November 26, 2012 (New York, NY) – SheSpeaks, the leading women’s influencer platform, and Lippe Taylor, the leading agency that specializes in motivating women to buy, today launched the “SheSpeaks/Lippe Taylor Women’s Buying Behavior Index.” This landmark survey of over 3,000 women nationwide provides insight into how women are feeling about everything from family finances and disposable income to what’s the worst holiday gift they have ever received from their in-laws. According to the National Retail Federation, shopping over this past holiday weekend was up 12% vs. a year ago. The “SheSpeaks/Lippe Taylor Women’s Buying Behavior Index” provides context and insight into the key drivers of holiday shopping from a woman’s perspective. The study is the first in what will be quarterly releases of data that will help brands and marketers better understand buying habits and forecast purchasing trends of American women.
SheSpeaks/Lippe Taylor Women's Buying Havior Index higlights include:
- Women are feeling tentative about their financial situation. While many are concerned, most (62%) plan to spend the same amount on consumer goods in the next six months.
- About two-thirds (65%) say they can only afford a few 'nice-to-have' items, and only 2% feel the freedom to purchase all of their families 'nice-to-haves.'
- Only 29% are 'very confident' that they will be able to cover their basic expenses in the coming year without using up savings or taking on debt.
- Yet, slightly more are at least 'somewhat comfortable' with their financial situation (40%) compared with 36% who are somewhat or very concerned.
- Brick and mortar stores seem to be losing ground as women surveyed plan to shop more digitally during the holidays.
- For key holiday spending days, digital has eclipsed in-store shopping, as slightly more plan to shop on Cyber Monday (55%) than Black Friday (50%).
- Pinterest is helping Santa decide what’s under the tree this year. The rise of social media may partially explain the increase in online holiday shopping.
- Pinterest is a popular source for gift ideas (60%).
- Many women also look at Pinterest for ideas of gifts they can make.
- Surprises are nice but getting what you want seems to be better!
- When it comes to holiday gifts, 41% say they want a complete surprise while 47% would like to get something they’ve hinted at and 12% want to spell it out and get exactly what they asked for.
- Parents and in-laws might want to ask for suggestions before buying holiday gifts. The worst gifts women have received from parents and in-laws include: panty hose, a re-gifted mug from a casino, used make-up, and a velour polka dot sweat suit.
- In this “50 Shades of Grey” year, romance still rules. When asked what they’d like this holiday season, most women would prefer a romantic night out (65%). Some would like sexy lingerie (25%), an erotic novel (17%) or a sex toy/vibrator (16%).
“Women drive the economy. Eighty-five percent of purchases of goods and services in the U.S. are made by women, and they highly influence the remaining fifteen percent. Understanding what motivates women to purchase and not purchase certain brands is a business imperative for all global marketers today. We hope our research with SheSpeaks will profoundly influence marketers and help them better understand why women buy,” said Maureen Lippe, CEO of Lippe Taylor.
“Women’s buying behaviors have changed with the advent of online and social media. It’s more important than ever for companies to better understand what motivates women to buy. This index will provide actionable insights for any company that sells their products to women,” said Aliza Freud, CEO of SheSpeaks.
Research methodology: The first “SheSpeaks/Lippe Taylor Women’s Buying Behavior Index” was fielded online among the 3,064 SheSpeaks panel members from November 12-15, 2012. The sample is comprised of U.S. women aged 18 years and older. Women in the SheSpeaks panel are socially active, both online and offline. To obtain a complete copy of the survey, please contact Nicole Vanderploeg (nvanderploeg@lippetaylor.com) or Laura DeLaurentis (ldelaurentis@lippetaylor.com).
About SheSpeaks
SheSpeaks is a social activation and consumer insights platform that connects brands with female consumers. The world’s most recognized brands work with SheSpeaks to build insight, spark consumer’s interest, spur authentic dialogue, generate earned media and build long-term brand advocacy. For more information, please contact Carol Milliron at carol@shespeaks.com or 404.276.0076.
About Lippe Taylor
Founded by Maureen Lippe, former editor at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue magazines, Lippe Taylor creates award winning campaigns for an impressive roster of clients in health and wellness, beauty, fashion and lifestyle. As a pioneer in marketing to women, Lippe Taylor specializes in helping brands “crack the code” on what motivates women to buy products. Since 1988, the independent agency has launched innovative programs for some of the world’s most significant brands such as Proctor & Gamble, Nestlé, Kao Corporation, L’Oreal, Clairol, The Limited, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Elizabeth Arden and IKEA. Lippe Taylor also owns ShopPR, an agency that specializes in what’s “New, Now, Next.” Since 1998, ShopPR has created brand building campaigns for Estée Lauder Companies, Paul Mitchell, philosophy, Alberto Culver and Jo Malone, among others.
