Websites have now surpassed traditional forms of word-of-mouth as the preferred method among women for getting information about products and services, but when sharing information and opinions, women are still nearly three times more likely to do so with family and friends than to go online, according to a survey from Harbinger.

When sharing their opinions about products and services, 92% of women say they prefer face-to-face communications with family and friends over online methods. Even so, women use multiple channels to share information and opinions:

  • Face-to-face with strangers or casual acquaintances: 36%
  • Websites: 32%
  • Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn: 27%
  • Blogs: 11%
  • Twitter: 7%

Below, other findings from the Harbinger Women Word-of-Mouth study, conducted by Ipsos.

Seeking and Sharing Information, by Product Category

Most women look for guidance before buying: Only 28% of surveyed women decide what products or services to buy without looking for some kind of help. But their approaches vary significantly depending on their lifestage and the type of product involved.

Overall, women are more active discussing products that involve larger investments or personal experiences—and less active discussing those involving strong personal tastes or lifestyle preferences.

Across product categories, women are the most likely to find information about automobiles (89%), appliances (88%), and home electronics (86%)—and the least likely to find information about clothing and fashion (35%) and fashion jewelry or accessories (24%).

Similarly, women are the most likely to share information about appliances (80%), restaurants (78%), cars (74%), and entertainment (72%), and the least likely to share information about toys (34%), baby care products (32%), and fashion jewelry or accessories (30%).

Seeking and Sharing Information, by Lifestage

To study further differences in word-of-mouth practices among women, Harbinger defined six distinct lifestages:

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