As women draw closer to their purchase decision, our marketing to women strategies must change to adapt to this new environment. She's no longer making lists; she's getting out her wallet. And we need to keep up our efforts to make it across the finish line. During the Investigation and Decision phase, a woman checks out the brands she's nominated by scanning ads, reading articles, visiting websites, going to the store or showroom, handling the merchandise, kicking the tires, talking to the salespeople... all the minutia that goes into making a final decision and achieving the Perfect Answer. Of course we know that a large part of marketing is helping customers perceive value in the products and services we sell. When marketing to women, there are some perceptions that are especially important.
The perception that she's analyzed all her options:
No matter how good your product may be in the absolute, a woman will not be ready to make a decision until she has compared several options. Hence, her voracious need for knowledge. Women want all the details, while men only care about "the important stuff." If you design your marketing communications for men's minds, women will find them lacking.
Sprint Store
Provide comparisons with your competitors. This may cause some marketers to blanche, but women are going to compare anyway. If you are present at the comparison, you will be present to address any questions or objections. And it may even speed up her decision-making process, making her feel comfortable to buy right on the spot.
The perception that the price matches or exceeds the value:
The price she's willing to pay is a function of whether she feels the item is "worth it." If she sees more benefit in one option versus another, she's willing to pay more for it (up to a point). Here are some tips for communicating value to women:
Make the benefits female-friendly. Translate the raw product feature information into women-relevant lifestyle benefits. Instead of emphasizing your car's amazing acceleration abilities, highlight that it allows the driver to merge safely into freeway traffic. Remember what women value. Context, stories and personal details will draw women into your message and ensure your points register on their radar screens. Get the sale faster with incentives. There are more to incentives than money. In fact, your marketing incentives can be much more memorable and profitable if you avoid simple discounts. Think clever services that help women in their daily lives, prizes they can share with friends and family or contests that appeal to something women love.
The personal perception:
Sales are not made by products alone. Because of her predisposition toward people and relationships, a woman will find herself inclined to buy from the salesperson who is most successful at creating a rapport. Women want to feel they are partnering with an advocate, not resisting an adversary. When selling, watch for head nods and little "mm-hmm" sounds of acknowledgement. Women use these cues to indicate they are following what you are saying and understand. When they stop, it means they want to say something or have a question.
Women value sensory perceptions:
Women are very receptive on all five sensory channels, so they are more appreciative of the nice touches and more repelled by the not-so-nice. Women believe what they see- and they see more than men. Women appreciate well-designed spaces and colors. A few small things out of place- the retail equivalent of a dirty dish or sock on the floor- will get noticed and make her wonder if the disorder is systemic.
On the whole, women also have more sensitive hearing. Making use of environment-appropriate music is great. But I once visited a shop that sold elegant, upscale paper products- gorgeous textured invitations and beautiful leather-bound journals. The young sales clerk had elected to play what was evidently her preferred style of music- disco. It was impossible for me to enjoy these lovely products bombarded by the BeeGees.
Let's not forget smell and taste. If you have a tasty product, give her samples! By all means, make all parts of your customer experience smell pleasant (or at least not offensive). This includes mechanic shops and bathrooms, especially. Marketing to women requires attention even to the sense of touch. A study conducted in Sprint retail stores revealed that men were content to look at phones behind glass, but women wanted to handle them to assess the weight and how they felt in her hand.
It's not easy to beat your competitors and make it across the finish line. Women are smart and discriminating consumers. But once you have won her regard (and her dollars!), she will likely want to stick with you. She has identified your brand as the Perfect Answer to her needs, and you just need to support that belief to keep her loyalty.
View the Spiral Path Consumer Behavior Model
Marketing to Women - A Sprint Across the Finish Line
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