One of the advantages you have as a woman online marketer is being able to relate to other women online. Since men are still working on what women want, you are uniquely positioned to market to this audience.
Our best understanding of this audience covers published data from 2012 – 2014. It’s likely the data estimates are somewhat similar or can be projected to be higher for 2016.
According to the Nielsen report in 2013, there were 14 million more women engaged in online activity than men (116 million women vs. 102 million men).
Women in terms of their decision powers have the advantage of making the majority of consumer purchases (85%) and financial services (93%). Within the decade they will control two-thirds of U.S. consumer wealth.
Women Online Activity
In terms of the activity for women online
- 58% make consumer purchases online
- 22% shop online at least once a day
- 92% pass along information about deals or finds to others
Group Features of Women Online
We can understand these women better by looking at different group features.
Moms – estimated $2.1 trillion in purchasing power
- 51% of the online audience
- 33% + are bloggers
- 3 hours/day average online activity
- 64% trust recommendations from personal social contacts
Working Moms
- 57% use social media to research products and services
Stay at home moms
- 71% unemployed with at least 1 child search for brand deals
Millennial Moms – 20% of U.S. moms
- 79% access social media with mobile devices
- 61% share content daily online
- 3.4 social media accounts vs 2.6 for all other moms (average)
Non-Moms – 19 million women without children
- 38% of women age 20-44
- 59% are single
- 17.5% identify as GLBTQ
- 75% have some college education
- 40% prioritize career success as number 1
- 1500 followers or friends on social media (average)
- 28 hours/week online
Business Women
While we don’t have any specifics of how many business women are online, it’s plausible to assume a good number are making business purchases online.
- 59% increase in the number of women-owned business (1997-2013)
- 62% question whether if the companies they buy from understand their needs as business owners
- 76% question whether most companies understand their needs as women
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor of Statistics in 2010, women were:
- 55% of purchasing agents
- 46% of purchasing managers
- 52% of wholesale and retail buyers
- 69% of HR managers
- 59% of financial managers
Baby Boomer Women (age 50 and over)
According to Pamela Lockard, CEO, founder of the direct marketing agency DMN3, these are some of the highlights for Baby Boomer Women.
- Super consumers (95% make household purchase decisions)
- Fasted growing demographic of U.S. population
- $19 trillion in combined net worth
- 30 million are online (9% of U.S. users)
- 22% shop online at least once/day
- 92% pass along information about deals to others
- $4 billion+ spent online according to Nielsen report, 2011
- Spend billions in the fastest growing e-commerce segment of apparel and accessories
- Prefer email communications
- Spend more time on social media, especially Facebook
- 41% of Facebook users are Boomers
- 48% of Twitter users are Boomers
- 53% of Pinterest users are Boomers
Women of Wealth and Affluence
We really don’t know much about their online habits, but I think it’s safe to assume they are just as engaged as the other groups of women we’ve profiled.
High-Net-Worth Women
- Wealthy women investors are growing at a faster rate than men
- 39% of the country’s top wealth earners are high-net-worth women
- 2.5 million have $4.2 trillion in combined assets
- 1.3 million women professionals and executives earn in excess of $100,000 annually
- 43% of women have assets of more than $500,000
Affluent Working Women (family incomes of $75,000 +)
- Growing segment of this population
- 94.3% access the Internet during an average month
- About 50% are estimated to be heavy Internet users
Do you think you can expand your product or service to a woman you haven’t thought of before?
Note: unless otherwise specified, all figures and information cited here come from the She Economy Report by Stephanie Holland and represent her original citations. Any changes in wording and abbreviations were made for clarity and content brevity while retaining the original content meaning.
Sources:
http://she-conomy.com/report/marketing-to-women-quick-fact
https://www.dmn3.com/dmn3-blog/what-you-should-know-about-the-boomer-woman-and-e-commerce
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Thanks for these percentages Joyce (saved me from having to do similar research in the upcoming days). It is important to know our market’s habits.
Even though the stats aren’t as up-to-date as I wish they could be, it sure does give a good idea of where we are heading. We need to get this information out there so women understand the impact they have already created and what it means for the future.
I agree about the women clients being out there. I am focused a great deal on women in transition in my business and I’m find one of two things — and possibly a combination of the two: 1. Women don’t feel they’re worth making the investment in themselves. 2. I’m looking for clients in the wrong places! 🙂 Love the topic and the stats. Thanks so much for bringing them up. One fact that can be extrapolated from the numbers is that women drive buying decisions of typically “male” products, such as vehicles./
Yes, it’s becoming more known that women are the major purchasers of cars. But, they are also becoming major players in gaming – high stakes poker and video gaming; traditional male sporting attendance and the purchase of sports related ancillary items; model trains and gun purchases. (I also think they have their sights on redesigning man-caves).
I just finished watching Mad Men and the entire show was about them trying to sell to women. That is the key demographic. I like your breakdown here.
Glad to hear that it tied into you Mad Men experience. That must have been an eye-opener.
I definitely am a working from home mom who shops and shares online, but not every day, for sure. These are interesting, indeed.
It will be interesting to see how much these stats change when the new data is out. I hope there’s still time for some balance in life. Sounds like you have your feet on the ground, or should I say boots?
Wow, Joyce. . . great information. Given that we are building an online community for women in business worldwide, this information is excellent for us to have in our hip pockets.
Thanks so much,
Linda
Seeing the information broken down into different groups really gives us a big insight as to how powerful female purchasing power has become. I think it can really help us all to narrow our focus to a segment of the market that works for us. All the best, Linda.
What a wealth of information Joyce! I have to admit I was a little surprised to see that 58% of women shop online, for some reason I would have thought it would be higher. But then thinking about my own online shopping behavior, it’s not uncommon for me to do my research online and then go to a local store to actually buy. Thanks for the inspiration and insights!
Marquita, 58% online shoppers are still powerful. But, with certain things, there is nothing like seeing it in person or being able to get a sense of feel or touch. I often feel more secure in buying something that I can physically connect with. Maybe after visual reality takes off, they will have visual touch.
What a fab resource you have created. I was aware of many of these stats but you have definitely opened my eye to several more. Women really do have more power than many may realize. Let’s use it wisely and make a positive difference in ways that serve, support, inspire, educate, enlighten and enjoy…..
It always makes a difference when you have facts and statistics to back you up. Yes, women are powerful and they are going to be an economic force to be reckoned with. Let’s all keep up the good work.
Hi Joyce,
Excellent post! Wow, learned so much about different groups of women and where I need to focus on 😉 Thanks for sharing this awesome information! It is so important to know WHO you are marketing too and where they hang out 🙂
That’s wonderful, Joan that it’s helping to focus of which groups of women who can benefit from what you offer.
this was such great information. Did not know we were all so powerful! Seriously, it is good to know that Baby Boomers are the fasted growing segment of the population. My product appeals especially to this market. Yippee!
Well, Alene happy to make you happy about your Baby Boomer market. You’re right on target.
These are some really terrific statistics to let sink in. Most of my clients are women targeting women. I’ll be sure to share your article with them.
Great Jennifer!. We need to get this information out there.
It’s great to know how active our demographic is. Thanks for sharing this information!
Agree, Reba. It really is a big demographic. And, it can really help those who market to women to find a group that resonates with their product or service.
Wow. That is a lot of women online. We do market to them but are barely reaching who & what we need despite marketing to our target audience. These stats are staggering.
Yes, Roz the state of women online are staggering. It gives us motivation to find ways to reach more of them.
Thanks for sharing these percentages. That’s interesting that 33% are mom who are bloggers. What do they consider mom bloggers? At what age group are they considered moms? Is it from 20s to 50s?
I don’t know how they determine who is a mom blogger, but it’s a very active group of bloggers. I think the whole process of trying to categorize the different kinds of bloggers is still evolving.
Such interesting statistics about women online. I found the Baby Bommer habits particularly fascinating, especially that 92 percent will pass on information about deals to others – what a brilliant tool the internet is for businesses.
Yes, that was a real surprise to me too that 92% pass on information. Makes us feel better that we are spending time on social media.
Joyce,
Great post and enjoyed reading the different statistics on women in categories. Thanks for the great Post.
Lori English
You’re welcome Lori. Thanks for commenting.
Wow, Joyce, these are amazing statistics. And yes, seeing them really helps me to reframe what I’m doing online. Thank you for this!
The stats were a surprise to me as well. They certainly are an eye-opener to other possibilities. I”m happyt o hear that it’s helping you to reframe what you’re doing.