What Affects A Woman’s Buying Path Now?
One way to really miss the point with the women’s market is to do a one-time study of their buying patterns/purchase influencers and call it good. Where women are going or no longer going along their daily buying path is much different now than it was a few years or even months ago – at this rate. Things like the economy (of course) and a longer term interest in more environmentally aware living are driving some of those changes.
I wrote about this in my latest eBrandMarketing post. Here’s a clip:
Beyond the food-shopping arena, women’s daily traffic patterns are also changing a lot. They may be quitting their health clubs to save money and gas, and riding their bikes for errands. They may be grouping shopping trips more consciously, and so be out and about less often. Overall, and for a variety of reasons, a lot of men and women alike are tightening their daily living and buying paths to a more local scale.
Green interests, and the struggling economy are certainly having an effect. But, no matter what the root cause, women’s buying paths can be seen changing course mid-way, adding or leaving out stops altogether. Are we as marketers paying attention?
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In a perfect world, everyone could ignore the bad economy and shop strictly according to their own preferences ( whether that be their particularly favored brands or their general environmental interests, for example). In the immediate term, price may be the ultimate bottom line for a lot more people. However, smart brands will will keep an eye on how their customers ideally want to shop, and be ready for their buying paths to shift quickly.
