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The High-Heeled Warriors hold the true power
AFP/Cindy OrdWhen marketing representatives eagerly hand out brochures to men and barrage them with all the technical details of the latest cars, little do they realize the final decision â in many cases â lies in the hands of their wives
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AFP/Cindy Ord
When marketing representatives eagerly hand out brochures to men and barrage them with all the technical details of the latest cars, little do they realize the final decision ' in many cases ' lies in the hands of their wives.
'Our children are growing up. So, I need a spacious car that can fit all our family members, our stuff and also groceries. I discuss this with my husband when choosing our family car,' said Riki Desiana, a mother of three from South Jakarta.
Women are making, or influencing, 80 percent of all purchase decisions, including 60 percent of purchases of traditional male products like consumer electronics, banking and cars, according to the 2013 High Heeled Warriors survey initiated by media company Universal Networks International.
The increasing role of women has attracted Universal to ask further questions: how do women interact with media and how does this impact their purchase decisions?
To answer the questions, the High Heeled Warriors research team conducted a follow-up survey between February and March this year, involving 3,000 women, who subscribe to pay TV, or subscription television, in four countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
The respondents taking part in focus group discussions and interviews included 600 Indonesian women, who watch subscription television and live in urban areas.
'Over that time [of the research], we have been able to really understand how women have been increasingly affluent and dominant in terms of decision-making in households around Asia,' Universal's managing director for the Asia-Pacific, Christine Fellowes, said when disclosing the latest survey's findings in Jakarta on Thursday evening.
The rising Internet penetration and social media frenzy in Indonesia appears to have affected the way Indonesian women watch television.
Half of the 600 respondents, aged between 20 and 44, say they are on tablets while watching television. As much as 67 percent of the respondents juggle between their smartphones and a TV screen.
Nidya Swasti said she uses her smartphones to get more information about things that she watches on TV.
'If I find something new or news about celebrities on television, I directly browse about them online. I'll check the celebrities' Instagram accounts,' said the 27-year-old digital project manager at a pharmaceutical and cosmetics company in Jakarta.
Almost 60 percent of Indonesian women prefer to watch videos featuring products or brands rather than read text or look at still photos, the survey says.
In line with the research findings, Felicia Alodia, a 27-year-old corporate secretary officer at a financial firm in Jakarta, says she loves to watch interesting advertising videos on YouTube.
'I love video with appealing graphics that describe the product. Generally, I love watching foreign advertising videos on YouTube that have interesting contents and storylines,' Felicia said.
The survey found over 70 percent of the respondents say their purchase decisions are strongly affected by videos about products or brands on pay TV.
For Nidya, the Internet is the best source to find interesting products.
'I am more exposed to advertisements in the form of YouTube videos or product reviews on online media, in particular social media. I often find and order overseas make-up products through the Internet,' Nidya said.
Riki often browses websites to get updates on the latest model of her favorite branded handbags, but when it comes to groceries, she prefers to use the conventional way: she goes to see the products in a store.
'I rarely spend my time in front of a TV. Sometimes, I see television advertisements of household items, but it doesn't instantly prompt me to buy them,' said Riki, a housewife in her 40s.
'I am more comfortable to go to a store and observe closely the product's packaging and ingredients.'
More Indonesian women are interested in products that are actively involved in worthy causes, the survey reveals.
More than half of respondents feel good buying products that are environmentally friendly (62 percent), or connected to charities (60 percent), even if the products cost more.
'Sometimes I buy bags from brands that support environmental or social causes, or doormats and dusters made by orphan children that are sold at church. By buying those products, I can make a donation,' Felicia said.
According to Fellowes, the research is intended to help companies to understand and connect more deeply with female consumers.
Fellowes believes that modern-day Southeast Asian women ' whom she calls high-heeled warriors ' will gain more purchasing power in the future as more women gain access to higher education and jobs.
'As they become more educated, as they move increasingly into the work force, they take more senior management positions, personally accumulate more wealth and an increasing number of degrees, we believe this is the most important commercial opportunity for that demographic of women in our lifetime.'
