Effectively Marketing to Women Online

Are women buying online? Is anyone buying online these days? In a word, yes. Women make 80 percent of the buying choices in most U.S. homes, so marketing to women online can increase your bottom line if you do it right. You can get women to shop at your Web site with these tips on how to market to them effectively.

Major Turn-Offs

Not surprisingly, attracting women to your site has more to do with their shopping attitudes than just about anything else.

What makes a woman bail before she fills her shopping cart? One major shopping turn-off is high or seemingly unfair shipping prices. Many an online shopper has made it all the way to the last step, confirming the order, when she sees high shipping costs and retreats to a more shipping-friendly online retailer. If you think women shoppers don't pay attention to those costs, try offering free shipping for a short time and see how it increases sales.

Another major turn-off for most women: Those cutesy pop-up videos or audios that launch when they open your site. Most women consider those little annoyances a major pet peeve, and they can't close your site fast enough. Don't make it difficult for them to find what they need. You've already enticed them to visit; now make it well-designed and easy to navigate, and get rid of the automatic audios and videos if you want them to stay and shop.

Major Turn-Ons

OK, you've discovered what turns women off when it comes to shopping your site, but what entices them to come in and spend money?

Contests are one big way, especially contests where they can come back every day and enter for a chance to win a prize. Make it a great prize, like cash, a room makeover, or a hot new appliance or techie item, and it will pique their interest.

Another turn-on for women is freebies. Offer them a free sample of something if they purchase. Or offer them a coupon for a discount or free shipping and they're more likely to shop your site. Women shoppers love to think they're getting a deal, and they love to save money. If you can offer them good value for their hard-earned dollars, along with a free gift or discount, you'll create loyal shoppers that check your site first before looking anywhere else.

You can market to women online. You just have to recognize their needs and wants. Women want to be able to shop quickly and easily without distractions; they want free offers, reasonable shipping, and good-quality products they know they can trust. If you can provide those things, you are marketing to women effectively.