Consumer Trends: Men vs. Women – Who Shops More?
The Network of Executive Women released an article recently regarding consumer trends that we found quite thought-provoking, so we thought we’d share it with you. The article, titled “Why women shop more than men (and why that matters),” examines the impact of gender differences when it comes to purchasing – and, as the title suggests, why this matters.
According to the author, women shop more than men – but it isn’t for the often materialistic reason most believe. A desire for the latest shoes and handbags is not what drives women to shop. In fact, the author argues, it is far more primal than that: “In virtually every society in the world, women have primary care-giving responsibilities for both children and the elderly (and often, just about everybody else in between). In this primary care-giving role, women find themselves buying on behalf of everyone else in their lives.”
Who are women shopping for? Their partners, children, friends, parents, colleagues – the list goes on and on. So what does this mean for you? It means that women are “multiple markets in one,” and should be marketed to as such.
In keeping with this, the article offers some great advice on how to take advantage of this:
- “Address her ‘invisible others.'” This means identifying and acknowledging those influencers who factor into each purchase.
- “Study gender as you would a foreign market.” This means taking into account the impact of gender on every purchase.
- “Create an emotional connection.” Since the majority of a woman’s purchases are made for someone else, or at least with someone else in mind, they tend to be more rooted in emotion, so creating an emotional connection is critical.
In the end, the best way to cater to women is to make sure that you are not just catering to women – sounds odd, we know, but it actually makes a great deal of sense.
Check out the full article here
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