How retailers can target the female shopper of today

Female shoppers account for a huge proportion of the shopping demographic and have an enormous impact on the consumer marketplace. In the US alone, women make up just over half of the population, and they’re accountable for over $39trn (£29.9trn). This means they have significant purchasing power – putting them in charge of 30% of the world’s wealth.

With such a huge amount of buying power, it is clear that retailers should be engaging with female shoppers in the best ways possible in order to increase awareness and loyalty, and to drive sales.

At Nielsen, we have identified several key areas that retailers should be focusing on in order to better identify with female shoppers and gain their trust and loyalty.

Rethink pricing and promotion

With so much competition between supermarkets today, it can be hard to win loyalty in the grocery sector. Data from Nielsen’s State of the Nation (SOTN) report shows that female shoppers are more likely to shop around, with 58% preferring to shop in different stores to take advantage of offers. Moreover, 75% of women admit to always being on the lookout for promotions, in comparison to only 66% of men.

These numbers make it clear that competitive pricing should be a core element to any retailer’s strategy when looking to increase successful targeting of female shoppers. However, it is important that retailers know when to initiate offers and discounts, and where they are most effective. With online FMCG sales via supermarkets expected to hit £10bn by 2020 and our SOTN data revealing that 21% of women prefer to shop online for the convenience it offers, retailers should ensure that they are implementing pricing strategies online as well as in-store.

Engaging with eating and lifestyle trends

Retailers should also increase their efforts to understand their target audience better, as everyday habits and trends continue to evolve on what can feel like an almost daily basis. While it may have been appropriate to target female shoppers with cheap discounts on meaty microwave meals 30 years ago, our SOTN research also shows that female shoppers today are far more engaged with healthy living, with 62% saying they actively look for healthy products.

Healthy eating is just one aspect of evolving consumer trends. Awareness has also grown around the environmental impact of plastic waste. As a result, sustainability has become a bigger focus for female shoppers, and our SOTN research shows that 35% of women are more willing to pay for products with less plastic packaging, in comparison to 30% of men. Supermarkets are starting to make efforts on this issue, with Tesco announcing it will remove plastic-wrapped fruit and veg from its shelves and Asda introducing clothes made from recycled plastic.

Retailers should pay close attention to the evolving eating habits and lifestyle trends of female consumers if they want to effectively engage with them. There is a huge market for healthy and more sustainable brands as well as plant-based products, meaning supermarkets should invest in promoting these products more. They should also consider working with teams to devise more products that align with these tastes and lifestyles and introduce them to supermarket shelves.

The ways in which women shop in the supermarket is constantly changing. By truly understanding the shifting trends and tastes of female shoppers, retailers will ensure they are boosting the likelihood of customer loyalty among this important demographic.

Joanna Parman, UK commercial lead for consumer panel at Nielsen