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44 www.thejewelrybook.com L e a r n H o w w o m e n S H o p D i f f e r e n t Ly o n r e ta i l Peter Smith Ann Landers reportedly said, "At every party there are two kinds of people—those who want to go home and those who don't. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other." Landers' observation is both funny and poignant, and when I read it, I am reminded of the parallels between partygoers and shoppers. But while we frequently break down shoppers into segments—self-pur- chasers, gift-buyers, Gen X'ers, Millennials, etc.—we talk less about women shoppers and men shoppers and the differences between the two. As with any attempt to group any generation or segment of people into absolutes, we must take care not to assume that everyone fits a given profile or label. It is, however, reason- able to note that there are fundamental con- trasts between men and women, and we will better serve them if we understand some of those differences. Unlike men, who prefer the safety of what I'll refer to as "neutral-ground stuff" (fea- tures, data points, etc.), women are drawn to storytelling over stats and facts. It's not that she doesn't want to know the essential details, but that's not what inspires her to make a purchase. She is much more inter- ested in how it will work in her life and what good might come to her and/or her loved ones by making the purchase. She wants an emotive connection with her salesperson, and because she is typically hard- wired to look out for the interests of others, she needs to understand why she should buy it for herself. She wants to know more about the brand, what good it is doing beyond mere commercial self-interest, and why the world will be a better place if she spends her money on this particular purchase. Marc Gobe wrote in his book Emotional Branding, "What is most important is that women feel that they are dealing with a real brand personality that stands for something meaningful on some level, not an amor- phous corporate entity." Telling a story about how other customers have used your product or brand will always have more impact than trying to persuade her with a boring list of mean- ingless facts or data points. Tell her, in however small a way, how it will make her day easier, her life better. Tell her how it will save her time or, better still, elevate an experience or connection. I was having dinner recently with a col- league, Jessica. I asked her what was most important to her when she was shopping. She responded, "I want it to be less trans- actional and more of an event. I want a personal connection, a reason to engage with a salesperson." If, like me, you have read Bridget Brennan's Why She Buys or Kit Yarrow's Decoding the New Consumer Mind, you will know that women need a reason to buy for themselves. In many instances, they bring a little guilt into the store, believing they ought to be buying for others, not themselves. One of my wife's pet- peeves is that we don't often enough give women permission to buy. Go ahead, give her permission and share more of your sto- ries and less of your stats. Peter Smith is president of Memoire and the au- thor of two books, Hiring Squirrels: 12-Essential Interview Questions To Uncover Great Retail Sales Talent and Sell Something: Principles and Perspectives for Engaged Retail Salespeople, both available in print and kindle on Amazon.com. He can be reached at dublinsmith@yahoo.com or on LinkedIn. Tell her, in however small a way, how a product will make her day easier, her life better. Tell her how it will save her time or, better still, elevate an experience or connection. By Peter Smith Learn How Women Shop Differently Understanding shopping habits of men versus women can help maximize sales.

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