6 Tricks Companies Use to Sell to Women

6 Tricks Companies Use to Sell to Women6 Tricks Companies Use to Sell to WomenAccording to a report published by Nielsen, their estimated combined purchasing power ranges from $5 trillion to $15 trillion annually, and theyre expected to control two-thirds of consumer wealth within the next 10 years. Marketers are taking aim squarely at women, with an arsenal of tricks aimed at getting them to open their purses and spend big. Knowing what theyre up to gives you the necessary ammunition to protect yourself. They Guilt Trip You A lot of marketing works on guilt, says Martin Lindstrom, branding expert, neuromarketing consultant and author of Small Data. That particular emotion is mora effective in influencing womens wallets than it is for mens. Why? Research published in the Spanish Journal of Psychology shows women, quite simply, feel more guilt, largely because theyre socially conditioned to. Lindstrom says the guilt-trip works for two reasons. The first is emotional in that whatev er product or tafelgeschirr you buy will make you feel like a better mother, a better wife, or a better friend. The second is rational and focuses on the practicality of the product or service in that it will solve a specified problem like the lack of time in your schedule. They Infiltrate Your Feed How often do you check your Instagram? Nearly two-thirds of users are on the platform daily, and more than one-third of those make multiple pit-stops every day, according to the Pew Research Center. Keeping up with the Joneses has never been easier - and more addicting. It brings with it the pressureto spend. Social channels give you the ability to compare yourself to everyone across every dimension, explains Lindstrom. The result is that the drive to have that Instagram-worthy life has never been greater.? Advertisers know this, of course, and now pay celebrities and social influencers (i.e. people who have large social followings) to promote products and services through their soc ial channels. It can be tricky to tell fact from fiction (hashtags like ad and spon are supposed to alert you to paid-for posts but they arent always present). One thing thats clear is that more women are looking and liking. Among Internet users, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram are the top three social media platforms, and women participate more than men. They Create Context When marketing to women, advertisers are more likely to add context to the products use. This encourages you to mull on what the product would look like incorporated into your own life - and once you take possession of it in that (albeit imaginary) way, it shortens the purchasing process. They Promise to Turn Back the Clock Is there a fountain of youth? For marketers, there certainly is. With people begging for more hours in a day and trying to defy the effects of aging, it isnt surprising that research shows the more you use the word time or reference to it in an advertisement, it converts straight to sales, says Lindstrom. They Shrink the Size of Package Have you noticed certain beverages and products getting smaller? For instance, soft drink companies noticed women werent buying the full cans of soda anymore, because of the health concerns associated with them. The solution? Design smaller cans for women so they wouldnt feel as guilty, says Lindstrom. Consumers now pay more for less, and its working. Earlier this year, Coke announced that sales of its smaller packages (i.e. 8-packs of 12-ounce bottles and 7.5-ounce cans) continue to rise, while the sales of its larger bottles and cans continue to fall. They Bring Out Your Inner Huntress Women subconsciously want to hunt for a good deal, explains Lindstrom. The hunt is about feeling rewarded. To enable this behavior, stores purposely mess up their tables and hide products. If you have two tables next to each other - one thats neat versus one thats messy - the messy table sells 17 percent more, he says. You get even more competitive when shopping with a girlfriend, spending up to 12% more. Thats why its best to hunt alone. Music also comes into play, here. According to Lindstrom, if the beat is slower than the heartbeat rate, women buy 29% more. Research shows youre more likely to walk slower and therefore spend more time in the store. One way to avoid overspending altogether is to find all of the products you want to buy, leave them and then come back a day later. The dopamine reaction you initially had when you first saw the products is lower the second time around. The result? Half of those products will remain in the store.