An Important Opportunity

I’m not a coffee drinker. But I do like a good smoothie. And Caribou Coffee has my favorites as well as good sandwiches and pastries. I hear from avowed coffee addicts that they have great coffee too. Now we all have another reason to stop by Caribou Coffee. As a tribute to a former member of the Caribou Coffee roasting team, they will be donating 10 percent of the proceeds from the sale of Amy’s Blend –with a guaranteed minimum donation of $100,000 - to Susan G. Komen For the Cure ( http://www.komen.org ).

Amy Erickson was a pioneering member of the Caribou team and lost her battle against breast cancer in the Spring of 1995. Caribou Coffee says, “Her vision, determination, and passion for life and coffee inspired those who worked with her and helped lay the foundation for the company we are today.”

Amy is gone, but never forgotten. Amy’s Blend was created as a tribute to her spunk and passion. Explaining the flavor, Caribou states, “This coffee is bright-spirited and cheery, just like Amy herself, and combines citrus high notes with a smooth harmonious silkiness.”

As I mentioned, I’m not a coffee drinker. But I’m buying Amy’s Blend for my Mom in memory of her mother who also lost her battle against breast cancer. It’s one small thing I can do to help fight on with the hope that someday we don’t have to lose strong women like Amy and my grandma.

To find a Caribou location near you, visit their website at: http://www.cariboucoffee.com/locations/ But hurry. Amy’s Blend will only be available until May 20.

STILL Unequal

Women may have made great strides in recent decades toward equality with men. But today MSNBC reports that there is STILL a stark pay gap for US college-educated women. According to a report released by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, one year after receiving their college degree, women make a mere 80 percent of that of their male classmates.

MSNBC quotes Catherine Hill, director of research at AAUW. *These employees don’t have a lot of experience and, for the most part, don’t have care-giving obligations, so you would expect there to be very little difference in the wages of men and women. But we find that women already earn less – even when they have the same major and occupation as their male counterparts.*

The 80 percent difference in pay is the good news. The bad news is that 10 years down the road that difference increases to 69 percent. Not only that, but by that point college-educated men have more authority in the workplace and are more likely to be involved in the hiring and firing, supervising, and setting pay than their female counterparts are. Those are especially disappointing facts considering the study also showed that while in college, women outperformed men academically, with higher grade point averages in every major subject, including math and science.

To read the full MSNBC report, go to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18274861/

Clothing for Boomer Women

As I came in to work this morning, I stopped to visit with a couple of co-workers. One of the main topics discussed was the seemingly inevitable change our bodies have undergone as we have passed each birthday. When I got to my desk and checked today’s woman-centric news, I found some interesting related information.

Apparel sales among women in their 50s enjoyed the biggest gain of any age group between 2001 and 2006, according to data from market researcher NPD Group. Those sales jumped 40 percent to $2 billion in 2006 from five years earlier, while sales of teen clothing fell 3.5 percent to $1.1 billion, and sales to twenty-something women rose just 4 percent to $1.3 billion.

To gain increases in revenue from Boomer customers, clothing retailers must find the right balance between style and comfort, reports Canada’s Globe and Mail. Citing examples from both Canadian and American retailers, strategies include adding more stretch to garments to give a fitted look without compromising the comfort of a loose feel and offering clothes with hidden support panels in the midriff and seat areas to accommodate and camouflage physique changes of aging.

To read more about findings from NPD Group and the latest trends in marketing clothing to the lucrative Boomer-women market, go to http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070418.RTABI18/TPStory/Business

Forecast for Mother's Day

The National Retail Federation reports today that this Mother’s Day consumers will spend nearly $16 billion on jewelry, flowers, clothing and trips to the spa for the women in their lives. Men will outspend women, with $172.91 spent by male shoppers compared to $107.18 by women shoppers. Shoppers ages 25-34 will spent the most with a whopping $151.42 spent compared to the $138.14 spent by Boomers.

Sadly, the report shows that 15.5 percent of all participants in the NRF’s 2007 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions survey don’t celebrate the holiday. However, of those who do celebrate, 38.2 percent of the purchases will be jewelry, 37.00 will be clothing, 29.3 percent will be books or CDs, and a whopping 72.4 percent will be flowers.

I got my Mother’s Day gift early: a wireless network adapter. According to the NRF survey, only 11.3 percent of Mother’s Day gifts will be *consumer electronics or computer related accessories*. That’s the lowest percentage on the list. But I really wanted it, so this mother is happy. And that, after all, is the desired outcome on Mother’s Day. I hope yours is a happy one too!

To read the full NRF report, go to: http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=Documents&op=alllist&&id=658

Airline Woos Women Travelers

According to a news release on PRNewswire.com (http://sev.prnewswire.com/airlines-aviation/20070409/DAM01409042007-1.html), American Airlines estimates that if they can raise the number of women traveling on the airline by 2 percent (figuring $100 per segment) as a result of AA’s new women-oriented initiatives, the airline would increase their annual revenue by $94 million. Of course, American Airlines also wants it known that women benefit, too, by these new initiatives by receiving additional value and travel information at no extra cost to them.

An article in today’s USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-04-10-american-airlines-women-fly_N.htm) reports that American Airlines has put purse hooks on the new business-class seats, tweaked its advertising, added a women-oriented section to their website and created a new position, Director of Women’s Sales and Marketing. The article also points out that not all advertising ideas geared toward women have worked well. One commercial showing a customer flying home in time to be the tooth fairy doesn’t run much anymore. The reason? Women said they don’t want their kids to know that mom is the tooth fairy.

The women’s section of the American Airlines website has some great information divided into three main sections: Women Connected Through Business, Women Connected Through Lifestyle, and Women Connected Through Each Other.

Connect to the newly launched website at http://www.aa.com/women

10 Tech Trends in Custom Homes

In a recent article in Custom Builder magazine (http://www.housingzone.com/custombuilder/article/CA6427458.html?nid=2822&rid=518017844) , 10 technology trends for custom homes were featured. Utz Baldwin, a speaker at the 2006 Custom Builders Symposium, and other technology experts offered the list of what the latest tech trends are in custom building.

The first on the list is the Home Theater / Media System. The article says that at a minimum upscale buyers are demanding a family room with a projection television and a full surround sound system. Others have gone hog-wild and put in home theaters costing $1 million – minus the furnishing and decorating.

The other items on the list of tech trends are:

2. Home Health Care Products and Installation – big business as the Boomers age.

3. Media Center Computer – allowing users to run the gamut from web surfing to watching movies or television all on their computer. The newest software programs offer full entertainment capabilities at a much lower cost than ever before.

4. Lighting and Automation – a number 1 buyer request, giving homeowners simple controls all on one system for lights, televisions, CDs, satellite radio and HVAC, with touch pads strategically located in 3 or 4 key locations in the home and thus replacing as many as 15 switches.

5. Microdisplay-based televisions – technology that packs in the pixels to produce sharp pictures at any size, even the 108-inch flat panel TV introduced at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show.

6. Security systems – with micro-video camera technology homeowners are putting security cameras just about anywhere, with surveillance being capable from in-house monitors or even over the internet with online video feeds.

7. Media servers – centralized computer drives that hold a complete media and entertainment library and can be accessed from any computer or hooked-up entertainment device in the house.

8. i-Pod revolution – with about 14 million iPods being sold in the 4th quarter of 2005 alone, docking stations that connect the iPod to the home's audio system are becoming *must have* items for today's home.

9. Multi-zone music systems – to keep Big Band music lovers and Hip Hop aficionados both happy, this feature gives the ability to listen to different music in different rooms.

10. Gaming rooms – a new take on the home arcade, today's gaming room is outfitted with the latest game system. And the near future will bring big comfy swiveling chairs and multi-connected devices, adding to the game playing experience.

www.womancentricmatters.com