Chapter 6: Looking Beyond Generations - The Buying Filters of Life Stages and Roles

Overview

Though the quickest way to segment the women's market may be by generation, the common cross-generational traits and roles a woman plays in the course of her life may carry even more weight. The unplanned -for circumstances and life experiences of the here and now may more directly affect a woman 's buying needs. For example, although she may have been born into Generation X, her most immediate needs may be all about taking care of her kids or heading up her own business.

When a brand's products and services support a woman's prime focus of the day ”her children, her career, the elder she cares for or her workout at the gym ”they reflect an awareness of the life stages and extenuating circumstances in her life.

For example, just imagine a group of today's mothers dropping off their children for preschool: some are age 45 and some are 28, some are running off to work and others are stay-at- homes , but their mommy life stage gives them more in common than not. When women are in the mom stage, you are less likely to tempt them with spontaneous travel opportunities or gourmet cooking clubs, because their focus is their kids (and their health, college tuition and so on) ” the time demands of which preclude many luxuries .

The shared emotions and concerns of moms can be described as one big filter through which they see everything during that particular life stage: products, ad campaigns and your company's social causes.

In this chapter, we'll explore a few key life stages for women and then go into the possible array of roles they might play in a lifetime (or even in a single day). It's fascinating to consider how many seemingly unrelated things can affect their consumer purchases, or filter their buying minds.