Rump Roasts and Cardigans

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, there’s a growing trend in the grocery business. Or is it the fashion industry? The article reports that buying cardigans and comfy shoes at the same place you buy your peanut butter brought in $211 million last year. In fact the trend is growing so quickly that the market research firm NPD Group shows a 76 percent increase in women’s clothing sale at food stores from January 2006 through January 2007. Since that figure was only 8 percent the previous year, it seems like this trend is not just growing, it’s exploding.

While supercenters like Walmart and Target account for the largest part of the increase, Whole Foods and Safeway have gotten in on it too, expanding their lines of women and children’s clothing as well as adding selections for men. Designer brands like Prada and Gucci aren’t available, but basics like sweaters, shoes and shirts are easy to find, with the selections offering an added measure of convenience to shoppers. Whole Foods is focusing their clothing on organic fibers and dyes in keeping with their overall message and commitment.

To read more about this new market strategy, read the Trib article at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/living/chi-0703190327mar21,1,364479.story?coll=chi-living-hed

Shopping Habis and New Colors

According to a report from Home Textiles Today, old media like magazines, newspapers, and television work side-by-side with the internet when it comes to shopping. The report, highlighting a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, says that women were more likely than men to be motivated by coupons and in-store promotions when shopping online, while men were more likely to start researching online after a face-to-face conversation. Additionally, men were twice as likely as women to shop for a car online (20.2 percent compared to 10.2 percent).

Home Textiles Today also says that 92.5 percent of adults surveyed said they regularly or occasionally research online before purchasing an item in a store. The products most often researched online include electronics (50.8 percent), apparel (31.9 percent), and appliances (27.0 percent).

In other news, Home Textiles Today reports that Pantone, known worldwide as the standard language for color communication from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer, released today eight directional color palettes for home furnishings and interiors. Presented for the first time at the International Home and Housewares Show, the palettes for 2008 *blend classic elegance with modern spice*. They are ReCollections, Chinoiserie, High Profile, Ethnic Chic, Agrestic , Wellspring, Savories, and Nuances.

Check us out at: www.womancentricmatters.com

Bigger Bucks Buy Bigger Homes

According to a new report by The Media Audit, there are 23.2 million adults with annual household incomes of $100,000 or more in the 87 metropolitan markets surveyed regularly by The Media Audit. Out of those 23.2 million, 6.2 million are between the ages of 18 and 34.

Interestingly, though the big focus right now is to market to the affluent Baby Boom generation, the study shows that there are more, by both percent and actual number, adults with six figure incomes under the age of 35 than there are over the age of 54.

These are some of the results of their findings about that group of people:

Out of those 6.2 million between the ages of 18 and 34, 60.9 percent are men and 39.1 percent are women.

But in spite of the fact that only 39.1 percent of this group are women, 80.7 percent of the women in this group own their own home, compared with only 74.3 percent of men.

They’re not necessarily small *starter* homes, either. Over 46 percent of women in the group have homes valued at $300,000 or more, versus only 42.2 percent of men in the group having homes valued that high.

To read more of the results from this study, go to: http://www.centerformediaresearch.com/cfmr_brief.cfm?fnl=070301

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