Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Over-55s the fastest growing segment of the female population
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- Figure 1: Trends in the size of the UK female population, 2014-24
- Motherhood continues to be delayed further in life
- Women over 65 feel confident about their finances going into the new decade
- Proportion of women who qualify as overweight remains high
- The consumer
- Food and drink the most popular interest of women
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- Figure 2: Women’s top hobbies and interests, October 2019
- Online sources of health advice relevant across all categories
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- Figure 3: Where women would look for different types of health advice, October 2019
- Women most desire that others see them as friendly and trustworthy
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- Figure 4: Characteristics women hope to be associated with by others, October 2019
- Classical art forms arouse the emotions
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- Figure 5: Women’s engagement with traditional “high-art” forms, Correspondence Analysis, October 2019
- Further improvements in workplace equality necessary
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- Figure 6: Women’s attitudes towards gender and gender equality, October 2019
- Gender politics is playing too much of a role in advertising
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- Figure 7: Women’s attitudes towards gender stereotypes and gender politics in advertising, October 2019
- Foodie culture helping to boost interest in new food brands
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- Figure 8: Categories women indicate an interest in experimenting with unfamiliar brands, October 2019
- Women welcome the added diversity offered by new food and drink brands
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- Figure 9: Attitudes towards supporting start-up food and drink brands, October 2019
- Pricing and trust concerns the biggest issues facing food and drink start-ups
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- Figure 10: Attitudes towards supporting start-up food and drink brands, October 2019
- In-store advertising key to new product discovery
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- Figure 11: Sources of information for new food, drink and beauty and grooming products, October 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Encouraging women to be more active
- The facts
- The implications
- Brands have a duty to uphold the integrity of social trends they champion
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Growth in the female population is being driven by over 55s
- Motherhood continues to be delayed further in life
- Employment levels for women hits a record high
- Close to half of women over 65 describe their finances as ‘healthy’
- Women’s fitness levels need improving
- Social media usage nearly universal among women
Market Drivers
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- Demographic factors
- One third of women will be 55 or older by 2024
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- Figure 12: Trends in the age structure of the UK female population, 2014-24
- Average age of motherhood continues to rise
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- Figure 13: Standardised mean age of mother and father by year, England and Wales, 2009 to 2018
- Appealing to women without children
- Economic factors
- Employment levels for women at a record high
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- Figure 14: Employment and unemployment for UK women aged 16 years and older (seasonally adjusted), September-November 2009 to September-November 2019
- Over a quarter of women say their financial situation is healthy
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- Figure 15: Financial situation amongst women, by age, December 2019
- Older women the most confident about their finances
- Women’s health
- Three in five women qualify as overweight
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- Figure 16: Proportion of men and women aged 16+ who are overweight or obese, by region
- Women’s activity levels fall behind
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- Figure 17: Levels of activity, by gender, 2015/16-2018/19
- Social media usage
- Most women are on social media, with Facebook the most popular platform
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- Figure 18: Women’s usage of social media platforms in the last month, October 2019
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Food and drink the top interest for women
- Online sources of health advice valued by women
- Personable character traits most important to women
- Classical art forms stir the emotions
- Improvements in the workplace remain a top priority
- Advertisers may have gone too far with gender politics
- Foodie culture helping to drive interest in new food brands
- Pricing and trust the biggest barriers for food and drink start-ups
- In-store advertising crucial to building awareness about new products
- Social media a vital resource for young women
Women’s Hobbies and Interests
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- Food and drink proves most common female interest
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- Figure 19: Women’s top hobbies and interests, October 2019
- Relatively low interest in health, exercise and sports
- Could exercise advice on food labels help drive women’s activity levels?
- Film industry goes after female audiences
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- Figure 20: Proportion of UK women who include cinema/theatre in their main hobbies/interests, by age, October 2019
Sources of Health Advice
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- Online resources are key, but a personal touch is still relevant
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- Figure 21: Where women would look for different types of health advice, October 2019
- Most women will seek guidance via multiple outlets
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- Figure 22: Repertoire analysis on where women would look for different types of health advice, October 2019
- The power of health apps to educate and motivate women into action
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- Figure 23: Proportion who would consider using social media or health apps for health advice, by age, October 2019
How Women Want to be Perceived by Others
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- Women most want to be viewed as friendly and trustworthy…
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- Figure 24: Characteristics women hope to be associated with by others, October 2019
- …but young women most keen to be seen as determined and successful
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- Figure 25: Selected characteristics women hope to be associated with by others, by age, October 2019
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- Figure 26: No Room For Clichés. Royal Air Force campaign, 2019
- Figure 27: Bumble The Ball is in Her Court campaign, 2019
- Caution required with high aspirational marketing
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- Figure 28: This Girl Can Campaign, January 2019
- Over-55s more focused on the simpler things
Engagement with Different Art Forms
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- Classical art forms evoke emotive response
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- Figure 29: Women’s engagement with traditional “high-art” forms, Correspondence Analysis, October 2019
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- Figure 30: Women’s engagement with traditional “high-art” forms, October 2019
- Updating classical arts for younger women
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- Figure 31: Proportion of women who consider selected art forms to be “Boring”, by age, October 2019
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- Figure 32: Marin Alsop in February, 2019
- Figure 33: Irish conductor Eímear Noone
Attitudes towards Gender
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- Women demand improvements to workplace equality …
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- Figure 34: Women’s attitudes towards gender and gender equality, October 2019
- Brands must be prepared to walk the walk
- The term ‘Feminism’ is a turn off for over half of all women
Attitudes towards Equality in Advertising
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- Advertisers have gone too far with gender politics
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- Figure 35: Women’s attitudes towards gender stereotypes and gender politics in advertising, October 2019
- Stereotypes abound
- Authenticity key to successful campaigns
Experimenting with New Brands
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- Foodie trend drives willingness to try out new food brands
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- Figure 36: Categories women indicate an interest in experimenting with unfamiliar brands, October 2019
- Clothing and beauty experimentation highest amongst younger women…
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- Figure 37: Selected categories women indicate an interest in experimenting with unfamiliar brands, by age, October 2019
- …but opportunities remain to engage older female audiences
Attitudes towards Food and Drink Start-Ups
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- Women are eager to support and come across new brands…
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- Figure 38: Attitudes towards supporting start-up food and drink brands, October 2019
- …but retailers need to ensure the right mix of old and new
- Pricing and trust prove the biggest barriers for start-ups to overcome
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- Figure 39: Attitudes towards supporting start-up food and drink brands, October 2019
- Breaking through
Sources of Information for New Products
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- The importance of in-store marketing
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- Figure 40: Sources of information for new food, drink and beauty and grooming products, October 2019
- Social media proves important source of information for younger women
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- Figure 41: Social media as an information source for new products by category and age, October 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
- Methodology
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