What do Target, iPod and Hoover have in common? These brands have learned how to catch a woman's eye.
I know. Enough already about Target and iPod, you say! Still, for those of you interested in the women's market in particular, the connection between increasing sales with your female customers and the rise of aesthetic value is worth a closer look.
Product design matters
Why do a fair number of women buy Aveda products over the shampoo at the grocery store? And what is all this buzz about Method, a natural cleaning product brand with the tagline, "People Against Dirty"? It's all about package design.
In general, a shampoo is a shampoo and the value is the same, so we'd assume that women would forever choose the Suave thing and go for the cheapest. But it ain't necessarily so.
If that's the case, how is a brand to compete in the milquetoast, everything-is-equal, marketplace? Add a touch of the aesthetic to the experience. The beautiful, simple shapes of the Method bottles with clean labels are so unusual, for example, that they simply draw the buying eye.
Women, who are looking to find the brands that seem to "know" them best, will find some of that in products that appeal to their senses. Things that look and feel like they are hip or luxurious in some way add value beyond the direct purpose.
If there must be bottles on a bathroom counter or in the shower, then why shouldn't brands that stand out from the sea of competition align their packaging with their core customer's idea of beautiful or fun?
Women are surprised and delighted when a brand conducts a bit more research to produce some form as well as function, like the relatively new Hoover EmPower. The features and benefits are on par with those of other vacuum cleaners, but the fun factor is increased.
Just as the iPod Mini could really be any other MP3 player when you get down to it, it is the style, weight and color choices that have driven the unending buzz and unyielding devotion.
The reality is that the products with some aesthetic value have more than likely heard, directly from the source, what their core women's market wants and how they want it.
The design of the retail environment also counts
Like the more-designed products, retail environments that make more of a commitment to their women's market in the interior design and layout are catching many a woman's eye.
Eq-life, Best Buy's new concept store for Baby Boom-aged women, is an example of a store that may take a bit of getting used to, because it does incorporate so much attention to design. The scale of the first store, outside of Minneapolis, is more human. The palette of the walls and interior design are akin to a high-end spa's (one of which also resides within the space), and there is space to meander, ponder and read the product information about the mix of health, wellness and consumer electronic products.
The store designers also knew, right from the start, to plan for an edited product mix—so even the laptops and other electronics are displayed in a salon-like, uncluttered way.
Other retail environments that reflect significant women's market input include your local high-end women's clothing retailer. This is an obvious one, I realize. But wow, what things any other retailer might learn from their example!
