Marketing to women used to be an afterthought, like marketing to a special interest group.
Today, savvy marketers understand one powerful concept—that women either buy or influence the purchase of most consumer items. Sound farfetched? According to Tom Peters (and many other writers) this is the new reality, a reality that will shape this next century and beyond. Manufacturers and marketers must take notice.
Consider these facts:
- Of all consumer purchases, women either buy or influence the purchase 83 percent of the time.
- Women account for 92 percent of all vacation choices.
- Women are responsible for 94 percent of all home furnishings purchases.
- Of all new bank accounts, women make the choice 89 percent of the time.
- For car purchases, women choose 60 percent of the time.
- In the consumer electronics realm, women purchase 51 percent of all items.
- Women make 80 percent of all healthcare decisions.
According to Tom Peters, in his masterful work, Re-imagine!, “the real story is the 10.1 million women-owned businesses in the United States alone. These enterprises employ 27.5 million of us. (In other words: one out of every four American workers.) In fact, women-owned businesses employ more workers inside the U.S.A. than the ‘fabled’ Fortune 500 employ worldwide.”
Moreover, female-run and female-owned businesses now account for over $3.6 trillion in annual sales. Now that’s significant economic power.
Not Taken Seriously
Author: Stephen L. Bainton
Copyright 2009 StartupNation, LLC
Click here to read more from StartupNation