Why would you have a “selection of beer for women”?
- this is a marketing strategy that aims both women and men.
- women like to be treated differently, as a consumer with special needs and expectations.
- men looking for a gift to a woman will most likely be attracted by this selection.
From Bridget Brennan, a contributor to Forbes, and head of Female Factor: The often repeated phrase, “I know 50% of my marketing budget is wasted, I just don't know which 50%” – has an answer. It's the 50% that doesn't appeal to women.
She stressed the importance of thinking holistically and practically when working to promote any product to women. Be it color, size, or smell, it's all intended to catch woman's attention.
Women shop with all their senses. Is your store a place that people want to linger? How does it smell, how does it sound? This creates an opportunity to reach the senses that e-commerce can't. Women consumers in particular are highly attuned to the details of a retail environment, from scent to lighting to music to the tactile nature of touching and examining products.
From Tom Peters the truth about marketing to women:
The times they are a-changing. So the situation is as follows:
Women are the number one business opportunity. They buy lots of stuff. Men and women are very different. Men are (still) in control and are totally, hopelessly, clueless about women. Not enough “stuff” is designed for women or communicated in a way that appeals to women. Most stuff for women is, to be frank, pretty patronising.
This is a straight-down-the-line commercial argument. Women are not a niche market or a minority - they have wallets and, for many businesses, women as decision-makers and consumers hold the key to future success.
Now, is it sexist?
I can't say, but my 2 cents: when targeting women, you're even more willing to add a pink tax.
Read more about it here: how gender based pricing hurts women's buying power
