Woman-Centric Matters

Visit our home on the web: www.womancentricmatters.com Taking a woman-centric approach means designing everything from her perspective: * The actual product or service * Her experiences using it * Marketing * Etc. At its core is understanding female customers. In addition, woman-centric approaches are rooted in a keen appreciation for how women differ from men in their purchase decision process, as well as insights into why they buy.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

New Woman-Centric Home Design




Design Basics, the mother company of Woman-Centric Matters, has announced that their currently featured home plan is the brand new Babineaux. It is a Woman-Centric Matters design with some great features, including walk-in closets in 3 of the 4 bedrooms, a quaint covered front porch, and a 3-car garage positioned in such a way that the 3rd bay could be set up as awesome extra storage if you don't need it for a car.

Designed with a family in mind, the home also has a rear foyer entry with lockers and a drop zone where cell phones, laptops and other *essentials* can be recharged and kept handy, ready for the family to pick up quickly on their way out the door. All the bedrooms are upstairs, and there is room for expansion of the master bedroom's walk-in closet. There is also room for adding an optional 3/4 bath, a great idea when everyone needs to get ready at the same time in the morning. The laundry room is located upstairs, too, making it easier for busy family members to get their clothes where they need to go.

Flexibility is built-in with the Babineaux. Having 4 bedrooms means smaller families have room for a study space for the kids, an exercise room, or even a game room. Downstairs there is a *flex room* that can be used as a home office or den, or whatever a busy lifestyle requires.

To learn more about the new Babineaux, visit: www.designbasics.com/29321

Labels: , ,

Monday, February 26, 2007

Baby Boom-era women may be the most powerful demographic in the United States. They've got spending power. They're the fastest-growing segment of entrepreneurs. They're educated. And they want more.

Those are the intriguing first lines of an article today’s Entrepreneur Magazine online highlights. Originally appearing in Tulsa World newspaper, the article goes on to define the “more” that Boomer women want. New careers seem to be at the top of the list, with the sentiment being “why not?”

The article says, “A 2005 survey by Princeton Survey Research found large percentages of Boomers are planning on new careers later in life focusing on helping the poor and elderly, or working in health care or education.” Political pursuits, artistic endeavors, and expanding current pursuits in new directions are some of the career re-directs focused on in the article.

As further explanation, Tulsa World says, “Record numbers of Boomer women are switching careers or starting businesses later in life, looking at the traditional retirement age as a time of learning and self-discovery or reinventing oneself, according to surveys by the AARP and Ameriprise Financial.”

To read the entire article, go to: http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=070218_Fa_d1_extreme

Labels: , , ,

Friday, February 23, 2007

Buying Power of African American Women

According to today's Clarion-Ledger out of Mississippi, African American women are an economic force to be reckoned with, often more than women in general. It's not just a local source coming to that conclusion either. Sources cited for the article include: Consumer Expenditures 2004; World Of Wonder II: How We Define Success, 2005; Roper NOP World Health & Beauty Aids Study, May 2005; AC Nielsen Homescan, 2005; 2005 Fall, MRI Buying Styles; www.essence.com

The Clarion-Ledger reports the following findings:

# African-American women make up 12 percent of the U.S. population and account for 21 percent of all hair-care purchases.

# In 2004, African-American women spent $817 million on products in 34 beauty-related categories.

# Forty-three percent of African-American women buy products that enhance their natural beauty, compared to 20 percent of women in the general market.

# 61 percent of African-American women prefer products that are labeled all-natural, compared to 47 percent of general market women.

# 92 percent of African-American women use health and beauty products to assert their individuality, compared to 56 percent of general market women.

# 42 percent of African-American women will pay extra for products that conform to their image, compared to 31 percent of general market women.

# African-American women are four times more likely to decide which health/beauty products to buy based on packaging, compared to general market women.

To view the Clarion Ledge article, go to: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070222/FEAT05/702220302/1023

Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Woman-Centric Home Built INSIDE Civic Center

We just have to brag a bit about one of our Woman-Centric Matters(sm) licensees. Some of our staff will be attending the show to take photos and talk to the press. As soon as they make the pics available, we'll post them here. It should be pretty cool to have an entire house built inside the exhibit hall!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


INNOVATIVE “WOMAN-CENTRIC” DESIGN UNVEILED AT HOME SHOW
Using New Design Concept, House Built Inside Civic Center


Omaha, NE (February 23, 2007) - Woman-Centric Matters(sm), a division of Design Basics, the nation’s largest home plan design service to the building industry, is pleased to announce the unveiling of Illinois’ first woman-centric model home at the 2007 Spring Home Show, February 23 through 25, at the Peoria Civic Center.

Built by Schieler & Rassi Quality Builders, the 2,088 square foot ranch-style modular home has been constructed, furnished, decorated, and landscaped inside the Peoria Civic Center Exhibit Hall. After the show, the home will be moved to Schieler & Rassi’s Model Home Center in Goodfield, IL, for permanent display.

Woman-centric homes intuitively appeal to women, according to Linda Reimer, President of Design Basics. Reimer explained that after conducting numerous focus groups with women of all ages and backgrounds from across the country, Design Basics discovered there are four primary aspects that are important to women when selecting a home plan: flexible living spaces; entertaining; storage; and de-stressing areas. “Because of the livability of woman-centric homes, the homes are popular with men, too. From both an economic and a design standpoint, builders just can’t afford to continue offering the same old home designs. You have to look at a design through the lens of ‘how does the home live?’ because that’s the way women view a home,” said Reimer.

Schieler & Rassi Quality Builders ( http://www.schieler-rassi.com/ ) is the Peoria area’s exclusive licensee of the Woman-Centric Matters(sm) brand, a program of support and education that helps builders become remarkable as they transform their attitudes and business practices based on the woman’s perspective. Ted Schieler, General Manager of Schieler & Rassi Quality Builders, says, “Woman-Centric design makes so much sense, and it’s such a good fit with our company’s long-standing dedication to innovation and superb customer service. Deciding to become a Woman-Centric Matters(sm) licensee was an easy choice.”

Sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Greater Peoria, the annual Spring Home Show is the premier building event in Central Illinois with over 20,000 people attending over the 3 day weekend. Schieler says, “As past President of the builders association, I know how important this event is. And I know I speak for our whole team at Schieler & Rassi when I say we are honored to have this opportunity to introduce Central Illinois to woman-centric home design.”

###

Note to media professionals:
Woman-Centric Matters(sm) is a division of Design Basics, Inc. Whether it is a home plan, product or service, Woman-Centric Matters(sm) designs solutions from a woman’s perspective. For more information, visit http://www.womancentricmatters.com/ or contact Melissa Arnold, PR Coordinator, Melissa @ womancentricmatters.com

Labels: , , , ,

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Woman-Centric Luxury Hotel Design

Hotels began centuries ago as humble folk simply letting out a room of their house for a night or so to passersby. Hotel design has gone through various stages and incarnations through the years, sometimes, regrettably, going so far as to tear down historic properties to build new modern facilities in their place. From about the 60’s forward, the styles varied little as hoteliers strived to give the guest the same basic experience throughout a particular brand’s properties. One hotel didn’t really vary much from any other, and once you walked into the room, just about the only way to tell which brand you were staying at was to look for the logos. Now the “new” trend in hotels is to make them more like home with each property having an increased level of comfort and personality. Apparently the big surge right now is in luxury hotels, owned and designed by women who give the hotels an “at home” feel.

A recent article in the Chattanoogan reports:

After many years of male domination, the luxury hospitality market is now experiencing a new trend - luxury hotels, resorts and villas owned and designed by women. From Shambala Estate in Bali, the high-end Lindian Village in Rhodes, Greece and Casa Colonial in the Dominican Republic to the ultra chic Cerulean-Villa on St. Barnes Bay, Anguilla women are now leading the charge in ownership and design of unique luxury hotels and resorts.

The end-result is hotels, resorts and villas that focus on the smallest details and design elements which incorporate comfort and style into communal areas to provide an ‘at home’ atmosphere. Another factor that distinguishes this group from its male counterparts is the commitment to using high-end materials for a truly luxurious experience.

In addition to purchasing high-end properties, women are also designing hotels with an emphasis on providing the ultimate guest experience along with conveniences and comforts of an upscale home. Attention to detail is the focus among female architects and hotel/resort owners.

To read the entire article, visit:http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_101421.asp

Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Happy Valentines Day!

Valentine’s Day has officially conquered Japan according to a Time Magazine article. The first Valentine’s Day sale in Japan took place in 1958. Today, according to the Chocolate and Cocoa Association of Japan, $400 million was spent in chocolate purchases in the crucial days leading up to the holiday of love.

Japan has a different take on the holiday, though. Japanese women are the ones who give the gifts on February 14, sometimes quite elaborate, to the significant men in their lives.

Men don’t get a free ride on the money train of love. In the late 1970’s the big wigs at several confectionary companies got together to come up with a way to get a piece of the chocolate pie. Their gimmick was to come up with “White Day” on March 14, that special time of Hallmark moment when men are obligated to reciprocate for their Valentine’s gifts by lavishing candies and cookies, jewelry, handbags and other goodies on the special ladies in their lives.

To read more about this in Time magazine’s online entry for today, visit: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1589631,00.html

Monday, February 12, 2007

Morning Shows Losing Women Viewers

According to an article in today’s Chicago Tribune, women are turning off television morning shows this season, particularly those women in the coveted 25-54 age range. The article cites a Los Angeles Times analysis of Nielsen Media Research data. The decline in viewers is estimated to be at 10 percent compared with this same time last year. Male viewership is off by 9 percent, but they make up a much smaller portion of the audience.

Though a definitive answer as to why this is happening hasn’t been found, two contributing factors were cited in the article: blogs and war.

The story says, “Many women are now turning online to get the kind of parenting and lifestyle stories that have long been the staple of the morning shows.” The Chicago paper says the number of “mommy blogs” has exploded in recent years, as women use personal websites and blogs to swap tales about the pressures of modern motherhood.

Plus, it was pointed out that these days the news is just plain depressing. The article quotes Judy Woodruff, a former CNN anchor and current senior correspondent for “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” on PBS. "My gut instinct is it may have something to do with Iraq," she says. "The news is so negative and so depressing day after day that it may well be that everybody--and especially women, who may be able to identify with the mothers and sisters and daughters--it may be that they're reacting in this way. The news is not happy."

To read the full article, go to:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/chi-0702110263feb11,1,2637448.story?coll=chi-ent_tv-hed

Do you watch the morning shows? If so, why? If not, why not?

Friday, February 09, 2007

Woman-Centric Matters at International Builders' Show

Woman-Centric Matters has been highlighted this week at the 2007 International Builders' Show in Orlando, Florida, with our own Paul Foresman from Design Basics speaking at one of the convention’s education seminars. Paul says, “It’s known that women directly make or have controlling influence in 91 percent of new home purchases. It just makes sense to design homes that meet her needs.”

In the seminar Paul gave the audience the brief version of Design Basic’s copyrighted “10 Commandments of Woman-Centric Home Design” and examples of how to incorporate each “commandment” into home floor plans. Each commandment gives practical advice to builders, such as “You shall not ignore my changing needs. Incorporate flexibility in your designs.”

Paul’s presentation “Building Homes...For Women?” was one of 34 scheduled for the Architecture and Interior Design track, one of 18 areas of study scheduled for the show. Other tracks include Trends and Forecasting, Housing Finance, and Green Building.

Sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders, the annual convention and trade show attracted more than 100,000 home builders, architects, developers, and other members of the industry to four days of education, exhibits and special events. The International Builders' Show is the largest annual light construction show in the world.

The course handout for Paul’s presentation can be found online for a limited time at: http://www.buildershow.com/Documents/course_handouts/Building%20Homes..for%20Women.pdf

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Beautiful Women

This from a press release issued today on prnewswire.com:

According to a recent Dove global study, nearly all women over
50 want to see a change in society's view on women and aging. In addition,
the majority of women believe that if media were reflective of the
population, a person would likely believe women over 50 do not exist.

For the first time, a brand is talking to women about aging in a
positive tone. Continuing its ongoing commitment to widen the narrow
definition of beauty, Dove, the global beauty brand, is boldly challenging
the "only young- is-beautiful" stereotype with the next phase of the
Campaign for Real Beauty: pro-age. Designed to expose what our anti-aging
society has been hiding, pro-age celebrates women 50+ by showing their
honest, real beauty.

The press release further states:

According to the recent Dove global study, "Beauty Comes of Age":

- 87 percent believe they are too young to be old.

- 92 percent believe past generations of women over 50 were not doing the
things women over 50 are doing today.

- 91 percent of the women surveyed believe the media and advertising need
to do a better job of representing realistic images of women over 50.

- 97 percent believe society is less accepting of appearance
considerations for women over 50 than their younger counterparts, with
showcasing one's body the least acceptable.


To read the entire press release visit: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-08-2007/0004523308&EDATE

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Today's News: Women Key to Ethanol Future

In today's Des Moines Register:

Fourteen percent of women buy ethanol at the gas pump, a survey conducted by Meredith Corp. shows.

The survey, released Tuesday at a biofuels forum sponsored by Meredith's Successful Farming magazine, shows that ethanol marketers must do more to educate women about ethanol's benefits, particularly its environmental impact, said Isobel Osius, director of Meredith's consumer insights unit.

Women make more than 85 percent of the purchasing decisions for their families, she said, so increasing ethanol sales will depend on making the corn-based fuel more attractive to female consumers. Iowa is the No. 1 U.S. ethanol producer.

To view the entire article, visit: http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/BUSINESS01/702070356/1029/BUSINESS&template=printart

Monday, February 05, 2007

Women Get A Kick Out of Football

Though actual numbers have not been released yet, the NFL estimated that women made up 40 million of the 90 million fans tuned in to yesterday’s Super Bowl game. Today’s Chicago Tribune reports that in a Harris Poll taken this past fall, NFL pro football came out on top as the spectator sport most favored by women, exceeding the percentages of pro baseball, basketball and NASCAR combined.

To read the whole Chicago Tribune article, visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0702030099feb03,1,6887849.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Friday, February 02, 2007

Women Want More Time

According to today's Denver Business News, Countrywide Home Loans did a nationwide survey mid-January and came up with some interesting information about how men and women operate during the home buying process. For instance, the survey results show that 43 percent of the women said they did not spend enough time shopping for their new home, while only 23 percent of men said they spent too much time during the buying process. Since 91 percent of new home purchases are made or primarily influenced by women (Smith-Dahmer Associates, NAHB IBS), that's a sizeable number of women who want to spend more time during the buying process. This may require companies to be more patient with their female clients, but if they want to tap into the tremendous buying power of women, it will be worth it.

Source:
http://denver.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=106205&type_news=latest

Add to Technorati Favorites Add to Technorati Favorites