Survey Says: American Women Prefer American Brands

As a small business owner, I definitely wear a lot of hats, one of them being Director of Marketing. That means I’m always looking for insights into my customers’ needs and wants, and being the primary employee, I’m certainly in the right place to mine that data. Yet I’m always interested in national surveys that are done and curious how applicable they are to my particular customer demographic.

I was particularly intrigued by a recent cross-generational  study done by Ipsos MediaCT  that tracked the most important factors influencing women’s and men’s brand preferences. Of course, brand reliability and trustworthiness, along with excellent customer service, were the top three influencers across generations and genders.

However, what impressed me was that a large percentage (68%) of women, do not believe that all brands are created equal . That number increased to 74% for Boomer women (ages 48-67). Furthermore, just over 60% of women choose brands based on whether or not the products are made in America or are part of an American brand (and again the numbers are higher for Boomer women). With many of my customers being part of that Boomer generational group, that certainly gives me food for thought as I consider what products I’ll bring into the store.

In addition, 47% of women shoppers choose brands which somehow give back to the community and 54% choose eco-friendly brands. Again, more data for me to use when buying products for the store.

So, I’m curious, if you’re a woman shopper, how true do these statistics ring for you? Even when shopping local, do you look for businesses that offer American made, eco-friendly or charity-related products? Are you more likely to support a business that is active in and gives back to your community? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment here or drop by the shop and fill me in.

~See you around town,