Gender differences in digital marketing

Out of the many aspects that can influence a customer’s decision making behaviour, one of the major factors is gender. Men and women approach shopping with different motives, perspectives, rationales and considerations.

According to Mpinganjira, M (2014) research shows that customers have a range of underlying motivations triggering their shopping behaviours, but there are essentially two types of shopping motives:

Utilitarian: The conscious pursuit of an intended consequence. Essentially, meaning you’re shopping “to get something done”.
Hedonic: Related to intrinsic and emotional responses. In other words, you’re shopping because you love it.

Men tend to follow a utilitarian, more logic-based approach. You need to tell them why they should buy your products and why it makes sense for them to purchase it. Get to the point quickly, focus on the products, and use active statements that demonstrate value.

Women are mostly hedonic shoppers. To reach and engage women, you will have to create emotive shopping experiences that resonate with them. A purely functional approach can fall flat pretty quickly. Women want to know more about you, your brand, the lifestyle you sell and how your products are going to make them feel.

Example: asos

Women make decisions on a more emotional level, whereas men approach decision-making with facts and data

Once a consumer recognizes the need for a certain product or service, information needs to be gathered and processed to evaluate alternatives. Research shows that men and women differ dramatically in their strategies for information processing and decision-making.

Women tend to be more comprehensive and take both subjective (customer reviews) and objective information into consideration, while men tend to favour objective information (make, model, speed etc.) over subjective information.

Men are loyal to brands, women are loyal to good service

The findings suggest that when advertising to women, it is important to use marketing to build a personal relationship with female customers while when marketing to men, you should highlight the advantages and benefits of your products.

7. Good customer service? Woman want to feel important, Men want to get out fast

Providing good service and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction, regardless of gender, is one of the most important KPI’s in contemporary marketing, because satisfied customers tend to be more loyal and consume more.

For men, good services means helping them find the right item and helping them get through checkout quickly.

Male consumers would benefit by:

Being More Price Conscious and Less Time-Sensitive. When purchasing personal products, men should apply the same techniques they use when making business purchases: understanding how the product is used, who uses it, which features are necessary, and what is offered at different price points. This process takes longer, but results in more effective product purchasing.
Anticipating Future Needs. Unlike women who shop based on future needs (food for next week, a dress for an upcoming anniversary), men tend to purchase when the need is immediate, limiting the ability to compare or take advantage of discounts, deals, or out-of-season sales.

Communicating Information

Differences exist between men and women in terms of communication

marketing for men might simply explain the benefits of buying the latest car. To market to women, showing a mother putting her child in the car first sets up an emotional context some women might relate to