Today’s online ecosystem is increasingly sophisticated and complex, making audience targeting and customer experience (CX) insanely important.
 
Success lies in having a deep understanding of your target audience – being able to see your products through their eyes – to deliver the perfect content and website experience.
 
Consider gender and generational differences for a fresh look at your online product marketing for 2018.
 

Gender behavior Drives CX

MEN	WOMEN
Like to systemize Shopping is a job to get done quickly, without fuss Attracted by website tools / functionality – the utilitarian side of things	Like to empathize Shopping is an interpersonal exercise and browsing is fun Attracted by social communication and eye-catching design

 
There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but in general, women focus on the experience while men focus on completing the mission. Women typically enjoy beautiful colors and layout, with social features like reviews. Men are more likely to want to get in and get out with an efficient process.
 
Whether you’re talking to people who are 21 or 51, do your due diligence and user testing to make sure you have the right look to hook your audience.

 
Don’t Call Them Middle-Aged

Women over 40 are part of a growing ageless generation of “perennials” who don’t dress, behave or purchase the way their mothers did. Perennials are a curious, tech-savvy, relevant, engaged demographic who are “ever-blooming.”
 

96% don’t consider themselves middle-aged 67% feel they are in the prime of life 84% don’t define themselves by age 91% feel advertisers don’t understand them

 

Forever Young

In 2016, 62% of those aged 55 – 64 were employed. And the overall population of older Americans is growing and expected to more than double by 2060. Although Millennials will eclipse other generations in the workforce in the next decade, they’re not there yet.
 
Don’t miss the mark with the big spenders of today – Generation X and Boomers – by focusing solely on Millennials. Including the perennials in your plan is a marketing win.
 
Need help putting customer data to work for you? Give the Signal team a call.

Jim Ellis has over 20 years of experience in marketing strategy and implementation throughout a variety of industry sectors. Since 1999 he has been with Signal, a digital agency based in Wilmington and Raleigh, North Carolina. Signal has proven strengths serving as the “local agency” for global companies, generating solid results in web design, brand identity, mobile app development, digital strategy and more. Jim provides counsel to many of the agency’s largest clients with an eye toward integrated communications and a vast knowledge of both traditional and modern practices. As a songwriter and musician with a business degree, he believes his artistic/corporate “dual personality” gives him added perspective to be an effective liaison between clients and Signal’s talented creative team. Originally from Ohio, Jim graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.S. in Business Administration.