Marketing Home Products

 

Today’s Chief Purchasing Officers^SM  of the Home– women – aren’t just “multi-tasking” but “multi-minding.” 

By now you certainly know that women are extremely different from their male counterparts in terms of both attitudinal traits and purchasing habits, and that they respond to marketing campaigns that genuinely reflect their lifestyle preferences. 

So, what type of life stages do they recognize as milestones? What are their distinctive life roles? And how does this psychographic information affect the way you market your products and services?

Let’s take a closer look…

Single Women
Nationwide, this group of dynamic women has grown dramatically over the past few years in both importance and in sheer numbers – due to advanced degrees, greater career opportunities, the shrinking wage gap, a steady decline in marriage rates and longer life expectancies. Think about it, these Chief Purchasing Officers of the Home are making most, if not all, of the household purchasing decisions.

For my fellow home industry comrades, if you don’t think you need to target this demographic specifically in your marketing efforts, think again. Single women actually own twice as many homes as single men. Predictably, this number will only increase as younger generations of women follow in the footsteps of their single women predecessors.

Contrary to popular belief, not all single women’s lives resemble those of Carrie and Samantha from “Sex and the City.” They tend to fall into subgroups defined as never married, separated, widowed and divorced. While single women vary dramatically in terms of age, most have in common very similar attitudinal traits.

They are content, confident and in control. And they aren’t intimidated by taking on motherhood, purchasing a home, or controlling the finances on their own. Rather than being devastated by not having a significant other in their lives, they are instead empowered by their ability to seek personal fulfillment.

They value friendships and community and tend to lead active and healthy lifestyles. Therefore, promoting mental and physical health benefits that revolve around a social community is vital when trying to reach this group. They are also shaping the face of today’s businesses. They continue to begin their own companies in record numbers, and are evolving into one of the largest groups of telecommuters and entrepreneurs.

They respond to marketing messages and communications that respect their intelligence, independent spirit, unique lifestyle and unconventional living arrangements. What’s more, they value improved standards of services and products and are privy to those that are reliable, time-efficient and of high-quality.

Moms
Another group of women to watch out for are today’s mothers. And like single women, mothers may be business women climbing up the corporate ladder, self-made entrepreneurs or telecommuters. They may even be single women, mothers and businesswomen all rolled into one valuable package.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an average-income family will spend $165,630 on a child by the time the child reaches 18. It’s safe to say that for the majority of women, this represents the bulk of their total disposable income.

As stated in my lastest blog post, women — specifically mothers — purchase household items based on the needs of their families…so you can reach them best through their kids. They look for products, services and companies that will enrich their children’s lives. Providing safety information and useful ideas and advice is a must. They seek value in their purchasing decisions and favor a brand’s support of their practical priorities. Because women conduct exhaustive research when making purchasing decisions, providing detailed information in your marketing materials is imperative. They aren’t drawn to the typical “June Cleaver” advertising of the past. Instead, they are attracted to marketing campaigns that truly reflect their family and the solutions your products and services will provide for their everyday challenges.

They wear multiple hats and are time starved, so display visible benefits that address their sense of balance and perspective. They rarely watch television and are typically distracted, so market to them online, where they have time to shop. Create flexibility by offering extended store hours and 24-hour toll free numbers.

Businesswomen
According to Marti Barletta’s latest book, PrimeTime Women, these self-made female entrepreneurs have started approximately 70 percent of all small businesses during the last couple of decades. In addition, the book, Don’t Think Pink, points out that among female executives with a rank of VP or higher in a Fortune 500 company, 75 percent out-earned their husbands. The Center for Women’s Business Research validates this group’s enormous spending power, indicating that businesswomen are the primary decision-makers in households, making 95 percent of the purchasing decisions. Wow…

This group of women tends to lead busy, yet controlled lives. They are heavily influenced by environmental and social responsibility. Like both single women and mothers, they are time-starved (seeing a trend here?), regularly hire help, as well as seek time-efficient products and services. Due to their chaotic and demanding lifestyle, time is a major factor with this group. They desire customer service and training with a personal touch and appreciate efficient and reliable Web sites that provide a multitude of information needed for their research purposes.

To increase brand recognition and market share among this vast and powerful group, you must contribute to making their lives easier. Like Wal-Mart is doing with its new marketing campaign, you should demonstrate clear and direct consumer benefits. Again, time-saving attributes are among the top priorities for these consumers, so include those benefits in your point of purchase and Internet media channels. Ensure that both your sales process and Web site are quick and easily accessible – this audience will regularly sacrifice discounts for time.

In addition, they are influential businesswomen, so not only are they making the purchasing decisions for themselves and their families, but also for their businesses. Establishing your company, product or service as a one-stop resource, is an excellent way to increase your market share on both levels –  on the business and consumer side.

In Closing
Whatever path a woman may choose to take, she will fall into one of these groups. Sometimes she will even juggle life stages, family and careers simultaneously. Remember to reflect women’s unique lifestyles, needs and desires in your marketing materials. Women will certainly continue to remain a powerful consumer spending group. The more you understand them, the better your sales and business growth will be, now, and in the future.

Stay tuned for our upcoming e-newsletter with more consumer traits including insight into bridging the generational gaps. Not a member? Sign-up here.  

In my last blog post, Women Still Have the Edge, I discussed the predominant power of today’s women consumers and the differences between them and their male counterparts. Now I’d like to delve into a case study of a real-life marketing campaign geared toward women. And, it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time with the recent announcement of a new campaign  for retail conglomerate – Wal-Mart. 

Wal-Mart’s 19-year-old tagline ‘Always Low Prices’ is now history. In its place, the new tagline adopted by Wal-Mart, ‘Save Money. Live Better,’ and its latest 30-second TV spots  focused on the money consumers will save by shopping at Wal-Mart, shows a commitment to appealing to the emotional needs of the Chief Purchasing Officers of the Home – women.

Let’s check out the top seven ways Wal-Mart’s new campaign is effectively targeting the Chief Purchasing Officers of the Home.

1. Women set their purchasing priorities according to the needs of their family and friends
Instead of displaying the old smiley-guy zooming around the store slashing prices in its advertising spots, Wal-Mart has successfully identified the way women buy – with their families in mind. Boasting recent research findings by Global Insight, Wal-Mart proclaims that “shopping at Wal-Mart can save families an average of $2,500 a year, so families can afford to make other extravagant purchases.”

2. Putting yourself in her shoes. Living a day in her hopes and dreams.
If shopping at Wal-Mart for 12 months can save $2,500, what do you think shopping at Wal-Mart for oh, let’s say, 10 years, will save the average family? Well, I’m no math genius, but that equals about $25,000! I’m not exactly sure what the majority of women dream about, but saving $25,000 over the course of 10 years may well constitute a dream come true.

3. Capturing her imagination
Getting to the heart of a woman means tapping into her emotions, her senses and rekindling her imagination. What would you do with an extra $2,500? I bet your imagination is working double time. With its latest TV spots focused on cost savings, Wal-Mart clearly shows women that consistently shopping at its store can potentially save enough to equate assisting with the cost of  their children’s weddings, helping with vehicle purchases, planning a vacation for the entire family and helping to pay for college tuition. The new advertisements even directly engage consumers by simply asking, “What will you do with your savings?”

4. Adding extras and incentives
Isn’t $2,500 per year, $5,000 over the course of two years, and potentially $25,000 over 10 years time, a fabulous incentive? You be the judge.

5. Selecting messages and stories that reflect genuine female customers of your brand
In Marti Barletta’s latest book, PrimeTime Women, she suggests incorporating the aspirations of the female target audience into all marketing materials when possible. To be successful with women, you need to make “improving their lives” the brand’s context. Well, Wal-Mart is doing just that, and doing so in a way that shows the retailer’s commitment to making its customers, specifically women and their families, the new face of its brand – an extremely powerful message to the Chief Purchasing Officers of the Home.

6. Getting her to connect and understand your brand
Using customer testimonials and research findings are excellent ways of indirectly promoting Wal-Mart to its prospective customers. But remember, women also seek human connections and this means that “forward facing staff members” must have a unilateral vision.

Wal-Mart strategically chose ‘Save Money. Live Better,’ as described by Stephen Quinn, the retailer’s exec VP-chief marketing officer, as “more than just a tagline for Wal-Mart…it’s our mission statement summed up in four important words.”

7. Creating an ongoing relationship
Marketing to women, if done properly, can create customers for life. If shopping at Wal-Mart means extra money in your bank account at the end of each year, would you consider making Wal-Mart your retailer of choice? And not only is it just money in the bank, but additional life experiences and the potential creation of memories with your loved ones…a brand with years of pay-back.

Kudos, Wal-Mart, for doing your homework and creating a strategic marketing campaign centered around the Chief Purchasing Officer of the Home.

Check out next week’s blog post for more information about marketing to women, part of an ongoing series. To request a copy of our latest Chief Purchasing Officer white paper, contact Steve Kleber at skleber@kleberadvertising.com or 770.518.1000.

If you still don’t think that women are a vast force among your current and prospective customer base, then it’s time you opened your eyes…and I mean quickly.

According to Marti Barletta’s latest book, PrimeTime Women, “women are the mightiest money machine on the planet and if they had their own country, their spending power would rank their economy as the sixth largest in the world, outstripping the GDPs of Spain, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland.”

Moreover, Barletta points out that “as of 1973, a woman could not get a bank loan without a signature from her husband or father.” And, “until 1981, state laws designated a husband ‘head and master’ with unilateral control of property owned jointly with his wife.”

How things have changed…

Women are the Chief Purchasing Officers of the Home, making about 80 percent of all household-related purchasing decisions. So, if you’re not targeting this group in your marketing campaigns, it’s time you sat up and noticed who’s really “wearing the pants” and how they drastically differ from their male counterparts.

Women are not easily fooled and simply slapping a “for her” sticker on your typically male-dominated marketing campaigns will not convert her into a customer. You may even turn her off completely! Your marketing campaigns must truly reflect female gender benefits.

So, what’s the first step? Let’s identify how these genders differ from one another in terms of attitudinal traits and communication styles.

Differences between Men and Women

Women 
Better at language and verbal skills 
Men
Better at spatial tasks
Women
Better people skills
Men
Greater mechanical aptitude
Women
More perspective and intuitive abilities
Men
More linear, focused thinking
Women
More networked, contextual thinking
Men
Greater strength and speed
Women
Are people powered
Men
Pay less attention to people
Women
Are ensemble players – “we”
Men
Are soloists – “me”
Women
Do Unto Others – view themselves first as member of a community, then as individuals
Men
Do Unto Others-see themselves first as individuals then as citizens to the community
Women
Occupy a peer group-outlook is relational without being comparative
Men
Occupy a pyramid- relates to others in comparative terms
Women
Driven by empathy- want to belong and be understood
Men
Drive by envy- motivated by operating principle of aspiration
Women
Like to keep it “real”-looking for those “that’s me” moments
Men
Respond to idealized scenarios – want to stand out from the crowd and be the best
Women
Can’t live without talking to their girlfriends
Men
Like buddies to do stuff with
Women
Welcome advice       
Men
Can be offended by advice
Women
Laugh at themselves
Men
Laugh at the other guy
Women
Like to ask
Men
Like to read
Women
Maximize
Men 
Prioritize
Women
Care about the important stuff and the details
Men
Care about the important stuff
Women
Integrate – comprehensive grasp of all details
Men
Extricate – clarity comes from simplification and processing the most important factors
Women
Seek the perfect answer – the answer that’s going to benefit all available
Men
Find a good solution- shoot from the hip
Women
Want the full report
Men
Want the executive summary
Women
“Rapport” talk – transmit information, solve problems and connections among individuals 
Men
“Rapport” talk-transmit information and solve problems
Women
Seek emotions   
Men
Hide from emotions
Women
Connect through story 
Men
Connect through status

Whatever your company, product or service, women are the influential consumer buying group. Do your homework and identify how your company can successfully reach this vast force with your new-found knowledge. Next week, we’ll delve into how to apply this knowledge into your marketing campaigns.

To request a copy of our latest Chief Purchasing Officer white paper, contact Mairead Stack at mstack@kleberadvertising.com or by calling 770.518.1000. And make sure you’re checking out our blog posts for the latest insight about marketing to women, part of an ongoing series.