Five ways to engage women and moms online { small business marketing online series }
SUMMARY Women wield enormous purchasing power. Today, they are responsible for 85% of all consumer purchases, and many are affluent. Here are 5 ways you can effectively appeal to this influential and profitable female market online.
Originally published in MediaPost's Engage:Moms, August 2009
By Tiffany Jonas
Women, many of whom are mothers, wield enormous purchasing power. Today, they are responsible for 85% of all consumer purchases, and many are affluent. In March 2009, the "Marketing to Women Datafile" reported one in five women earn more than twice their significant other's salary. In 2005, Gallup reported that one quarter of U.S. women live in a household earning more than $75,000 per year.
Combined with the fact that 63% of web users use the Internet to research a product or service before buying a product or service, these statistics demonstrate the importance of effectively appealing to this influential and profitable female market online. Here are five ways you can do just that:
1. Acknowledge that many women are busy with multiple responsibilities. This means keeping your web site's navigation intuitive and simple - most women don't have the time or inclination to decipher mysteriously phrased links or wade through nine web pages to find the product they're seeking. It also means creating a clean, simple design; "visual clutter" can overwhelm busy visitors and drive them away.
2. Appreciate that women are individuals. Throw away the stereotypes! We all know a successful businesswoman whose dream home includes a mahogany-paneled library with sleek club chairs; she could care less about the kitchen. Lavender and pink are the last colors she would choose ... and she's not alone. If you believe a flowery, frilly web site is a surefire way to snag women, you should reconsider.
3. Benefit from the value women place on authenticity. Women over 50 especially appreciate this; the National Federation of Independent Business notes that baby boomer women pay close attention to a company's practices, especially in terms of giving back to the community, social responsibility, and how respectful and understanding it has been to her in the past. Feature your positive track record and values on your site.
4. Understand that affluent women often expect more. In a Luxury Website Effectiveness Index survey, consumers with an average income of $305,000 said they've been turned off by websites that were "sloppy and disorganized." Instead, you can appeal to affluent women with your website by featuring clean, high-end design. For instance, the use of images on the Vera Wang on Weddings website approaches the level of art.
5. Recognize that women appreciate visual design. You're more likely to increase sales to women if you present information in a visually pleasing way. "Women are taking it all in-much more so than men," say the authors of Don't Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy. "They're noticing the palette of your website, and they're getting a feeling of your brand by reading your site's copy." Don't scrape by here; invest wisely.
About the author
Tiffany Jonas is founder of Aio Design, a women-owned, women-staffed firm specializing in website design for female consumers. Tiffany has conducted extensive research on web design for women and currently advises entrepreneurs and businesses across the country on how to reach and engage female consumers online. Reach Tiffany here.
What would you like to know next?
- To learn about web design for affluent women consumers, visit our affluent web design article
- If you’d like to find out more about Aio Design or our pricing, start with our about Aio Design page
- If you’re looking for ways to find the right web design company for you, order our free report
- If affluent women are your target market, visit our marketing to women page
- If you’re a woman entrepreneur, visit our page for women business owners
