Cars and Electronics are also on Women's Shopping Lists

By: WE Staff | Wednesday, 6 April 2022

According to the most recent data obtained by experts and manufacturers, women consumers are breaking new ground in the so-called male buying arena of vehicles, televisions, laptops, tablets, and home appliances in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to research firm GfK India, women homemakers now account for 40% of all electronic purchases, up from 28% in 2019. Since the start of the pandemic, women have also been key in driving the acquisition of a second car for the family. According to manufacturer estimates, the share of additional car purchases increased to 25% during Covid-19, up from 19% prior to the pandemic, with women buyers accounting for the majority of the increase.

Furthermore, according to GfK India, the average age of female electronics purchasers has dropped four years to 34 years in the last two years. Even in the case of automobiles, the average age has decreased, as a growing number of women enter the workforce and purchase a vehicle before marrying.

Maruti Suzuki, India's largest automaker, reported that, compared to the industry average of 49 percent purchasers aged 26 to 35, women account for 60 percent of all buyers. Women buyers at Tata Motors are now on average 34 years old, down from 37 years in the previous two years.

According to Shashank Srivastava, Maruti Suzuki's senior executive director of sales and marketing, there has been a significant growth in self-decision making by women buyers.  "When compared to 36% of women buyers choosing a type and a brand of car for themselves, five years ago, that number has shot up to 42%," he said.

Women accounted for 46 percent of several important consumer electronics product buying choices in India in 2021, according to GfK India managing director Nikhil Mathur. He said that women made up more than half of the buyers of washing machines and microwave ovens.

"Younger women are more interested in automating and remotely controlling aspects of their homes. Marketers are adopting innovative and personalised approaches to target different women shoppers across categories," said Mathur.

Product features, price, and brand are the top three purchasing reasons for women shoppers, according to GfK India. Women's preconceived bias toward a car or brand is far lower, according to automakers, and safety and feature-rich cars are their top priorities.  "There is a surge in women customers by about 21% in the last one year," said Rajan Amba, vice-president (sales, marketing and customer care) at Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles. According to him, this huge increase is due to an increase in demand for personal mobility since the outbreak of the pandemic.