Women's Consumer Mind

[vengabeats]

In today’s world domineered by consumers, do we really understand what clicks with the consumer to enter our shop? Consumers are no longer restricted to the age-old "Value For Money" phenomenon. They are looking for "VFT". Any guesses for the ‘T’? What but the obvious ‘time’. ‘Time is as precious to a consumer as a melodious voice is to a nightingale". Shopping is no longer considered a routine, humdrum activity. It is perceived and experienced as a pleasurable and relaxing moment. The moment shared with the family, spouse or even a moment where the man holds his thoughts to think, ‘what will she like the most on her 30th birthday?’ Most men may have adverse opinions to the latter. But a fair amount of judgment and strong observation has led to this conclusion.

Shoppers especially women, enjoy engaging themselves in this activity. Everytime a woman shops for her family, friends it sends a deep sense of satisfaction and pleasure through her veins. She feels ‘involved’ and appreciated. Catch a woman flashing her credit card at the cash counter. Her face will mirror the innate ecstatic joy experienced by her within. A moment of power, of being in total control, a moment of ultimate gratification of her self esteem.

Most women are ‘bargain-seekers’. The ‘ek pe ek free’ .Be it India or the West. This is generic and synonyms to the word woman. Ever since God created Eve, Adam came for free. Followed by ‘ek pe ek free’! So you see, there is no denying to this. Infact, most retailers should explore this prudently. Moreover, don’t be misled that women are naïve shoppers who can be taken for a joyride. They are the best bargainers who would bargain to the last pence with the vegetable & fruit vendor.

Try this. Take a woman along when you go shopping and she will definitely be a boon to your wallet. You will have to stop ‘wallet watching’. The perfect ‘value- bargainer’.
Have you ever noticed , the amount of justification a woman does to every inch of shelf-space? She, with her alert mind can see through the new trends, display of the products and ofcourse most importantly , the ‘PRICE’. Even with no intention to buy, she usually ends up being the ‘impulse shopper’ of the family. A shopping list is usually handcuffed to a woman’s shopping bag. But 75% of the time, she overboards her boundaries. That’s the hidden reason behind the pleasant smile that is adorned on the face of the cashier always towards the woman.

The other very effective way to catch a woman’s mind is through signages. A woman’s eye is a keen one and that which always reaches for the details. Enter a McDonalds outlet and notice a woman ordering. She will usually order a different palate everytime and will inquire about the added foodies to the menu. She will be the one to notice the calorie chart, the new poster displays and the bargain offers (mini meals). It’s an astonishing fact confessed by most retailers and marketers that even though the man is the major financer of the house, the woman is ‘the decision maker and the toughest nut to crack’.

Take a situation where a family examines cars on display to select the most suited one. The man, even though not very inclined to the technical details, will spend two hours on the sales talk delivered to him by the ‘well-trained and polished salesman’. Men will accept the technical details after a lot of cross checking. But what about the woman? She is purely interested in whether the company can offer her a German Red, spacious (leg and luggage) seater, comfortable seats, consistent service…. all at the right price! As long as the steering wheel is sturdy, she has no concern of it being ‘power steering or non power steering’. She will not mind the dashboard being black, instead of the stylish grey. All she needs is for the indicators on the dashboard to work and simple instructions for use of the headlights and vipers. If you have satisfied this lady, the deal is yours!

Let us imagine a shopping mall where a family has just entered. Having a greater affinity towards clothes and accessories, the woman will drift away to the garments section. She loves to adorn and pamper her bodyline in front of the mirror. This is extended to small talks with the sales girl, advice seeking begins here. Consultations, suggestions, darting in and out of the trial room, inquiries about washing the garment are all pre-conditions to the ultimate purchase of the garment. It is important to understand that this anxiety is not restricted to her wardrobe. She will be the one to suggest the ideal shirt-trouser combination for her husband. She will insist on him darting in and out of the trial room to ensure it fits best. This same lady to satisfy herself will flash various combination of ties on different skin-coloured salesman, before making the right pick. Yes, sounds hilarious but this is the level of involvement and excitement a woman experiences. Let us move on to the underpants. It is the wife who will ask her husband to change his preference of style and colour. From bikini to normal fit to boxers. After all, she is the one he has to cater to!

Whether a woman is a working woman or a housewife, her shopping traits are quite similar. The only difference may lie in the time factor. Workingwomen are inclined to shop at places near their place of work/residence where things are easily accessible. But a housewife will never cease to surprise you! What women need most importantly are fair amount of attention and an aisle free from foot traffic. A woman is able to balance her time-chart very prudently. She will spend exactly 20 minutes at the grocery store, two hours shopping at her favourite garment and home section, thirty minutes at the cosmetic counter, thirty minutes at the kids section and finally exhaust her enjoyable experience with a cup of coffee and almond tarts. That’s why they say that most (65%) of women managers are punctual and adhere to their schedule.

It is opined that though men make a one time big purchase, which may be equivalent to a woman visiting the store twice, she is the ‘Most Valuable Customer (MVC) who looks for Life Time Value (LTV)’. But ofcourse, men score higher points when it comes to factors such as brand loyalty and a particular retail format. Women instead are the variety seekers and bargain-hoppers. To wrap it up, we are aware that the cliché ‘workaholics’ is labeled to the men folk. But, allow me to address our finicky, yet smart women as "shopaholics!.

[gaurav200x]

Awesome article venga... I personally don't like shopping too much, but my gf does. Now i know what drives her to shop and shop whole day long...

Quite informative for men!!

[pratik_mehta7]

hey man awesome article...now i do understand why pepsi has Indu Nooyi as their new Ceo.....to get the women power under their belt and have a relaunch of the brand......

[kartik]

Pepsi doesnt need Indu Nooyi as long as they hav priyanka n kareena ( :x )

[Pallavi S]

WOW..............WAT A ARTICLE.

ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!

AFTER ALL IT IS SAID THAT "IF WOMEN DIDN'T EXIST, ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD WOULD HAVE NO MEANING"

SO OL DAT A MARKETER NEEDS 2 DO IS DIRECT HIS EFFORTS TO INFLUENCE WOMEN RATHER THAN MEN IN ORDER 2 ACHIEVE TARGETS.............

REGARDS...

PALLAVI