Consumer Behavior: Case Study: What Women Want BackgroundUntil relatively recently, the needs of female customers were of very little concern to retailers and producers. Products were developed and marketed in a supposedly gender-neutral way but in effect this meant that they were targeted to male needs. The first voice recognition systems were a classic example of this as they were developed without consideration of female vocal patterns. As Martina Schraudner, of the Munich-based market research firm FraunhoferGesellschaft, noted: They didnt recognise any female voices, since the developers hadnt taken their speech patterns into account. The earliest airbags were even more frightening because, once again, male developers apparently took themselves as the standard: Since the ergonomic factor of size was initially neglected, the first airbags were a life-threatening safety risk for women and children, says Schraudner. However, as women around the world have gained increasing access to tertiary education, higher paid jobs, and disposable income, producers, marketers and retailers have begun to take more notice of their needs. Designing for women Consulting firm A.T. Kearney estimates that women determine 80% of consumption, purchase 60% of all cars and own 40% of all stocks. Companies worldwide are therefore now caught in a pink marketing wave, with the car industry leading the way, and not just in their marketing campaigns. Many companies are finally considering womens needs at the design stage; for example, DaimlerChryslers engineers in Stuttgart have included features such as handbag storage and making seatbelts cleavage-friendly. They have also added a heating ventilation system in some models that warms the necks of drivers, apparently a female-friendly feature. These small but convenient innovations can pay significant commercial dividends; for example, when General Motors introduced female-friendly features like the electric hatchback for its SRX model Cadillac it was able to increase the proportion of female buyers from 40% to 54%. Girlfriend groups Marketers have developed innovative ways of gathering data on womens needs. A new trend is known as girlfriend groups. Marketers hire one female shopper to recruit several of her girlfriends and they meet for an evening of fun, food, and research. Once they get to their friends house, they meet researchers who ask them questions about brands and products. These sessions are less formal than focus groups and tend to get more honest and forthcoming results. In a typical focus group setting, women tend to be more guarded, but in girlfriend groups, they let their hair, and their guard, down. These research results have proven to be useful for all types of industries including health care and beauty products. Around the globe, more companies have realised that they overlook women at their own financial peril. Such companies are realigning their marketing and design practices, and learning to court an increasingly female-centric consumer base that boasts more financial muscle and purchasing independence than ever before. Questions: 1.In addition to the fact that women have increased purchasing power, are there any other reasons why rms should target women?

Briefly explain a specific target group.

2. Identify three products that are being sold to both men and women but are designed primarily for men. How would you rene one of these products to make it more appealing to women (without alienating the male customer base)?

Write three creative ideas explain each of them briefly.

3. Girlfriend groups have proven to be an effective way of collecting information about women. What other types of research methods might work especially well with women? Why?

Pick the appropriate methodology and research tool and explain the logic behind choosing it /or them.