You might have only had one mum, though there are seven types of them.

I go on about eCommerce constantly and the importance of clients understanding and respecting their users and audience.

And often this audience is made up of the all-powerful ‘Mum’; kids in tow, time-poor, trying to make the right decisions for the household, from booking school-holidays, buying frocks on OzSale, entering competitions at Win-Free-Stuff, reviewing blenders at Product Review and researching which cereal is best at Choice.

They control the purse strings, they have an iPad and they research… so if you want to sell to them, best you are respectful and helpful. It’s just as simple as that.

Or maybe not.

In the same way that I often disparagingly refer to users as ‘punters’, turns out grouping all ‘mums’ together is just as bad.

According to a 'community' called Mouths of Mums, it turns out that there are seven types of mums.

B&T have a good article summarising them, though given that you’re already here, the seven types of mums are as below:

• Price Princesses: 22% of the category, focused on the budget/economical shop and like new technology and apps.
• List Lovers: 19% of our mums make up this category, see shopping as a utility rather than fun and stick to what they know. Can be influenced in-store.
• Escape Artists: Unusual name and also making up 19% of mums, this crew enjoy shopping the traditional way and so tend not to be the online shopping sort.
• Family Foodie: This mum is 13% of the mums around us – they have taste and they’re creative. According to research, they spend more than eight hours on their labour of love, shopping.
• Network Gatherers: Now in single digits – 9% – this mum shops local and avoid the nasty, national retailers. Mum also shops with frequency.
• Soul Seekers: This sort of mum sounds like she’s where the money’s at: likes to try new things and the least price-sensitive. (If all-else fails, this is the mum I’d be going after!). She’s also 9% of the mum category.
• Condition Queens: A ‘Condition Queen’ is a little full on, though only 4% of the market. She dictates the family’s diet, shops when its dark and prefers range over price.

Of course, I am not exactly sure how your website attempts to concurrently deal with each of these sorts of mums, though at least you’ll know which mums you’re not talking to.

Long live mum!