The Secret to Online Marketing and Selling to Men and Women

 

How do you approach online marketing to target men and women shoppers without completely boring one group or alienating the other? Well, balance is the key. You must appeal to both genders in order to effectively market to them with a delicate balance and well thought out approach.

 

“The product page needs to allow depth of product information for men, while allowing women to scan that product information and easily move on,” says Edd Johns, Resource Interactive‘s Executive Director of Strategy. “When we say men dig, what they’re doing is very intense – they’re doing a lot of research, jumping to different sites, comparison shopping, reading reviews – they are out, really, on a focused mission.

 

“So we’re not saying ‘create a very complex experience.’ Instead, easily allow them within that product page to serve up deeper product information.” Including expert reviews is a good idea, he says. “That’s what men want.”

 

However, women are much different. They can be persuaded when they are viewing a product page and will continue to search for what else they can find. They are less concerned with details surrounding each particular product, but are more focused on an abundance of options and possibilities, this is typically how women shop.

 

What is most critical for online marketing, according to Johns and the research conducted at Resource Interactive is to balance product focus with lifestyle focus. Here are some tips offered by the same research:

 

1) Make sure your website has a cohesive message and theme.

Both men and women will need to determine what you have to offer and whether or not it is for them. Take an approach that will appeal to both men and women in separate elements of your website. For example, include images that may attract female shoppers in conjunction with links that will entice male shoppers to make a purchase.

 

2) Think of your customers as scenarios, not demographics.

 

If you think in terms of strictly age, sex and marital status, you will be missing opportunity. Instead, think in terms of more generalities like young v. old, professional v. homemaker, etc. This will help you target a wider range within each market segment rather than narrow your audience too much.

 

3) Make sure your shopping cart is a multi-purpose, useful tool for consumers.

Don’t make the mistake of using your shopping cart as the point of final sale with little to no additional functionality for your customers. Instead, consider that both men and women want to compare. They want the ability to leave and come back with the option to review what they have in their cart. It will serve you well to allow for this kind of comparison shopping.

 

So, let’s review.

 

Men are hunters. Women are gatherers.

 

Keep this basic stereotype in mind when marketing to the sexes online. You will want to make sure you can easily be found (for men) and have a lot to offer once they find you (for women).

 

Men hate to shop. Women like to browse.

 

Be clear with your audience so that men can instantly know that you have what they are looking for, but also remember to offer additional options so that women can continue to “browse” through your offerings.

 

Men shop differently online than they do in the store, while women tend to have similar shopping practices across the board.

 

We are clearly seeing a shift in the consumer profile of men when it comes to shopping online. They are doing more of it more often. And at the same time, we don’t expect to see an influx of men at the shopping centers and malls any time soon. Take advantage of this opportunity as you piece together your online marketing strategy.

 

However, don’t neglect the ever-powerful, always ready-to-shop women of the World Wide Web. They are still the ones making most of the buying decisions whether it’s in the store or online, so they certainly remain to be a very important consumer force to be reckoned with.

 

And although these generalities seem to be widespread, let’s not forget what is most important in this equation. Your business.

 

Online marketing is a great way to grow your customer base and increase revenue, but you must approach your target market with thoughtful consideration. Men and women may shop very differently, but what you have to offer is a great product. Let them know, whoever “they” may be, just how useful, important and critical your business is because at the end of the day, you want “them” to buy what you have to sell.

 

Next we will be talking about search engine optimization in the series “What is SEO?”

 

Women are gatherers. Like men, they know what they want but females also like the idea of finding more. They like the idea of possibility and that leaves the door wide open for advertisers and retailers alike to turn casual female shoppers into dedicated, loyal customers.

 

If it’s on sale, they’ll likely buy it! Even if the item was not on their list, women are more likely than men to pick up that extra item (or more likely, items!)

 

While men are often “purpose-driven” in what they do, including shopping, women like to enjoy the ride. They want to take their time in a store, browse the aisles and peruse the shelves.

 

Again, consider bounce rate as we discussed in relation to male shoppers. While a store’s bounce rate is likely to increase when men shop, it is just as likely to take a dip when females shop. And that’s a good thing!

 

Why? Because women like to take their time and enjoy the shopping experience. They want to take in the complete package that the store has to offer, from sales associates, to mannequins, to window dressings and sale racks, females want to be won over.

 

In fact, according to WomenCertified, a women’s consumer advocacy and retail training organization headquartered in Hollywood, Florida, females spend $4 trillion annually and account for 83% of U.S. consumer spending, which makes up two-thirds of the nation’s gross national product. So you can see how important it is to accurately and effectively target women with marketing efforts. They are proven shoppers!

 

And as a market segment, females are the ones making the purchasing decisions. According to additional research, “women buy or at least influence the purchase of 80% of all consumer goods including family health care and other major purchases”. This is hugely important information for retailers and marketers alike.

 

In a clear juxtaposition to males, females were more likely to go shopping when they didn’t have any particular item in mind. Why? Women like to consider possibilities.

 

Stanford researcher S. Christian Wheeler surveyed males and females and found females were nearly three times more likely to browse. The research found that females browsed until they had seen most of the things in the store – a very different approach than that taken by men. Only 33% of men admit to browsing this extensively.

 

We like to search for the deal and find that one unique item that we may not have even known existed. We enjoy the journey through the store aisles and envision each item in our possession as we stroll along. This is clearly a different approach than most men.

 

“Women tend to be more invested in the shopping experience on many dimensions,” says Robert Price, chief marketing officer at CVS Caremark and a member of the Baker advisory board.

 

And while females tend to be of an obviously different breed of shopper than their male counterparts, they are alike in one thing – they want quality, efficient help from store associates.

 

For women, “lack of help when needed” is the number one problem they cite as why they would never return to a particular store. In fact, according to an analysis of one study’s data, about 6% of all female shoppers could be lost to stores due to lack of sales help.

 

Women shoppers want to feel important. They want to know that they are valued customers. When asked what problem would make respondents so angry they would never return to a store, women cited employees who “acted like you were intruding on their time or their own conversations.”

 

Now, this is a bit different than men in that no where in the study was it mentioned that men cared about an associate’s attitude. They were more interested in timeliness and availability of a product. But as women, we care how we are treated, not just how quickly we can be served.

 

Research also indicates that females who have to balance many responsibilities prefer stores with limited selections. For instance, the working mother of four is more attracted to stores like Coach and Trader Joe’s. This kind of woman wants a store to appeal to her but not overcrowd the shopping experience with too many options.

 

Females are more focused on the shopping experience, while males are interested in the result. We want to enjoy our time in the store, get to know associates and fellow shoppers, and discuss the items we are considering taking home. We want to be persuaded, directed and sold, unlike men who often want to avoid conversation all together.

 

How Men Shop and How You Can Leverage this Knowledge to Sell More

 

There are many strategies when it come to marketing and marketing to men is one of them.  Men and women have completely different buying patterns and to be successful in selling it is beneficial to understand these difference.  That way you can adjust you marketing efforts to reach your niche market.

 

Men are hunters. If there is one thing to keep in mind when marketing to men either online or in the stores, remember this one simple fact. They know what they want and they go out and get it.

 

Males tend to be “purpose driven” in most of what they do, including shopping. Quick to get in and even quicker to get out. For most males, shopping is a mission. They are out to buy a specific item and flee the store as quickly as possible, according to new Wharton research.

 

Think of this as their bounce rate. As an online business owner, you know and understand all too well the importance of your bounce rate. Well, when men shop, stores’ bounce rates sky rocket. Why? Because males are not there to browse. They are there to get the job done.

 

As one man put it, from a study conducted by Resource Interactive, “I would rather have a root canal than go shopping.” Ouch!

 

In a study titled, “Men Buy, Women Shop,” researchers at Wharton’s Jay H. Baker Retail Initiative and the Verde Group, a Toronto consulting firm, found that males are more likely to respond to more utilitarian aspects of the shopping experience, such as the availability of parking, whether the item they came for is in stock, and the length of the checkout line.

 

“Men want to go to Sears, buy a specific tool and get out.”

 

Here’s the fact to prove it – about five percent of all male shoppers result in lost business for stores that are out of the product those men went in to buy. Why? Because if the store doesn’t have what they are looking for, in their minds it’s “Move on, John!”

 

They are out for the hunt and they will continue searching until they find it. In other words, they aren’t necessarily out for a bargain. They want to find what they are looking for, make the transaction, and get out — simple, short and to the point.

 

In fact, according to the same study, what’s most important for male shoppers is an associate’s interest in helping them find the item they desire and then the associate’s effort to get them through the checkout line as quickly as possible.

 

It also seems as though males are most angered by associates who appear “lazy, i.e., would not check for additional stock or take you to the item you were looking for.” This was the response when asked what problem would make male respondents so angry they would never return to a store.

 

It is obvious that males are on a clear mission when they shop and you are either going to help them reach their goal, or better to get out of their way!

 

So, now you should have a better understanding of how men shop.  Next we’re going to dive into how men use the internet and how you can use this to your advantage to sell more!

 

- Theresa