More research on what women want

The online survey was conducted over a five day period and reached 50 000 women via email – all permission based subscribers. According to thirtyfour, online marketing as a medium should “unquestionably” be a primary part of the marketing mix for South African marketers to target consumers.

“We were completely overwhelmed by the response and indeed the level of personal information and insights that these women freely parted with. The personal nature of the web is clearly demonstrated in the eagerness of this market to share their inner-most desires, as well as their lifestyle challenges,” says Andrea Mitchell, head of digital at thirtyfour.

The survey reveals that female online users in South Africa between the ages of 25 and 40 are predominately:

• Employed in either administrative, managerial or professional roles
  
• Live in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal
  
• 50.8% are married, 29% in committed relationships, 20.6% are single and 7.7% divorced.
  
• The majority do not have children; of those that do, they have one or two children under the age of 5, followed by age 6 to 8
  
• The results also revealed that this market would welcome online information and newsletters on how to parent a child in the communications era.
  
• 64% socialise with friends less than once a week, but more than once a month, with 29% going out three times a week. The majority of those surveyed indicated that due to the hectic role of juggling home and work life, they now “socialise” online using email, blogs or other viral means to catch up and stay in touch with friends and family.
  
• 85.1% are health conscious, but only 41.9% attend a gym
  
• 79.1% indicated they enjoy alcohol on a regular basis. The interesting trend towards women drinking out of bottles is sparked by the current safety consciousness of drug date rape drugs poured into easily accessible glasses.
  
• 61.5% cited they were trendy, but unique – sparking the thought that although we live in a global world, strong individualism exists, which needs to be noted by marketers often seeking to impose a one size fits all philosophy on consumers.

“Gone are the days when companies owned brands; we have a complete role reversal with consumers now owning and directing the brands themselves. It's time to accept this as fact and help marketers to truly connect with their brand's consumers and shoppers alike,” says Morne Fourie, head of offline activation at thirtyfour, himself a retail marketing specialist.

“This has given us much insight into how women want to be communicated with and how we should tailor our communications to suit.”