Why brands cannot afford to ignore women

 

By SANTINA NYAGAH

It is Friday evening, I have a three week old baby and since I am on restricted movement after the birth of my son, I cannot go out to buy diapers.

I call my husband and ask him to pass by the supermarket with a request to buy a very specific brand of diapers.

It is a brand a friend of mine who is also a mum had recommended after I shared my frustration with diaper rash.

After a week of using the brand I am a happy mum and my little guy is free of the diaper rash.

When a friend delivers twin boys I share my experience with her and recommend the brand to her”

Women make 85 per cent of all household purchases and they influence the buying of the majority of consumer goods. They carry around more cash than men and they account for millions in consumer and business spending.

They also form the majority group of consumers who buy their items online.

Why is that so?

Women are social creatures and they rely and trust fellow women.

Just visit the numerous online groups on Facebook and other social networking sites, women are the majority.

They spend a significant amount of time looking for or sharing information.

We will refer our girlfriends to products and services we were happy with as well as share the bad experiences we have had.

When women become mothers this changes and our repertoire of referrals grow to include paediatricians, daycares, kids salons, diapers to use as well as where to buy baby Jeremy’s (who is now five years old) first school shoes.

We will compare our experiences with various products and services and carry our girlfriends’, now fellow mothers along when we change brand loyalties.

We will listen to what music our children are singing along to, watch our kids TV programmes, read their favourite books, use their toothpastes ... we are practically wired on all fronts.

And we will share our experiences in our social networks. Brands cannot ignore mums.

By speaking to and targeting mothers, brands have access to the latest and most vibrant marketing channels.

Let us say you wanted to introduce a range of baby products to the Kenyan market and want to find out first-hand what consumers feel about your products. What do you do?

Get a group of mums, create a focus group of about 20 mothers have them use the products and give you feedback.

If your product meets their needs, good luck to you, 90 per cent of your marketing has already been done for you.

A brand that earns a mother’s trust through providing a quality product or service will have made that mum and many others their ambassadors.

Ms Santina is a lifestyle blogger.