Studies have shown that:

• Women make 85% of household buying decisions.
• 58% of women would bin a TV if they had to get rid of one digital device (only 11% would throw away their laptops).
• The reasons women communicate online are more similar than different - no matter their age, profession or “mummy” status.

So what do women do online?

• Women find the Internet more important than any other medium for: researching information, gathering shopping ideas, and inspiration.
• 73% of women use social networking sites weekly (ie Facebook) to feel close to their social circle, for mutual sharing, and to escape.
• 44% of women say they get information about products and brands on women’s lifestyle websites.
• 65% of women have subscribed to email marketing messages (e-newsletters) in return for a “free” product, deal or promotion .

How to use this data for your internet strategy?

Browsing before you buy is a key pre-purchase activity navigated online by women. They use the net to research, compare and ultimately purchase online. For this reason it is important to:

• Provide lots of information on your website about your product or service.
• Make an emotional connection to motivate women to use your brand or service.
• Embrace social media as it supports female natural instincts to network, nurture, gather, communicate.
• Advertise on lifestyle, specialty and review websites (this is where women are most receptive to online ads).
• Use an e-marketing (e-newsletter) campaign that rewards customers with sample, promo or free product.
• For e-commerce stores provide free shipping.

Design, content and strategy for your website (and social media campaign)

• Consistently deliver on your brand promise.
• Use subtle calls to action and buying cues.
• Use objective information written in article style format.
• Have flexible navigation that makes it easy for women to move forwards and backwards.
• Have engaging content with a conversational style. You need to provide lots of information as women tend to have more questions they need answered when making buying decisions.

Video and images on your website (and social media campaign)

• Women want to see not only your products, but how people use/react to them.
• Women want to see images that display emotion. One of the reasons why women respond to social media is because of the real images with real people expressing real emotion.
• Avoid overused, over modeled stock photography. It can be ineffective as it has a “fake” feel.
• Video is especially powerful because it allows a personal connection that sometimes text cannot provide.

For more information

Contact us to chat about how we can help your website and internet strategy target your female market.

References: http://www.yadvertisingblog.com/blog/2010/07/28/women-need-online, http://she-conomy.com, http://www.splashgroup.com.au, http://marketingtowomenonline.typepad.com, http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-women-want-on-the-web

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