The Gender Intelligent Retailer: Discover the Connection Between Women Consumers and Business Growth - Hardcover

Thomas Yaccato, Joanne; McSweeney, Sean

9780470841020: The Gender Intelligent Retailer: Discover the Connection Between Women Consumers and Business Growth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470841028 ISBN 13: 9780470841020

Publisher: Wiley, 2008

“Through engaging and direct analysis, Joanne Thomas Yaccato has drawn the line clearly for businesses—any successful client relationship strategy must consider the unique perspectives of women. Small, medium and large organizations can benefit from her witty and poignant observations.”

David I. McKay, Group Head, Canadian Banking, RBC

“In a lifestyle based company, Joanne’s thoughts come at you like a ‘best friend’ who’s not afraid to keep you grounded. In our case, Joanne’s perspective has allowed us to meet the changing needs of our customers over the years in a relevant and authentic way. The Gender Intelligent Retailer pushes the right buttons and creates dynamic conversations that make valuable differences in the retail shopping experience.”

Kerri Molinaro, President, IKEA Canada

“Joanne has done it again...empowering not only retailers, but consumers, employers and employees with market insight we need to know, and in many cases, should have known by now. Her research and analysis is filled with practical examples that will be an eye-opening read for businesses wondering why they aren’t connecting with the influential female consumer. The Gender Intelligent Retailer is a recipe for success.”

Mark Kelley, CBC News, The National

“Joanne Thomas Yaccato has done us all a big favour. The Gender Intelligent Retailershows us the ‘real’ world of women consumers. By helping to open our eyes to the world we live in, the book opens the doors of opportunity. It is often difficult for old institutions first to recognize and then to react to our changed and changing demands as a society. Joanne and Sean help us see and then navigate the new world with sound insights and an eye that sees our follies and then focuses on a better way to meet the demands of the future.”

Premier Gordon Campbell, Province of British Columbia

“Once again Joanne Thomas Yaccato has hit the mark with her new book The Gender Intelligent Retailer! Following on the footsteps of her previous bestseller – The 80% Minority – Joanne and her retail partner, Sean McSweeney, continue to unlock the secrets of marketing to women in an intelligent, caring, and holistic manner. She finds a way to intertwine humorous stories, imaginative analogies, and real life examples with quantifiable and powerful advice.”

Diane J. Brisebois, President & CEO, Retail Council of Canada

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap:

"Forget China, India and the internet: economic growth is driven by women."
—The Economist, April 2006

Women are incredibly discerning consumers who control 80 percent of the consumer dollar spent in the industrialized world. But the retail sector ranks poorly in its ability to serve and satisfy this major market, with research revealing that women feel they are not taken as seriously as men by the companies they do business with. The fact is that "marketing to women" initiatives will not fix this problem because women can smell a fem-marketing rat a mile away.

The way to reach women effectively is to put their consumer needs at the epicenter of your business strategy, and this is the book that explains why, and how to do it. The holistic or "organic" approach outlined in The Gender Intelligent Retailer—proven again and again in the authors' work with numerous organizations—shows that if you focus on what women want in a retail experience, you raise the bar for everyone. If you make it women-friendly, you make it everybody friendly.

Gender Intelligence is about creating a company-wide competency around what women consumers are looking for, and reflecting that in every aspect of your business: marketing, advertising, operations, store layout and design, product development, staff training, human resources, etc. This approach is not a short-term, "pink-washing" marketing gimmick that attracts women consumers temporarily, but rather a way of building lasting relationships with your key customers that result in increased market share and customer satisfaction for all customers.

The Gender Intelligent Retailer is full of examples and case studies of companies that have implemented Gender Intelligence and are reaping the benefits, including: The Home Depot, Sobeys, Allstate Insurance, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Government of British Columbia, Bruce Power, Shane Homes, and Petro-Canada.

Becoming a gender intelligent retailer is an effective way to create an environment that women want to visit, spend their money in, and tell all of their friends about—an approach that considers the needs of all your customers by focusing on women as the central consumer, and that can improve your results overall.

About the Author:

Joanne Thomas Yaccatois the president and founder of the Toronto-based consulting firm The Thomas Yaccato Group, known as Corporate Canada's Gender Lens. Since 1994, using Gender Intelligence, TYG has worked with companies globally helping them better connect with women consumers. Joanne is the author of three best-selling business books, Balancing Act, Raising Your Business and The 80% Minority. The family, which includes aerospace engineer husband Michael McNeill, 13-year old daughter Kathleen and demon dog Caley, live in King City, Ontario.

Sean McSweeney has held a number of management positions in his 10 years as a retail manager with Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). The Toronto store’s first gender-based store re-design was his brainchild and he has been instrumental in helping MEC win a number of environmental awards. Sean is a committed bike commuter, rain or shine, and has co-founded a charity event Run with the Sun to raise funds to for the fight against cancer. Sean lives in Toronto with his wife Nicole and their four children Patrick, Connor, Kieran and Maeve.

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