Moms are embracing mobile, with 64 percent having completed a purchase on their smartphones in the past month, up from 48 percent last year, according to a new report from BabyCenter.

The report, the U.S. Mobile Mom Survey 2015, also found that moms are more likely to use mobile throughout the shopping journey, with increases in the use of mobile coupons and retailer apps. However, 59 percent of moms say too much typing hinders mobile purchasing, pointing to the need for retailers to streamline experiences.

“In just one year alone, moms have become significantly more comfortable completing purchases on their smartphones – clicking ‘buy’ more readily than ever before,” said Julie Michaelson, head of global sales at BabyCenter. “And there’s room for more growth.

“The main thing holding mom back from mobile purchases is the ease of use,” she said. “So the simpler retailer can make the mobile shopping experience, the more we’ll see moms using this option.

“It is vital that retailers understand the necessity of making their mobile presence as user-friendly as possible. In addition, marketing dollars need to go where the moms are – and that’s unquestionably on smartphones when it comes to shopping.

Turning point
In addition to the 33 percent increase in mobile purchasing, the survey also found notable year-over-year increases for a number of other shopping-related mobile behaviors undertaken by U.S. moms.

In the past year, there has a 7 percent increase in the number visiting a retailer or shopping site from a smartphone for a total of 73 percent. Additionally, 61 percent of U.S. moms are using mobile coupons, up 13 percent; 58 percent are using a retailer app, up 14 percent, 56 percent look up prices online while shopping in a store, up 14 percent and 47 percent photograph something they are considering buying, up 14 percent.

Mobile shopping has reached a turning point for moms, with a significant percentage interested in completing purchases on mobile and not simply using their devices to compare prices and find coupons.

One of the reasons moms are mobile likely to complete a purchase on mobile is the growing prevalence of one-click buying, with four in 10 agreeing that one-click buying has made them more likely to buy items with their mobile devices.

The findings further underscore the need for ease of use on mobile with 59 percent agreeing that it can be difficult to type so much information into their phone to make a purchase.

In-store shopping
Key findings from the report include that 70 percent of moms report having used their smartphone for shopping while they were inside a physical store. Additionally, 48 percent would purchase items via their device if they could not find them on the racks.

Moms are also making their phones a bigger part of their store visits, with 55 percent having purchased items in-store immediately after scanning them with their phones and 64 percent citing coupons as a reason for scanning items.

Additionally, 51 percent scan products so they can compare prices via apps such as Amazon Price Checker while 38 percent do so to read product reviews.

“We were surprised to see that much of an uptick in moms actually purchasing on smartphone screens,” Ms. Michaelson said. “That said, it does come alongside ongoing increases in moms using their smartphones throughout their shopping behaviors, from price comparison to couponing to taking photos of potential purchases.

“There is no question that mobile is critical to moms when it comes to buying everything from clothes to toys to beauty and personal care items,” she said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is senior editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York