The perfect answer: How women shop

Published on: September 2, 2022

When stepping out for a new purchase, men look for a suitable product, while women set out on the hunt for the Perfect Answer.

The shopping process differs for the genders: men see shopping as a mission, whereas women see shopping as a journey. This is a manifestation of the single-minded orientation versus the multi-minded focus. Men describe the product or service they want in terms of the features most crucial to them, creating a short and crisp list of key decision criteria and then finding a suitable answer. When they find the match, they buy it – and they’re done. Women, however, begin with a general sense of the situation, keeping room for additional considerations that may turn up during the purchase process and continue to explore until they discover not just a workable option, but the best possible, perfect answer. Simply put: while men are buyers, women are shoppers.

Say a man is looking for a pair of black trousers. He’ll draw up precise criteria: pleated, boot-cut, less than Rs 5000. He hits up his usual suiting shop and heads straight for the trousers aisle. He might land what he’s looking for right away – awesome: he’ll buy it, jump into his car and head straight home to finish the last episode of his fav Netflix documentary. Or, he figures the store doesn’t stock the exact trousers he’s looking for – maybe the trousers are pleated but not boot-cut. Nine times out of ten, he will justify that the boot-cut is not the ne plus ultra of the trouser world, and besides who’s taking the pain of visiting another store? So, he’ll pick up what the store has, head home, and finish his series. Hey – a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do!

It's a fairly different story with a woman. When she is looking for a pair of black trousers, she’s weaving it in a context: I want black trousers to wear for the office party Friday evening. Essentially, her goal is dictated by its end use, rather than product features. When she enters the store, her eyes are scanning for black trousers that will measure up to this end. She would probably try on a few pairs which would be just fine for Friday evening. And as she’s mulling which ones to buy, other ideas flash in her mind. Are they dress-y enough to wear on other formal occasions? Would they shrink while she’s traveling? Could she wash them at home, or do they need to be dry-cleaned? Basically, instead of dropping criteria, she’d be adding them.

Now there is a problem: if the trousers don’t meet all her criteria, they are simply not the Perfect Answer. And would she settle for something good-enough when the perfect pair can just be a few stores away? No way! What if there’s a sale at the other store, or what if there’s a pair somewhere that would be ideal with the pink peplum top she bought last week? How can she know unless she has a look?

Ladies who read this far are probably nodding their heads and smiling secretly in agreement, while men would be shuddering in disbelief. The numbers are with me on this too: Globally, 61% of women are likely to visit several stores before finalizing their purchase.

My point is that it is extremely rare that women will commit early in the buying process. Their search for the Perfect Answer drives them to explore all options before deciding what to purchase. And the ball is now in the marketers’ court to assure them that they have indeed found “The One”.

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