I love that new Honda radio commercial in which a woman suggests to her partner that they buy a motorcycle, and the guy is so shocked and excited he can barely get the words out to agree. The premise, I think, is dropping the glam and glitz angle and marketing the bike as a smart, fuel efficient choice which, of course, appeals to women. On the one hand they’ve really got something there: with 55 percent of women in Canadian households making household spending decisions and an additional 37 percent acting as shared decision makers, women are obviously making smart, practical choices.
What I wonder about, however, is the tendency of some marketing campaigns to view “marketing to women” as a complete, all-encompassing vision. As if it needs to be said, we aren’t all the same, although you wouldn’t know it by watching daytime TV ads, which depict women almost exclusively as trouser-wearing, broom-wielding clean freaks with permanent grins and smart-bob haircuts. As most dealers with female clientèle probably know, understanding this market share is as much about demographics that go beyond gender roles as is marketing to men.
According to the BBC News, a report by market analysts Datamonitor says women are staying single for longer and “increasingly looking for a lifestyle that puts an emphasis on having fun.” This means more women in their 20s and 30s are taking these years – also key earning years, by the way – for fun and frolic and saving baby-time for later, or opting out all together.
“Women are also trying to recapture some of that lifestyle after raising children,” says the same report, meaning women in their fifties are staying active for longer. So age is a big factor, as are household dynamics.
In her book, Marketing to Women: How to Understand, Reach and Increase Your Share of the World’s Largest Market Segment, author Martha Barletta says single women head 27 percent of households in the United States, and when looking at married households, which account for 55 percent in the US, women spend their own paycheques, a good portion of their partners’, and have a disproportionate say in the decision to make large purchases.  MasterCard’s MasterIndex™ of Canadian Women Consumers, says 96 percent of Canadian mothers have full control over household financial management – the average age of those women is 37, a majority have a post-secondary education and 29 percent live in homes with a combined annual income of $75,000 or more. The short and the long of it is, a good working knowledge of one’s female market share leaves no stone, or statistic, unturned.
Besides tracking down the demographic specifics, there are day-to-day efforts and improvements anyone can make to make a good impression with female customers.
Space is a good place to start. Good lighting, a featured women’s gear  department, a safe and clean place for kids to play while mom is shopping, and photos of your female clientèle all create a comfort zone for women with different interests and lifestyles. Most importantly, keep it clean. No one, male or female, likes a grimy bathroom or a counter top you can’t rest your elbows on.
Build relationships. Women are three times more likely to learn about a product or service from another woman. Hiring more female staff or training male staff to really listen and focus more on the relationship than on the sales pitch will go a long way.
Support your community. Men and women will both respect your involvement with community events, school sponsorships and fundraising activities, but statistically woman are more likely to develop loyalty to a brand that turns up at these types of events. Since community events are often focused around children, your involvement can also set the stage for future riders’ brand loyalty.
Don’t end it with the sale. While the appreciation of a good follow-up isn’t gender-specific, women tend to view it for its humanness – it becomes a kind gesture, not a sales technique. Thank-you cards, friendly service reminders and notices about community events or rides will go a long way in making an impression.
Got a success story or fool-proof tips about marketing to women? We’d love to hear them. Email jkrippendorf@pointonemedia.com.