How Women Buy: The Spiral Path

Women make purchase decisions a bit differently than men, in that they take a more meandering approach (instinctively, don’t we all know this?). But most brands don’t research how women buy differently than men before setting about creating a new product, marketing campaign or sales initiative.

Gender culture affects a woman during every moment of her life. What you, the marketer, care about, though, are the moments when she is thinking about your product­, or your competitor’s product (heaven forbid). These are the consumer behavior moments you are trying to influence.

I simplify the consumer’s purchase process into five stages,

1. Activation
2. Nomination
3. Investigation and Decision
4. Retention
5. Recommendation

And here’s how that process looks for both men and women:

How Women Buy: The Spiral Path

As the Spiral Path graphic illustrates, from start to finish, women and men seek, search and research differently. Women have a more complex and detailed decision-making process when making a purchase. They tend to advance toward a decision in a series of cycles, often looping back to an earlier stage of the process as they reconsider previous decision factors and integrate new information, seeking the Perfect Answer.

So for the woman consumer, the group that makes 85% of all consumer purchases in the United States, how are you supporting her buying path?