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Past, Present and Future
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Reetu Gupta
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This page hs been brought to you by SNRG. This dynamic team, pronounced SYNERGY, is made up of two extremely intelligent women: Reetu Gupta and Sabrina Naqvi. |
| In traditional marketing,
we describe people who are the first users of a new product as "innovators",
then a few more try it and we call them "early adopters". It is important
to understand that the innovators and early adopters of a product are sometimes
not representative of the final mass group of consumers and therefore the
product goes through changes. A good example of how a product goes through
changes is the case of pocket pagers. Pocket pagers are no longer exclusively
used by heart surgeons and ambulance drivers. As the pager has become more
widespread in use among young urban people in Asia, Europe and North America
it has gone through many physical changes in appearance and services offered
as it reflects the interests of the purchasers. In the case of the internet,
innovators and early adopters of the web sites and their content were teenage
and 20/30 something men in North America. While this group still remains
a large number of people who browse sites, this demographic is growing
slower than senior aged people, people outside North America, and women
of all ages. The articles noted below serve to show how the main group
of web users has evolved to be different from the early adopters.
Over the past few years women have created a niche for themselves in the internet world. The start of the new meillennium changed the demographics of the internet users. Women started catching up to men in the number of average internet use, as well as the amount of other online activity including online shopping, online banking, the use of e-mail as well as portals. Presently the number of internet users in the USA as well as Canada, are tied among men and women. Women have proven to be savy internet users making well informed decisions. This rising trend created communities dedicated to female support ranging from small business support to learning online support, exists all over the World Wide Web. Sites such as www.studioxx.org and The Canadian Women's Internet Directory link users with Canadian women's equality resources online. The directory connects organizational and individual sites promoting awareness of women’s equality issues, debates, campaigns, activism, creativity, services, research and policy issues. A resource created by Womenspace Association, with support from Status of Women Canada. These resources are made available to women by women online. The proves that not only is the average female internet user capable of using online services to their advantage, but they are further able to manipulate the web and create valuable information depots and use the web as an advertising tool for themselves and their businesses. The focus of this section has evolved in the past few years. In the late 1990's and early 2000's there was a great deal of coveragae on the rise of the women online. In the year 2004 the focus is not so much on the rise of women online, but how this rise is affecting e-ecommerce and technological advances. -WTRG and SNRG |
| "Women"
Customers 2000 "WHO"
"Women"
"WHO"
"Women"
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| Women
Online 2001 a great
Women
a great
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If you go to the J.C. Williams
site in September 2000, they don't mention the Sept 1999 report but you
can find noted that "June 14, 2000 - DoubleClick Inc. the leading
global Internet advertising solutions company today announced the release
of the first wave of findings from the Canadian Women Online Study."
"The percentage of female Canadian Internet users who have made an online purchase has grown by 21% since October 1999" |
| Women
Online 2004 Women
Women
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The following graph depicts
internet usage from the year 2000 to 2004. It shows a comparison of internet
usage between men and women. A steady increase is seen in the percentage
of women using the internet since 2000.
-In 2000 the amount of women that used the Internet was lower then the amount of men that used the Internet. In only 4 years, women have reached almost the same level of internet usage as men.
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Women in past and present
Women in past and present |
ONLINE SHOPPING AMONG
CANADIAN WOMEN IN 2003
Further results from the Canadian Women Online Study show that online shopping has grown by 7% since July 2003 among Canadian women from 46% of female Internet users in July 2002 to 49% of female Internet users having made a purchase on the Internet . Certain categories experienced
the most dramatic increases including books (up 6% to
ONLINE BANKING
- Canadian women indicate
a preference for Internet banking for
ONLINE RESEARCH
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| Gender
issues in health care
Online |
What this table reflect above is not very scientific, and there are loads of things you could say to explain the discrepancies, but in terms of a simple measure of content on pages, it seems to indicate that there are more web pages that have content dealing with women's health, compared to men's health. What we do not know is if the proportion of content dealing with women's health, mirrors the way offline magazines, newspapers and broadcast media deal with women's issues. |
| Women driving developments of products specifically to women |
"Samsung unveiled its latest ladies phone, the SGH-T700 (SGH-T708 for chinese markets). Known as the Samsung "Drama" T700, this handset carries a unique design that is very much suited for the female user, resembling that of a cosmetic case ... also includes a calorie meter .....comes with a UFB LCD screen with over 65000 colors and 40-chord polyphonic ringtones."
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Riding into the Upscale Baby Market -SNRG |
| "WHO"
Is using the Internet |
For Online Finance, Image Is Everything By Jack M. Germain, 07/21/04 E-Commerce Times "The online finance industry needs a makeover. Like any product or service presented to consumers, it's all about image...A recent report also revealed that services to new users must target women. The proportion of experienced male and female users is nearly equal. But two out of every three users with less than two years of Internet savvy are women. This is significant...because women differ greatly in their online finance and payments behavior..." The significance of this article is clearly proven through the many statistics about the increase in women online. Online banking is on the rise, however the issues surrounding online security and the impact it has on potential consumers is also is a great concern to the newer users. So in order to keep both the newer and older consumers satisfied, different types of services such as viewing past bills and cheques should be offered to calm nerves. With these services, efforts must be made to ensure privacy and security to users. |
| "WHO"
Is Buying this stuff? |
 Luxury
E-Tail: Who's Buying This Stuff?
By Lesley Hensell, 11/18/03 E-Commerce Times "In terms of demographics, online customers who buy luxury brands are primarily women ages 25 to 42. A high percentage of luxury e-tail customers also graduated from college and have income of more than $60,000 per year, Ashford.com vice president Michael Dell'Arciprete told the E-Commerce Times..." Most men are known to be last minute shoppers. Women on the other hand take the time and research about the product they are about to purchase. Especially if it a more expensive product. So it only makes sense that the new independent women who has the money to buy a diamond necklace for herself rather than wait to a man to buy it for her, would do it in a modern fashion. Especially when sites aware of this new demographic offer a money back guarantee. |
| WHO is using this stuff? |  Making
Tech for Women: Sony's Latest Laptop
By Mary Enderle, 08/17/04 E-Commerce Times "Women are looking for aesthetics as well as function when they buy technology, and the x505 is a notebook computer that you might want to share with everyone because it is the ultimate in exquisite design....Companies have started to focus on women as key influencers in the consumer technology purchase cycle." Despite the higher costs, this sounds like a great product! A lot more women are purchasing laptops these days. A few years ago mostly business men carried a lap top, now the functionality of a lap top has increased significantly. Students use them as their PCs, as well as professionals who travel a lot. So if Sony has a lap top that is light weight and can even fit in a larger purse, it can be said women are not going to be the only ones interested in this product. |
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"Just Ask A Woman"
written by Mary Lou Quinlan, April 2004, ISBN: 0471369209
This book gives an insight as to what exactly women want from businesses, and how a business can succumb to a woman's needs. Fact: Today more and more women are using technology to enhance their lives. But women use technology in ways that are purposeful to them. They do not like to use complicated items that has no purpose. They like to use technology in ways to make their hectic lives easier. Lesson #1: When using technology to create inventions, make the invention in a way that will ease her life. good example: Online Banking
bad example: computerized
dishwasher
Fact: When women do online shopping, or research, they will use more than one channel to find out about a brand. They will not just perform online research of shopping in malls, they will rate your brand based on their online experience as well. Women are very purposeful in their online activity. Lesson #2: Online stores should be built like a virtual store. Easy to use, easy to navigate with no hassles. An important aspect of all online sites is customer support; support should be made readily available to users. Example: ivillage.com has recently ridden its site of all pop-up ads in order to make women's experience more relaxing and hassle free. Fact: Majority of women use the internet for research purposes. Women like to use online communities in order to do research. Websites that offers bulletin boards where women can chat and talk to others about a variety of different topics are very useful to women. example: theknot.com A wedding website which has a huge online community where brides-to-be can get advice, mother-in-laws can get advice etc. Click on the picture to visit
the 'just ask a women' website.
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"Dont Think Pink"
written by Lisa Johnson and Andrea Learned, July 2004,
ISBN: 081440815x Chapter 9- The Internet Savvy Woman Facts:
30% of women who are faced with bad websites also stop shopping from their mortar stores. One bad online experience can ruin a customer's loyalty to that brand of not only their online channel, but their offline channels as well. The top 5 complaints of Online
Shopping-Study from Brigham Univeristy
Ways to Keep Women Online Improve functionality- Make the website functional and easy to use. Women like to be in control in their interactions. Organization- Make your site is organized and user friendly. When women shop, they shop with a specific purpose in mind. An organized site that helps them through this experience is a plus. example: REI.com is an online shopping site for hiking and camping gear. The site has checklists for any kind of trip and the gear you will need. Testimonials- offer testimonials from other women who have used their site, and write about their experiences. The Human Touch- Allow human connection online. Offer toll free numbers for customer service. With many users, just knowing that the option is there for human help when needed is a plus. List email addresses of experts for users to contact. Privacy- Make sure
that your standards and policies to ensurre privacy are made known to your
users.
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"Women Make The Best
Salesmen" written by Marion Luna Brem, April 2004, ISBN: 0385511620
Quote from pg 214 "Men may have written the first rules of business. That is understandable. They were the only ones allowed to do it at the time. But rules are being rewritten even as you read this. Now that women make up the majority of the buying public, it is only natural that what once worked in sales, doesn't necessarily work anymore." When marketing towards women,
you need to target their needs. Just like a marketing plan towards young
teens will differ that of a plan towars the young working adult, a plan
for men and women must be different and catered to.
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http://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/ - This website has journals and book listings about Women and e-commerce. Bizwomen also has events running throughout the year, and allows users to join and attend these events. www.ivillage.com- This website contains information for women from Health to Entertainment and shopping. There are various online communities and discussion boards where women can go to discuss a variety of different topics. One of the most popular websites for women. www.digital-women.com -provides an International online community for women in business, business women, and all women around the world. Inside you will find free business resources and tools including information about grants for women, free business tips, home business ideas, free marketing and sales tips, how to write a mission statement, free daily planner, how to business articles for women and an opportunity to join and promote your business right here! www.MsMoney.com
- Provides women business owners with resources, a community of peers,
and a central foundation to help take their business to the next level.The
mission of MsMoney Inc. is to educate and empower people to take control
of their financial health. We have created a variety of innovative online
tools and content that help achieve this goal. MsMoney's products include:
interactive seminars, CRM tools, calculators and content. MsMoney also
provides specialized consulting services to help organizations with their
marketing plans, design needs and women's initiatives.
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Gender Differences in Communication
 http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/2052/genddiff.html
A thought provoking page by academics about the ways men and women think differently, and subsequently interact differently online - which can allow for inferences in consumer patterns |
| These are some statistics
that predict future use of the internet by women based on the growth of
women online in the past 3 years
· Women will make up 60% of the online population by 2005 (NetSmart Research) · Women consumers online have passed the 10 million mark (CommerceNet) and women make 75% of their families’ financial decisions (Women’s Consumer Network) · *this means that online banking services are predominantly used by women! · 46% of women are decision-makers for technology purposes (Forrester Research) · 41% of women go online daily (Pew Research Center) -For more information on this article, click here |
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