8 tips for getting repeat business by females
We spend a lot of time talking about female clients – in particular the importance of females in the 40 – 60 year old age bracket or “prime time women”. Although I am not in that age bracket, I am a lady and, over the years, have developed some insight into the mindset. According to a much touted statistic, 85% of all brand purchases are made by…. *drum roll please*…women. I found a caption that described women as the “world’s great mega niche market” which I considered to be quite an understatement given that women represent more than half of the population in most countries.
The majority of dining decisions are also made by women. This doesn’t surprise me as just the other night I decided my partner and I would take a drive to a pub on the coast. I didn’t even ask, I just told him the plans for the night.
This brings me to the magical question:
“What do women want, how is it so different and how can a club or pub venue provide it?”
I have put together 8 female decision factors i.e. factors that make women want to visit and return to a venue. Here are the first two tips with more to follow next month. Implementing these tips is easy as it really is the little things that make a difference and can have a huge impact on the popularity of your venue and encourage revenue growth. Apologies if what I am saying appears one sided, but I can assure you women reading this will relate to at least six of my eight decision factors without fail. Here’s an insight into the female brain.
1. (Most) Women are always on a diet
I think all women think about their waistline from time to time which isn’t to say anything is done about it! It does mean that if a wrap or a salad is available instead of a sandwich or pizza, we will more often than not opt for the wrap or salad for the conscience factor. This also applies to cakes, I love nothing more than a warm brownie served with whipped cream and maybe some chocolate sauce on the side BUT I will only allow myself this indulgence once every couple of weeks. If I’m with another calorie-conscious lady I will gladly share – half a dessert doesn’t count anyway! I want this experience to be special and, if I’m with a friend, it is so lovely when two spoons are provided without asking. Don’t forget about the presentation of your dessert cabinet, it needs to look enticing. If it is not possible to display desserts attractively there is an easy solution; keep them boxed in the fridge and put a nice description on a menu card instead, and make sure you get staff upselling because when dessert is offered I rarely say no!
Other food related pointers include:
- Herbal teas – we love them, please stock them!
- Low fat options – even if they are not actually low fat, salads and ‘healthier’ alternatives are always welcome.
- Smaller portion options or share plates for starters and dessert – I will always order a starter and dessert if it is share-able.
2. Forget about age, it’s all about life stage
Traditional demographics are getting increasingly hard to apply with each new generation. While the baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, tended to marry early and have children early, it is common today to have one 40 year old female having sleepless nights with a newborn and another having sleepless nights over their 18 year old. There is no longer a group that is simply ‘females aged 20-40 years old’, the focus has switched to life stage rather than age.
So how does this affect the way your venue markets itself towards women?
Ladies from the boomer generation are now the healthiest, wealthiest, most active, educated and influential generation of women in history according to Barletta author of Prime Time Women. Forget using promises of fame and fortune to reach these ladies, the best campaigns for women in this life stage are focused on people that they already like, can relate to and are approachable. In other words, realistic women.
These are just two of eight tips with the remaining six to come next month. If you have any feedback or would like to get the facts on your venue’s demographics contact Samantha Litfin or call (07) 3878 9355.
