GENDER – Women consumers

So often we consider age when profiling and crafting the write visual communication message. That is why my last three blogs covered the three major age groups of Baby Boomer, Gen-X and Gen-Y. Did you know that Women represent 51.2 percent of the population and they influence or buy 80 percent of products sold?

Women want products, ads, and businesses that are without comparisons to a man’s world. Markets have proven time and time again that the primary thing that women want,, as people and as consumers, is relationships. Women prefer personal one-on-one networking as a way of finding solutions to business problems and this is often how they discover products as consumers.

Women are largely holistic in their approach to relationships; meaning that they are less likely than men to compartmentalize a brand or company solely according to what it has to offer them in a specific situation.

They want to feel a deeper, more layered connection.

Five key elements of women as consumers:

• Respect: women are well-informed. They research products well before buying. They read ingredients much more closely than men to make sure there are no harmful elements, and they are very careful about their decisions. Acknowledge that they are intelligent and informed, and they will respect your brand.
• Individuality: Women are playing multiple roles today and do not want to be talked to from only one, narrow perspective. They are feminine, powerful, nurturing moms and caregivers, independent, sexy, smart, and so on. Recognize their diversity as much as possible and resist any and all temptation to stereotype.
• Stress relief; In numerous studies stress has been shown to be women’s number one enemy. Women today feel overwhelmed by taking an equal role as breadwinner and primary nurturer to the family. 43% of women feel frustrated in trying to balance their work with parenting. Offer solutions, or at least understanding, of the tensions that prey on them
• Connection: Women base most of their decision making on emotions as opposed to rational elements. Studies have shown that they don’t like reading lists of numbers, specs,
• Relationship: Women want dialogue, not just a transaction. Women are looking for brands to trust and will often remain extremely loyal to a brand that has built on their trust consistently – even beyond price. Part of the relationship a woman has with a brand has to do with that brand representing some-thing important to her in her life. Brands that take a sincere stand for something and demonstrate it in real, concrete terms will do well with women.

Women and the web:
Women’s primary online activities are:

• Gathering information: (business/career/family/shopping/health/travel/computer)
• Sending and receiving email
• Chatting

Women tend to go online for a specific purpose and men are more likely to be surfers or browsers.

Contents or helpful tips are more valuable to women than games.

Respect: Women use the web to conduct research of products, services, and companies in order to make informed decisions.
Individuality: Women are using the web to reinforce their sense of themselves as multidimentional people.
Stress relief: The major reason women sop online is convenience. Also a good source for a little relaxation and self-gratification.
Connection: Easy to navigate information and content that is highly relevant to women in a way that fosters a sense of community.
Relationship: Women use the web to help themselves and their families.