She’s the Customer, the Influencer, and the Key to Your Bottom Line

If you’re looking to grow your audience, revenue, or impact, I’ll save you some time: invite more women in.

It sounds simple, because it is. Women drive 85% of all purchase decisions in the U.S. and control more than 60% of personal wealth. That’s not a niche. That’s the economy.

And yet, in so many of the spaces and experiences built in our society today, women are still an afterthought.

Sports. Tech. Finance. Urban design. You name it. The world designs for “the general public” – and ends up designing for men.

We see it in the default color palette. The amenities offered (or missing). The layout of a stadium. The tone of the signage. Even in businesses that are doing fine, there’s an untapped opportunity to welcome women and provide an experience they want to engage.

Women’s impact on business is a triple-threat:

• Women make the purchasing calls for their entire family and, often, beyond. They’re the ones planning the trip, booking the tickets, managing the family calendar, and deciding where the money goes. They’re also the ones taking on the care of older and younger generations – making care and living arrangements for aging parents, tending to estates and trusts, investing for their children, or saving for the future. Women are not just consumers — they’re economic engines across every industry.
• Women are more likely to share experiences, influence peers, and rally behind the brands that make them feel seen. We’re not talking “social media influencer”-style, and this isn’t something an influencer relations hire can solve. Women innately influence not just what they and their families buy, but what entire networks around them choose as well.
• Women reward brands with exceptional loyalty when their values are reflected. And, they notice when those values are a miss. Take a look at the immediate example in Target. After the brand dropped its DEI commitments, shoppers (~63% of which are women) boycotted – resulting in reported revenue losses of over $12.4 billion at the time this article was written. 

That final lesson is the big one. In exchange for women’s loyalty, they want yours. You can’t pinkwash or “girlify” your brand into their good graces. Put away the promotional pom-poms and don’t expect a free Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon to cut it. (Although we do love breast cancer awareness, research, and all things women’s health. But you get the idea.) Real brand experiences for women authentically remove the barriers that have historically kept women on the sidelines. Create space made for them and they’ll do more than show up. They’ll share. They’ll lead. They’ll spend. And they’ll keep coming back.

Designing for women isn’t a marketing trick – it’s a strategy for sustainable growth. We help organizations look beyond their core demo and create experiences that welcome, reflect, and include the most powerful (and profitable) customer base in the world.

Build it for her. She’ll bring everyone else with her.