Interesting new study on how men and women shop from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania:
Twenty percent of women said they were ignored by sales clerks, mostly because they thought the clerks were more interested in talking with each other about their weekend plans or were on the phone with friends. A whopping 47% of those women said they would never go back to that store.
More men recounted incidents of feeling snubbed, but only 22% of those men considered it a lifelong negative mark.
Men ditch stores, too, but their biggest reason to do so is when products are out of stock. Men complained they experienced that when shopping 24% of the time compared with it happening to women 21% of the time.
But here's the real kicker: Of those men who complained, 43% said they would never shop at those stores again; only 16% of women cited that as a reason to stay away. Some people did go back to stores they vowed never to return to -- less than one-third, according to the study -- but it took them close to a year to do so.
Twenty percent of women said they were ignored by sales clerks, mostly because they thought the clerks were more interested in talking with each other about their weekend plans or were on the phone with friends. A whopping 47% of those women said they would never go back to that store.
More men recounted incidents of feeling snubbed, but only 22% of those men considered it a lifelong negative mark.
Men ditch stores, too, but their biggest reason to do so is when products are out of stock. Men complained they experienced that when shopping 24% of the time compared with it happening to women 21% of the time.
But here's the real kicker: Of those men who complained, 43% said they would never shop at those stores again; only 16% of women cited that as a reason to stay away. Some people did go back to stores they vowed never to return to -- less than one-third, according to the study -- but it took them close to a year to do so.
Click here for more about the Wharton Study:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
The Wharton Study also indicated that for women being ignored is a loyalty issue. Our consumer focus groups consistently echo this sentiment as well. No one -- male or female -- likes it. We all have learned to deal with the occasional snotty sales associate, however, we cannot abide being ignored. And why should we? A store associate's job is to graciously and willingly help customers. And when a store associate cannot graciously and willingly help customers, it's time for the retailer to help them find a new job.
Click here to read our 2000 article "He Said / She Said: The Differences in the Way Men and Women Shop":
http://www.kizerandbender.com/pdf/HeSaid_SheSaid.pdf
Click here to read our 2000 article "He Said / She Said: The Differences in the Way Men and Women Shop":
http://www.kizerandbender.com/pdf/HeSaid_SheSaid.pdf
