Despite all this talk about how CE/Imaging retailers are beginning to connect with female shoppers, some recent research done by ad agency giant Saatchi & Saatchi claims women are still frustrated when shopping for CE/Imaging products. The study, titled “Lady Geek” found that 35 percent of female Internet users would increase their spending on consumer electronics if marketers and retailers thought harder about how they approach women and offered more guidance in stores and on e-commerce sites.
Even more revealing was the fact that over 50 percent of women claimed they walk out of shops and leave websites without buying anything because they are unable to find what they want. As has always been the case with women shopping in this category, the finding represent a great opportunity for both manufacturers and retailers to rethink their approach, especially as the all-important fourth quarter opens.
The report went on to claim that approximately 33 percent of the women polled do not consider technology-related advertising “relevant to them”, and a similar percentage do not feel confident enough to ask questions in stores.
Shockingly, more than 50 percent also said they feel “disillusioned” that manufacturers and retailers do not understand what they care about and do not view them as a relevant group of customers. Many of the women surveyed said they feel patronized by the abundance of pink objects, the research found, as many prefer a sleek and well designed object rather than one in a so-called ‘feminine’ color.
Belinda Parmar, a planning director at Saatchi & Saatchi, and author of the report, said in a released statement that 43 percent of women go shopping for consumer electronics without a specific brand or product in mind. She added the purpose of the study and the directive now that the findings are saying otherwise is to get their clients, “to think differently about how they develop, distribute and market products to women.”
