We’ve mentioned Bridget Brennan and her wildly popular book “Why She Buys” here on the Her Voice blog before, in discussions about gender and its effects on consumer behavior as well as how friendships between women play a role in the shopping experience. Brennan recently spoke candidly about her thoughts and expanded on some of the ideas from her book.

Here is an excerpt from the interview (by Derek Thompson of the Atlantic)

One theme of your book is that while women lag behind in corporate executive positions, they continue to dominate consumer choices at the family level. What’s the best evidence we have that men and women have a fundamentally different approach to shopping?

The biggest difference in how men and women view the shopping experience comes down to this fact: in virtually every society in the world, women have primary responsibility for both children and the elderly. They look at shopping as part of their caregiving role in the family and household. This means that women are buying on behalf of everyone in their lives, and as a result they are constantly considering the needs of others when they shop — even when they are shopping for themselves. If a mother is standing in a grocery aisle choosing ingredients to cook for dinner, she may think, “I’m going to go through a lot of trouble to make this, so it better be something everybody likes.” Or if a woman is buying a shirt for her father’s birthday, she may think, “I hope it fits, because if he doesn’t, I’m the one who has to go back to the store to return it.”

They are constantly considering the implications of their purchases in terms of other people’s wants and needs.

Brennan goes on to cite companies she believes have done a great job reaching out to female consumers, including Lululemon, American Girl and Nordstrom. Her way of looking at things is really giving the marketing and public relations community something to talk about. We are firm believers in the power of the purse and as always, are committed to helping our clients reach women through the power of media. If your business could use some help in this area, give us a call!

{Read the full article here}

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