We were reading a book the other day, Brandsplaining by Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts. It’s brilliant and there were multiple, thought provoking observations, ideas and recommendations on how to better cater to women and mothers as consumers.

One thing that particularly hit home, were the descriptions of the shifting ‘nature of female buying.’ The new ways women are engaging with brands, companies and services. Why? Because so much of what they were saying has informed our thinking (consciously...and unconsciously) when it comes to wellmama.

We’re entering a whole new era of resourceful, female consumerism...driven by self agency, individual inquiry, peer recommendation and very alert bullshit monitors.

One passage captures this perfectly (it’s referencing women in a research group)

“All of them described, how one way or another, and by hook or by crook, they were using all the tools of the internet to get their own way: no longer on receive, they were tooling themselves up, arming themselves with knowledge they needed to see through the patter, make their own solutions and sharing and supporting each other in achieving their own ends. They had become the expert - the very opposite, in other words of the pliant, eager impressionable student customer.”

wellmama taps in to some of these themes and behaviours in a big way.

a) a relief as it means we’re not completely barking up the wrong tree and b) something we thought it would be worth talking about.

So here are 4 truths that have informed our idea and approach. Being that you know...we’re women and mothers.

1. We are unwilling to just accept the front of house presentation (or the follow up)

Mums are not going to be distracted by the shiny version of the truth. Which means experts sharing a select number of reviews on their own sites is no longer enough. Parents and mums want to see what other objective people, like them ...have to say.

That’s why wellmama is a place where reviews can be given, then shared - no middle man, no curation, no picking the best ones.

2. We have the power, thanks to search and research tools (about time)

Words are no longer enough. Parents and mums want ways to sense check what they’re being told and evidence of promises delivered and services offered (expertly every time.) There is absolutely no space or time for trusting brands blindly anymore.

That’s why wellmama has star ratings and recommendation percentages, in addition to verbatims.

3. We put in the time to find what they need (but don’t actually have the time)

Mums go on a mission to get what they want, find what they need and get the truth (Maili’s experiences of early motherhood and trying to find help are clear evidence of that) ....but they don’t actually have time to spare.

That’s why wellmama keeps it simple and centres expert profiles on the stuff that actually matters - qualifications, reviews, link through to website. Done.

4. We don’t need you tell them what they need (*this makes sense...right)

This sounds obvious...but you’d be surprised how many brands and companies love to tell women what they need to do/change/be. We want parents (and experts for that matter) to call us out when/if what we’re offering doesn’t fit the bill.

That’s why wellmama is so open to feedback, recommendations and evolving our product (it would be a bit rich to be a review platform and not be to be honest)

So there you have it. 4 truths that have helped us and give you an idea of what drives our approach and product.

Any feedback (ahem lesson 4) then give us a shout