Make way for the multiplier effect – Another feminine superpower!

Published on: August 31, 2022

Globally, women control about 80% of all consumer purchasing and have a multiplier effect on sales. They are gatekeepers to the purchases of other people in their social circles.  Even when a woman is not spending out of her wallet, she exercises significant influence – or at times veto, on someone else’s purchase. We see examples of how this plays out quite frequently. If a husband and wife visit a showroom for a new automobile purchase and the wife doesn’t like the car, the couple is unlikely to buy it.

If she likes it, even her friends will put a ring on it!

This multiplier effect can impact your sales in myriad ways. To illustrate, women are drivers of word-of-mouth publicity (which also means sharing on social media) for those in their personal and professional circles. Women routinely exchange notes on what they bought, where they bought it, deals, if any, on their purchases, and their overall shopping experience if they tried out a new shopping haunt.

Women discuss these things because they know their girlfriends share similar responsibilities, as primary providers for their households. They also face similar ‘gendered’ pressures to maintain societal benchmarks of personal grooming, maintaining social relations, kitchen skills, and keeping a squeaky-clean home to name a few. TBH, women go through similar experiences at different ages. So, for women, it is more of a moral duty to update the sisterhood about any resources that could make their lives a notch easier or ward them away from possible bad experiences. This is one way a happy female customer can create ripples through word-of-mouth publicity. She is the link to other potential buyers.

Love and labor are never lost with the ladies!

Another aspect of the multiplier effect stems from women assuming the responsibility of marking life’s major milestones, both within and outside the household. From bachelorette parties and baby showers to engagements and retirement parties. The celebrations, catering, decor, and gift giving are drivers of consumer spending and marketplace engagement.

The descendants of Venus indulge hugely in emotional labor. This phrase, for our understanding, reflects the efforts poured into caregiving and nurturing social relations. It means anticipating and catering to the emotional needs of other people, arranging social events so people get together, keeping a tab on other people’s appointments and check-ups, and remembering their shoe sizes, favorite colors, and pet peeves. 

Emotional labor is a woman saying to her partner, “Next Friday is your best friend’s first wedding anniversary. We must plan a surprise dinner for them!” This seems like a simple emotion but, when broken down, it is an elaborate five-act play. The first act is remembering the anniversary of the partner’s bestie. The second act is calling up the gang and making a plan to have dinner with them. The third act is reaching out to the guests and inviting them. The fourth act is deciding what the evening will entail - whether to have dinner at home or go out. The fifth act is actually executing the activities that evening. Women are constantly running checklists in their heads and even when they don’t call it ‘emotional labor’ that’s honestly what they are.

So this means that even if your customer doesn’t tell you how busy she is, you can safely assume that she has a lot on her mind. Any little way you can make it easy and convenient to do business with you will make her grateful and ever loyal. 

Women’s receptors are always scanning products and services that the people close to them might need or want. From a buying perspective, the impact of such purchases cannot be overlooked. And for those looking for a testimony, we have something to share - women buy a wider range of flowers and floral gifts. FernsnPetals, the largest florist chain in India, has an estimated turnover of Rs 500 crores, owns a sprawling 320 stores across the country, and a handful overseas!

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