Market Research

Research conducted prior to the development of the site primarily focused on the need for online information on childcare facilities and services. 

The research was conducted via informal interviews with new mothers and mothers to be.  Eighty percent of the new mothers interviewed worked in part time or full time employment and the remaining 20% were stay at home mothers.  The majority of respondents were interviewed at a variety of Plunket playgroups around Auckland City.

Of the 80% of working mothers interviewed - 89% felt that an online directory of information on childcare providers was long overdue.  The remaining 11% either did not have Internet access or relied on extended family to look after their children and therefore did not require such a resource. 

Seventy percent of mothers interviewed had Internet access either from home or from work or both and a further 5% were planning on getting a computer for the home within the next 3 months.

Ninety percent of those interviewed said that finding information on the Internet was generally simpler and definitely much faster than on the phone.

When asked if parents currently knew of a comprehensive New Zealand site offering information about parenting and childcare listings - 100% of those interviewed did not know of such a site.

One mother interviewed lived in the UK at the time but was planning on returning to New Zealand.  She found it impossible to locate information about childcare options in Auckland - even via the Internet, as there was nothing 'comprehensive' that met her needs.  Another mother who was previously living in Wellington but was moving to Auckland experienced the same difficulty.  Although both mothers knew where they would be living once they arrived in Auckland, both had difficulty finding out about childcare options in their area.  We believe that this problem would translate to other parents in a similar situation and is not restricted to these two cases.

Other comments made by mothers with regard to an online resource of childcare providers and general childcare information included:

• "I am very busy, I would love a simpler way to gather information on child care options"
• "Finding childcare in New Zealand can be a long/frustrating process"
• "I want to be well informed so I spend a lot of time gathering information over the phone as most centres do not have their own website."
• "It would be convenient for me to have a resource like this as I have computer access at home"

The things I look for before deciding on a facility include their sessions, staff/child ratio's and of course the costs.  I then visit the centre before making my final decision.