They say women love to shop and I'd say "they" are mostly correct. We shop regularly at bricks-and-mortar retail shops, boutiques, and department stores; browse flea markets and thrift shops; and
cruise online stores with a terrific sense of mission. But what do we really look for when we're shopping? Is price the all-consuming factor? A new survey conducted for
ShopSmart magazine by
Consumer Reports National Research Center offers an insider look at women's shopping tactics and trends.
The magazine's ShopSmart Opinion Poll reports that 76 percent of American women
enjoy shopping, and the average woman spends 7.4 hours per week (or 385 hours annually) shopping. One-third of those polled say the most stressful part of shopping is waiting in checkout lines,
followed closely by interacting with salespeople (29 percent). That's for sure! We are learning to say a mantra while we wait. The survey found that 87 percent of women say getting the best price
remains the most important thing, and only one out of four would rather save time than save money. Overall, 95 percent of women purchased a common non-grocery product or service over the past
three months. The most popular item was clothing (77 percent), followed by shoes (58 percent), cosmetics (56 percent), and vitamins or supplements (52 percent). This sounds about right to me. The
poll finds that as the primary shoppers for their families, a majority of American women find the best bargains at discount department stores like Wal-Mart and Target (57 percent). Surprisingly, few
women felt that the best deals were to be had on the Web (17 percent), and even fewer for outlet stores/malls (11 percent), other discount stores (9 percent) like T.J Maxx or Marshalls, and big-box
stores (8 percent) like Costco or Sam's Club.
Now get this: While price is an important consideration with shopping, price is least important when purchasing lingerie (56 percent), sporting
goods (55 percent), auto repair (53 percent), vitamins or supplements (53 percent), and cosmetics (51 percent). This also sound right on target, at least for me.
However, a significant number
of women said that price is key when purchasing clothing/groceries (72 percent); travel (70 percent); and house wares/small appliances (69 percent). Cautious about outside shopping advice, shoppers
rely mostly on friends and family (45 percent) as trusted sources for shopping and products to avoid buyer's remorse. (Gotta love that word-of-mouth marketing). The least trusted sources of shopping
advice were salespeople (39 percent) and advertising (31 percent).
The Consumer Reports National Research Center administered the survey online to 1,264 random women May 22-24, 2006. Among
those women, the median age was 43 years old; 43 percent had at least a four-year college degree and earned a median income of $54,400. Overall, 60 percent of the women were married.
Hey, All You Stars... It's that time again: MediaPost seeks nominations for the
Online All Stars. We are seeking individuals who exemplify excellence and leadership in online media, marketing and advertising. Media company executives and online ad technology
providers/vendors will not be considered. The editors will select three marketers, three media agency strategists and three creative directors who passionately evangelize and deploy
digital media and marketing strategies. The All Stars will be feted at a party on Sept. 25 during the OMMA Conference & Expo and honored in the pages of OMMA magazine's October issue.
Send all nominations to telkin@mediapost.com with "All Stars" in the subject line by Aug. 4. |