According to most reports by 2010/2011, women will begin to contribute their unfair share to the Internet and Web 2.0 worlds.A study of affluent working women finds:
- 94.3% access the Internet on an average month
- Online purchases have increased 56.6%
- 50.8% are considered heavy Internet users spending at least 430 minutes a week online
A comScore study shows:
- Female gamers average 41 years of age and account for 52% of the gaming audience
- 84% have broadband access at home
- “Middle-aged” women rule the $458 M online casual game market (70% of the gamers are female, over 40)
Women don’t control all of the decisions and purchases in a family or relationship…just the ones that count. Or as Vivian/Julia said, “I can do anything I want to baby, I ain’t lost.”
Solving Problems, Meeting Needs
While the industry may not be doing everything it can to assist/encourage female buyers. Women use the web for more than just “women only” sites. Unlike men they do research and they ask questions. The web has become their number one source for finding information.
Figure 3 – First Source – Increasingly when women want information or plan to research a product, technology or service they turn to the Web. Unfortunately most of the web sites do a poor job of assisting the visitor so she quickly and easily clicks away to a more informative, more satisfying site. Source – Burst Media
Women don’t want industry players to solve their problems. They simply want us to listen.It’s not that they haven’t told us…we just aren’t listening.Women who struggle through web sites are very adept at finding sales, discounts, coupons and gift ideas.
And if they are satisfied or dissatisfied, they are expressing themselves regarding stores and products online with their reviews, blogs. In fact according to a recent Pew Internet study:
- Women are more enthusiastic online communicators using email to exchange information and news
- Women appreciate the Internet’s strongest suit, efficiency
- Women are more likely to see the vast array of online information as a “glut” and to penetrate deeper into areas where they have the greatest interest
- The rate of growth of women using the internet for online activities is greater than men
- Younger and black women outpace their male peers
Just as the old saying that on the Internet no one knows if you’re a dog or not, it appears that no one knows if you’re male or female. But they certainly have different informational and decision making wants and needs.
Figure 4 – Leveraging – Any guy knows that women have taken shopping to the level of an Olympic event. The web has opened new frontiers for them to search for, find and use sales, coupons and discounts. With their hectic lives they have also found that web sites are open 24×7 for browsing and shopping/buying. Source — AMA
Active, Involved
Technology was traditionally more passive (watching TV, listening to the radio, reading the paper). Technology has empowered consumers.
It has enabled them to create and mix their own content.It has opened the door to research products, technology more thoroughly.It has provided women an opportunity to express their likes, dislikes, needs more globally.If women don’t find products, technology that delivers for them they’ll look elsewhere immediately.And find it they will…with the competition.
It’s a lot like Voltaire said, “I hate women because they always know where things are.”Companies that focus on what is important to women and treat them as a significant consumer can more quickly, more easily and more profitably tap into the other half of the world population. Are they more loyal?We can’t say yes with any degree of confidence.All we know is what Vivian/Julia said, “I’m gonna treat you so nice, you’re never gonna let me go.”
UUHHH HUH – If you want to do more than get the attention of the female PC/CE consumer you have to do more than dress the products in pink. Make them sleek, intelligently designed and easily used and they’ll buy. Make your web sites easy to maneuver through to find information and you’ll find they’ll stick around for a long time. Source – Touchstone Pictures
