Marketing Consumer Electronics to Women
By Darlene Underdahl
I’ll start by saying men are boys and women are girls, except… when they have to conform to the expectations of others. Don’t make the electronic product pink, orange or purple. Those are lovely colors, but not in proximity to other people, especially men. If a woman seeks color, she will wear a smashing blouse. I once worked in an office with a bright yellow feature that was permanent; I couldn’t possibly remove it. I brought in matching yellow flower pots and a yellow desk blotter. All the men came to look at my decorating. I’m not sure it was a compliment (at least I didn’t incorporate a Sparkle Pony).
You see your daughters or granddaughters wanting everything in pink, with sequins, and the odd rhinestone thrown on top, but most women in business want the same sleek tools as men. If they have to carry it, they’d prefer it went into their purse, or at least had a handle/strap (please don’t expect them to wear it on a belt). When traveling, it should stack with their rolling luggage.
It’s common for boys to hunt bugs and arachnids. Girls like mammals and dolphins, in a word, sleek. A boy once tried to chase me with a mouse. He held it by the tail, his arm extended, he didn’t really like it. I took the mouse, let it run up my arm and petted it. It squeaked happily. The boy was very disappointed. A spider would have been another story.
I can be as complex as anyone, but I don’t do it for fun. Women don’t appreciate “This thing has twenty eye-lenses! Wow! Can I keep it in the house?” Men love biological or metal doohickeys with antennae/wires sticking out, and red mouth-parts. A woman will accept a lobster on a plate, however…
Brian and I were evaluating an internet radio that had an old-fashioned volume knob. I’m not sure about him, but I loved it! It also had buttons for favorite stations just like car radios. It did everything necessary in the smoothest way. Loved it!
It’s an old truism that “Women shop and men buy.”
“I didn’t find what I wanted,” is the common white lie, and I’ve said it many times myself. I was just scoping things out for when I actually needed to buy, but I didn’t want to waste the time of an eager salesperson. OK, I’m noble (mostly). I will buy, just not when you’d expect it. I think retailers understand the lie, but it warps statistics. No one should focus on those exit polls; they aren’t accurate.
A man will chat with salespeople to show his knowledge, to impress, or just for fun. Then the salesperson works their magic, and the man leaves with a purchase he may regret. The clever little lady sneaks out before that ever happens.
Hard-to-navigate websites will chase women away? You bettcha! We don’t have time to play games. There should be some sort of standard. Brian may see a website as a challenge, but likely as not, I’ll get annoyed and go some place friendlier. Nice bright colors do make these sites friendlier to me, especially in the morning; they go well with my coffee. While I learned not to drag garish stuff into a business office, seeing it on a web site is perfectly acceptable. It’s like a vase of real flowers, tasteful, and it goes away before it offends.