Kim T. Gordon, the "Marketing" Coach for Entrepreneur.com, recently published an article on MSNBC.com highlighting 10 key marketing trends for 2007. Not surprisingly, women figure prominently into several. College grads (where women recently surpassed men) and affluent working women are two key consumer targets, appealing both for their disposable income and penchant for online shopping.
World-of-mouth communications is also on the rise as consumers tune out more traditional marketing vehicles, which taps into women's desire to share both good and bad experiences. According to a report from Lucid Marketing cited in the article women are more likely than men to share a positive experience or recommend a product they like. Additionally, online research continues to grow with more consumers of both sexes gathering knowledge online prior to making in-store purchases. According to a BIGresearch survey of 7500 consumers, 63 percent of searchers completed a purchase in offline retail stores following their search activity, which means multi-channel marketers must remain at the top of their game across all channels and understand that every point of contact influences the sale.
How can you leverage these trends to increase sales in 2007?
- Clearly understand and communicate the reasons for her to choose your brand over another
- Make sure you put equal thought and emphasis into quality of product AND service - giving her lots of reasons to recommend you to family and friends
- Don't neglect your online experience in favor of catalog or store - quality has to be consistent across the board. Make your site easy to navigate, find and compare products. It may be her first contact with you. Don't let a poor experience make it her only contact with you.
Sales increases will tell you you're on track but the quickest way to get there is to identify and ask your female customers before you start. Women are eager to be partners in helping you to better serve them. Don't skip this important step.
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