WOMEN ARE SHOWING BUYING CLOUT
By Adnews Staff
More women are not only bringing home the bacon, they're also deciding how it will be spent, according to a statistics by Frankel & Co. of Chicago, a sales promotion agency. Women now control about 80% of the household spending. They buy 65% of all cars, 53% of all stocks, 51% of all sports equipment, 50% of all personal computers and 40% of all home improvement projects. Women are also very loyal to brands. Over 90% of women aged 18 to 39 advocate brands, they tend to view brands as a reflection of their personality and they recommend brands from a wide range of categories. Men, on the other hand, tend to stick to three categories: cars, technology and sports equipment. Women are more influenced by word-of-mouth than advertising when purchasing expensive items. Only 10% of women get most of their product information from advertising, while more than half rely on referrals of family, friends and neighbors. The study surveyed over 300 U.S. women through focus groups and telephone interviews.