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Not all women like to shop the same. Some embrace it like a lover while others avoid it with a passion. But if you tap into how they shop, you’ll make more sales.
My girlfriends used to drive me nuts wandering for hours checking every buying option out. They love the experience of shopping as much or more than actually buying. While I always tried to be involved, I kept thinking of other things I needed to get done or how else I could spend the time.
When I went shopping on my own, I could get in and out of a store like a track star on a finish line dash.
Those buying preferences carry over to my online shopping today. And that’s because they reflect one of the 3 unique female buying mindsets.
Those were my girlfriends. They love to wander, explore, savor the process and experience. Social over function. They love to window shop and may visit a store or website multiple times before making a decision.
Shopping lovers adore bargains. Tap into their love of a sale with suggested buys or as popup specials. You’ll reap the rewards of unplanned purchases. Their buying rates are the highest of any of the groups. This is true for both online and physical stores.
Shoppers are also the group most prone to browsing with zero intent to buy. Sales are a high RAS trigger for them. Because of this, they can be the most subject to impulse buying when presented with a discount or a sale. Collaborative filtering increases this even more.
Their sales rise when they believe the website offers security in the buying process. They respond positively to improvements in website design, navigation, and simplicity of use.
Not surprisingly, they spend a lot of time in social settings. They watch videos, listen to music, surf social media and play games. Reaching them through social media channels can be very effective.
Product recommendation systems either during the shopping process or via social media are a very effective way to trigger a sale with shopping lovers. It caters to their emotional connection to the experience.
Purchase driven buyers are focused on finding what they want, making sure it is a perfect match and making the buy. Online, when they find a company that meets their criteria, they become loyal, repeat customers. Sales-wise, they are the second largest group.
Purchase driven buyers spend a lot of time on the internet. Unlike our window shopping group, they visit sites with the goal of making a purchase. They aren't prone to impulse buying.
Those with a purchase focus love information. Rather than purchase suggestions or sales, focus on the design, content, and functionality of your online store. Give them a great experience without pushing a sale. These women are looking for high-quality information. They want diversity and variety in product offerings.
This group is looking for an experience that allows them to get in, make the purchase and revisit as needed. Ease of transactions, visuals, the ambiance or atmosphere all are triggers for this group.
Purchase driven buyers don’t spend a lot of time with online entertainment or social networking. If you want to reach them, look to news portals, search engines and emails.
This group can be a little tougher group to connect with. While they may do some research online, they tend to go to their trusted physical store to make the purchase.
They may have less online buying experience or have had a negative experience. They worry about safety, security, the delivery of their purchase, returns and quality of customer service. Let them know your money-back guarantee from the get-go. Sellers that covered return shipping charges also increased sales.
That said…they are sticking their toe into the ease of online shopping…if their worries and fears are satisfied. They need a lot of confidence-building and positive nurturing.
Make it clear how you protect personal information and the security of the purchase. This will be key to getting them to buy from you. Show your security seals. In the studies, websites with security and privacy seals increased sales.
Show them how easy your website is to navigate. How helpful it is to find what they want. Demonstrate your customer support with amazing service and ease of access. Every step needs to be easy and intuitive.
The first thing a skeptic is looking for is your phone number! They will be less tolerant of delays waiting for an email response. If you don’t offer direct customer service access, you won’t get many sales from this group.
Stores who offered alternative ways to get the purchase delivered also increased sales. Since this group likes physical stores, offer them the choice to buy/order online and instore payment/pickup. This caters to their trust and values.
This group responds to diverse contact techniques. News portals, search engines, email, entertainment portals, and social media are all places this group accesses.
Calm their worries, mitigate their fears, create a fun experience and they will be back again.
A commonality with all three mindsets is we are talking specifically about women.
Because women tend to be the communicators, relationship builders, and caregivers…they expect those things in return. Quality customer service… no, amazing customer service… is critical in creating a positive shopping experience and the mindset that will bring them back again and again.
Any woman who has ever bought a “one size” outfit, will tell you there is no such thing as one size fits all. It may be too big, too small, too short, too long…the list goes on. If a woman is concerned about the fit…she avoids anything that is one size fits all.
The same is true for reaching women with marketing. Products or services need to be presented in a way to reach a specific market segment. A single marketing approach for diverse buyers won’t be as effective. Customizing and segmenting increases sales and the return on your investment.
When I work with clients, we focus to cater to their experience toward their buying style. We work to have them leave with a positive mindset that keeps them coming back. And we support them with segmented emails and invitations targeted to their shopping mindset.
Judith Culp Pearson receives three top honors
at the annual Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals in
Ft. Worth, Texas - October 7-9, 2023
