Shopping differences between men and women

GFC or not, he average wealth per adult in Australia has tripled to $US 321,000 in the past 10 years, according to a report from Credit Suisse. We are getting richer, step by step, and shops should look closer into their target market to know how to make them spend their dollars.

Boston Consulting Group reported in July 2010 that women control 31% of wealth in Australia, which makes it interesting to have a look at female and male shopping behavior.

Research from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ("Men Buy, Women Shop" 2007) show that men and women act differently when shopping.

Men tend to be more utilitarian when they hit the malls and shopping centers. It's a mission. Get in. Get what's needed. Get out. Quickly.

Women, on the other hand, generally like to look around, talk to sales associates and experience the shopping. They walk around, smell perfume, touch clothes, dab on cosmetics. They want attention and they want direction.

Women´s No. 1 issue was not being able to find help when they needed it. One in three women who were so miffed by the issue that they said they would never go back to the store again. A whopping 47% of those women said they had been ignored would never go back to that store, while men were more forgiving. Only 22% of those men who had been snubbed considered it a lifelong negative mark.

Men's biggest headache was parking. One in three said they hated not finding parking close to the store entrance. But very few of them said they would desert the store forever because of it.

Men ditch stores, too, but their biggest reason to do so is when products are out of stock. Of those men who complained, 43% said they would never shop at those stores again; only 16% of women cited that as a reason to stay away.

More figures from the study:

- Some people did go back to stores they vowed never to return to -- less than one-third-- but it took them close to a year to do so.

- Both men and women told questioners that they really appreciated a "lack of pressure" when store employees were willing to let them shop at their own pace.

- The younger the shopper, the more likely a customer was to ditch a store for poor service. The pickiest of all groups were men 18 years old to 35 years old.

- Women and men both are four times more likely to relay a good-news experience than a bad one.

The part about men and women is from an excellent article published here: MarketWatch.

Service is important. People buy based on feelings rather than practical rational arguments. If they get a good experience, and not just a good product, they are more likely to like a shop. How is your brand working on these issues? Don´t just focus on product development - getting your staff to create a loving atmosphere is just as important. If you want people to fall in love with your brand - and spend that rising wealth, you need to know what they are like.