October 24, 2005, Appleton Post Crescent
By Kathy Fredrickson
iMark Consulting - President
Retailers Should Focus on Keeping Female Shoppers Happy
I took a questionnaire at my sister’s bachelorette party this summer. Naturally, I had the top score when the results were tallied, especially when asked about her favorite activity. She’s a deal hound.
My sister is always sniffing out a sale. She’ll get up at 4:00 a.m. with a tryptophan hang-over to make it to an early bird special. At the register, she always seems to have some valued customer coupon to cash in on more savings. Basically, if it’s not a mark-down of a mark-down, it doesn’t touch her hands. As a successful career woman, she doesn’t need the bargain price. I think it’s the thrill of the hunt that drives her behavior.
It will be interesting to see once my sister has a kid on her hip and one in the stroller if she’ll still view herself as a ravenous hobby shopper. As a parent of a toddler with another on the way, shopping is a chore for me most of the time.
Mary Lou Quinlan, author of Just Ask A Woman, has spent most of her professional career helping companies understand the stresses women face and using those insights to make her customer experience better. A few local companies with a predominantly female customer base have either read a book like hers or understand women from doing their own research. Others have fallen behind, and as a result, are losing their female market share.
Quinlan describes women who are tried of waiting for service, efficiency and value as vigilante shoppers. These women feel angry and ignored as consumers, and take customer service into their own hands.
Quinlan provides some great examples. The first is border surveillance. A vigilante shopper will have preset perceptions of a store’s image and environment. If she sees congested lines at a checkout at the entrance, she’ll go the other way. Women use all their senses to survey, paying attention to smells, lighting, verbal exchanges between employees and customers and dirty floors. She locks away these experiences and forms an impression of the brand.
The second insight is patrolling the selling floor. She’ll dodge salespeople to save time because her main goal is to reach the checkout with what she needs.
Finally, when she completes her mission, she needs a quick way to get out of the store. If she does not see one, she’ll abort the mission to avoid aggravation.
Here’s a local getting in and out example. I shop at the Piggly Wiggly in Kaukauna during the day on Thursdays or Fridays because I usually have a very good chance of getting a spot right in front of their store. This means I don’t have to cross traffic with my daughter in tow. I know the Pig brand is not about low price, but that’s not important to me. I want the convenience and service they provide. I know the day crew will ALWAYS offer to help me load the bags into my car, allowing me the opportunity to get my daughter in her car seat. I’d be even more loyal to the store if they designated a couple of those coveted front row stalls for senior citizens and pregnant women.
Quinlan’s book and research should be at the top of the list for service and retail organizations depending on sales from women. Realizing that many women have become vigilante shoppers and are don’t have the time for leisurely shopping is the first step in developing innovative and respectful ways to connect.
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