Studying the Woman's Shopping Experience

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By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

In the U.S., the demographic shift to a time where women are not only the majority population, but also one of the largest purchasing power groups is just about complete. As more women complete graduate degrees and enter the workforce, they will show marketers and communicators how their buying habits and shopping experience have progressed. Let's not get it twisted, for even in the days of David Ogilvy the primary consumers were women. But now with more women exercising their own wallets and purses, in the digital age, we get a chance to get a closer peek at how women are making decisions.

Why should we care about how they are influenced online? Because in almost every social network, women are not only the biggest group, but also the most active. The most engaged. Therefore, applying how they are influenced online to other engaged groups could give marketers and advertisers a good place to start. MediaPost's Laurie Sullivan covered findings from BlogHer's Fifth Annual Women and Social Media Study, a research project done with market research firm Vision Critical.

One finding showed that 35% of women turn to online sources at the beginning of the purchasing decision process, and 42% turn to sources at the end to narrow choices. According to BlogHer, when it comes to purchase recommendations, blogs still reign supreme; 61% of active blog readers turned to blogs, while 33% turned to Facebook and 31% turned to Twitter. What about Pinterest, the latest social-network phenom? In the BlogHer community, a whopping 77% use Pinterest, compared to only 19% of the general population. Clearly, those who are on Pinterest are ones who will more than likely share what they like, and recommend buys to others.

Then the question of mobile came along, and it looks like that mobile still has quite the way to climb. According to BlogHer, 17% of the BlogHer community access social sites while shopping in a store, and only 9% of the general population. However, the future of mobile (whenever mobile finally arrives) looks promising. Of the technology to come, 78% of the community said that mobile apps are the best up-and-coming technology, with 40% of the general population in agreement.

The takeaway is that specialized groups like BlogHer should not be ignored. Also, when devising a digital campaign, remember to add blogs into the arsenal, because there are still plenty of eyeballs there. Don't underestimate the newest thing out there, but don't put it on a pedestal either, research to see if your market is there. But if you are looking for a female gatekeeper, then you should probably be on Pinterest.

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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