Says Gustav Goosen, CEO of The SpaceStation, "Overall the results show that women browsing IAB premium publisher sites in South Africa are key decision makers and highly influential amongst their peers. They are well educated, have significant disposable income, place high value on quality brands and are willing to spending money on them.
76% of women respondents read online reviews before buying a product and 77% look to websites for inspiration on what to buy. An overwhelming 74% of women surveyed believe that it is easier to research a product online than asking a sales assistant in store. It's clear that the internet has significant impact on informing the purchasing decisions of female consumers in South Africa, both with online research and the convenience of shopping online.
Female internet users are well educated and have a higher household income than women of any other media type. The household income amongst internet users is 22% higher than that of the next media type, and 64% have a tertiary education.
Financial independence and financial planning are clearly important to women who are online. 44% of IAB female poll respondents contribute the largest share to household finances. When it comes to important financial decisions, respondents on publisher sites rate significantly higher than general AMPS internet users:
- 57% have life cover compared to just 17%,
- 58% have medical aid compared to just 28%,
- 56% have car insurance compared to only 8%, and
- 48% have a credit card compared to 9% of AMPS women online in SA
Saving for children's education is also high on the priority list with a third of these female respondents having a policy in place.
Women internet users spend more on cosmetics than other media types. When it comes to luxury items such as perfume, sunglasses, jewellery and watches the respondents had significantly higher spend compared to general internet users or to the AMPS population. This speaks to the higher household income in the online environment, and demonstrates an empowered female audience.
When it comes to beauty and fashion content, 56% say they would like to read articles about the best products for various skin types, 60% want to read online reviews of new products and 71% like to share information about great online deals or fantastic websites with their friends and peers. They like websites that show how to adapt fashion to various body types and age groups, and overwhelmingly think that SA sites are up to date with the international fashion world, which is positive affirmation for local premium content publishers.
Home and décor is also of high interest, with 88% being inspired by photos of beautiful homes and gardens, and 69% who love reading home and décor articles online. With 73% actively looking for ideas to update their homes, and having the spending and decision-making power to do so, this is a ripe audience for advertisers in this sector, especially those that are e-commerce enabled.
Says Vicki Steenkamp, Channel Manager at The SpaceStation, representing the Women's Interest portfolio: "It is clear from these results that advertisers using the IAB publisher sites have access to a female audience that knows exactly what they want and are empowered to spend money. They are the decision-makers and the income earners and are highly valued."
If you would like more information about this research, please contact The SpaceStation through our website, www.thespacestation.co.za/contact-us or @SpaceStationZA on Twitter.
