Women and Gadgets are making the news these days. Retailers and marketers are realizing that women are a huge market for technology and gadgetry. This seems obvious when you get your mind around the fact that women buy or influence the purchase of most consumer goods these days.

The approach is everything. Men and women shop differently and are interested in technology in different ways. What I've noticed lately is the large number of tech/gadget sites for women. So far I haven't seen any important differences between sites like Popgadget:Personal Tech for Women and Shiny Shiny: A Girl's Guide to Gadgets and general gadget sites like Gizmodo and Engadget. All these sites seem to follow the same model. Short item specific reviews and news items. The primary difference seems to be in the contributers and the selection/viewpoint/personality they bring to the posts. That's a good start.

I think a better approach to appealing to women with Tech/gadget information would be an approach that focuses on desired functionality and features. For example examine problems or opportunities everyday women face in their daily lives and help them see how technology might solve a problem, meet a need, leverage an opportunity, etc.

For example: Technology and Commuting - a piece that would look at how technology can help women connect with those they need to connect with(Cell phone headsets, picture phones, SMS features), provide protection and security when it's needed(GPS, Panic alarms, Mace, cell phone use techniques), provide entertainment to pass the time(mobile gaming, MP3 players, mobile web access), support other commuting tasks like applying make up(PDAs as mirrors, picture phone use techniques), etc. The piece would talk about the features of top pick gadgets and what women can do with them. Sociological behavior and trends can be included as advice. "Want to rebuff that guy trying to pick you up on the train? Pop in your Ipod ear buds. It sends the message that you are tuned out and tuned in." or "Want to exchange numbers with that cute guy on the platform checking his PDA? You can set up a contact in your address book and 'beam' it to him. Here's how..." Of course voice and tone are important here.

The point is that women want to know what they can do with technology not just what the technology can do.

Comments

[Mia]

Peter,
I agree that the approaches are very similar, and there's definitely room for different angles, like the one you suggest but I think the important difference between something like Popgadget and say, Sync Magazine is that we are definitely welcoming women while many of the traditional tech/gadget magazines are actually woman-repellent, what with the bikini babes and the boorish lad humor that they tend to be filled with.

I keep hearing that study after study confirms that women are the harder sell, that they want to know what everything does but I also know many women, like myself, who are susceptible to the "it's cool, I want it" syndrome that's supposedly a male quality. I think balance is good, and more "do we really need it?" is in order.

A lot to think about, Peter, thank you.