Men and Women do not use the internet the same way
While you never know if the anonymous user clicking on your banner is
male or female, you can bet that THEY know, and it’s not something they
are likely to forget!
Woe to the internet marketing campaign that fails to address the needs
and desires of the female shopper. Women consumers are more active
spenders then men and make many of the shopping decisions for a family
home. If you fail to address your campaign to these important decision
makers you’ve just lost half (if not more) of the battle!
Silly as it may seem men and women use the internet in what may appear
as almost cliched roles, that one might break down most simply as
hunters versus gatherers. Doubtless, that’s the most extreme
simplification, especially when you consider the inherent flexibility of
the internet,(After all, surfers can access information in countless
numbers of ways, many of which can be specifically tailored to the
individual, so who is to say of any behavior at any given time is the
provence of the hunter or the gatherer?) but intriguingly, statistics
point to these traditional understandings.
Women are also more likely to use the internet as a communication and
socialization tool then men. This is not to say men generally eschew
email or don’t tweet, but rather that women have a tendency to nurture
online social contacts and networks in a more in-depth and dedicated
fashion.
(This is something important to keep in mind when crafting an overall
campaign strategy, particularly if women are your target customers. The
recent boom in social networking online has been accompanied by a new
trend in marketing which allows a more specific targeting approach when
it come to marketing. The opportunities of social network marketing are
immense and unparalleled in their abilities to get your message to the
exact type of consumer you are looking for. At the same time marketers
can compose multiple approaches for the same campaign and control the
target audience down to the individual user. There has never been a more
salient tool for addressing female consumers with intentionally
woman-targeted marketing for general, non-gender specific targets.)
Men are more likely to collect bookmarks and make snap decisions when it
comes to where to click next. Women tend to take their time, looking at
a variety of options and making comparisons most male shoppers
disregard as a waste of time. Men are more likely to browse a few
options but home in on one before drilling down on details.
Women are also more likely to be repeat customers, enjoying the
convenience of the known and the relative ease of familiar experiences.
Men however are always scouting about for the next new challenge to
their hunting (searching) prowess, making them significantly less likely
to return to somewhere they have been before.
Recent studies of women consumers show that they are more persuaded by
their feelings and emotions than they are by information. While guys may
feel enriched and empowered by long lists of custom features and
technical specifics female consumers are more likely to react positively
more toward elements of style and nuances of presentation and
photography.
It’s very important to remember that women also fall into another
traditional role when it comes to shopping online, they are much more
likely than Men to use the internet for a family gift purchase. While
men are reliable as last-minute Christmas shoppers and valentines
bouquet buyers women have a much greater tendency to be online shopping
for a gift all year-round.
When designing an internet marketing strategy keep both sexes of surfer
in mind to maximize your marketing potential. Otherwise you may be
wasting your clients money and missing many valuable opportunities!