Social Networking Compounds Influence Women Have in Purchase Decisions

We all know the consumer power women yield in the marketplace.  Their influence is felt in almost every aspect of consumption.  Women account for 85% of all consumer purchases including everything from autos to health care.  Just to name a few:

American women spend about $5 trillion annually… Over half the U.S. GDP, and now according to The 2009 Women in Social Media Study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners, women are turning in even greater numbers to blogs (55%), social networks (75%) and online status updating (20%) as primary sources of community interaction, entertainment and information.

Of the 42 million women engaged in social media weekly:

• 55% of women participate in some form of blogging activity
• 75% participate in social networks such as Facebook or MySpace
• 20% use Twitter
• 45% of survey respondents decided to purchase an item after reading about it on a blog

The 2009 study found that women online are now more than ever before spending less time engaging in traditional media activities like:

• Reading the newspaper (39%)
• Reading magazines (36%)
• Listening to the radio (31%)
• Watching TV (30%)
• Talking on the phone (28%)
• Meeting in person            (19%)

Traditionally and generally, women tend to be more loyal and thoughtful consumers, and once they have a good experience are more likely to talk about it than their male counterparts.  That is why they traditionally have been such an important marketing target, and now with social media tools at their disposal this tendency and purchase influence is not only multiplied, but rather compounded.  Instead of telling 6 of their friends about a purchase experience they can easily tell 60 of their Facebook friends, or 600 of their blog readers.

The Executive Summary (PDF format) of the 2009 Women in Social Media Study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners.