Make it sociable; watch it sell.

For women, shopping, more often than not, is a sociable experience. Why should a woman’s online retail experience be any different?

A new study by Dianne Cyr, Ph.D of Simon Fraser University explores why some Web sites appeal more to online female consumers than others.

Designing a Web site in a way that projects a warm and personal experience enables the site to create a psychological connection with the user. This is described as the site’s ‘social presence’; it’s ability to create the feeling of human contact. The results of Dr. Cyr’s study indicate that an increased ‘social presence’ on a Web site can lead women to become repeat visitors, and repeat customers to that site.

This ‘social presence’ is closely tied to the design of your site. Designers can increase the perception that your site is warm and sociable by infusing imagery and text on your site with emotion. Don’t focus solely on the functional attributes of your product; show your customers it’s emotional side as well. Good designers will find a way to use text, image and even comments from previous customers to paint an emotional picture of your product that will resonate with your female customers.

The more socially and emotionally connected women feel to your site, the more likely they will return and become loyal consumers.

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What type of online mom are you?

According to a new study by Razorfish and online community CafeMom, there is a predictable difference in media use between moms under the age of 35 and those over 45.

A child’s move into "teenhood" triggers different media consumption behaviours in mom.

Moms over 45 are spending more time online with traditional authorities and sources: online news, consumer reviews and podcasting. Moms under 35 are much more heavily reliant on social media and mobile to get information they are seeking quickly.

The study noted a change in behavior seems to occur in parents as their kids pass the age of 12, and this is apart from the parents' own age.

Moms of kids over 12 are more likely to watch online video, play games, read consumer reviews and watch or listen to podcasts.

The shift likely occurs as a result of increased leisure time moms with older children may have.

The yongest moms are actually among the least social online. They are also the most determined in finding information. The study reports moms with children under the age of 5 are spending less time interacting with others – they just want answers.

Razorfish and CafeMom segmented their moms into five different types of online behavioral clusters. There is:

• The "Self Expresser" who often has a pre-schooler, is hot on parenting topics, and likes to work on a personal profile page.
• "Utility Mom" usually has several kids of varying ages and goes online to unwind with games.
• The "Groupster" is a community organizer who builds and relies on larger social networks for advice.
• The "Info Seeker" often has a baby and tends to laser-target the information she needs.
• The "Hyperconnector" tends to have older children and likes to network and voice her opinion.

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Red vs Blue

New Canadian research in the journal Science says the colour blue prompts feelings of creativity and calm just by viewing it. Red, on the other hand, makes people more uptight and attentive to detail, says University of British Columbia marketing expert Rui Zhu, the senior study author.

People know intuitively, and scientifically, that colours create mood and ambience, says Zhu. But this new research suggests colours can also switch on predictable and specific states of mind.

The study demonstrates that red (versus blue) color induces primarily an avoidance (versus approach) response and that red enhances performance on a detail-oriented task, whereas blue enhances performance on a creative task.

The implications of this research are something to keep in mind when developing an interior or graphic design depending on the intended use or message.



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