-Daughters Shop at Leisure

Studies at Michigan State University and Australia’s Deakin University find that the effects of mother-daughter shopping endure even after the mother has died. The researchers systematically interviewed a sample of women ages 21 through 70 about shopping experiences with their mothers. The overarching themes were transmission of values, establishment of comfortable rituals, and increased confidence in the mother-daughter relationship when a store provides for leisurely shopping.
     How to best provide this?

• Always be visibly available to assist your shoppers, but give mother-daughter pairs time to settle into your store before asking what you can help them find. 
• Even if you carry commodity items—such as in a supermarket—be sure to have at least a few items which are conversation starters. 
• In item categories likely to appeal to mothers and daughters shopping together, place more emphasis on high-end and low-end items than on the middle. This facilitates discussions about values and value. 
• Serve food, locate your store close to where food is served, and/or carry food-related items. During a time that total book sales have dropped 6%, cookbook sales have increased 10%. In drug stores, the product categories showing the fastest sales growth are edibles. 

     Other ideas might come from considering reasons for an uptick in mother-daughter shopping:

• Economic necessity. A Bloomberg Businessweek article quotes daughters who appreciate the willingness of their moms to purchase for them items they can’t afford to pay for on their own and the mom’s pleasure in purchasing treats for their offspring. 
• Tighter bodies and looser restrictions. With the increased emphasis on physical fitness, today’s mothers are more likely than those of past generations to fit into clothes designed for the daughters. Along with this, fashion requirements for older women have eased, allowing moms to cross over in their clothing choices. 

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

Click below for more: 
Look to Teens in Low-Income Families 
Compromise Effects with Shopper Segments 
Include the Kids in Financial Literacy Talk 
Socialize for the Next Four Years