What Women Want

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What to expect

Paco Underhill, the author of the hugely successful Why We Buy and Call of the Mall, reports on the growing importance of women in everybody’s marketplace—what makes a package, product, space, or service “female friendly.” Underhill offers a tour of the world’s marketplace—with shrewd observations and practical applications to help everybody adapt to the new realities.

As large numbers of women become steadily wealthier, more powerful, and more independent, their choices and preferences are transforming our commercial environment in a variety of important ways, from the cars we drive to the food we eat; from how we buy and furnish our homes to how we gamble, play, and use the Internet—in short, how we spend our time and money. With the same flair and humor that made his previous books universally appealing, Underhill examines how a woman’s role as homemaker has evolved into homeowner and what women look for in a home. How the home gym and home office are linked to the women’s health movement and home-based businesses. Why the refrigerator has trumped the stove as the crucial appliance. How every major hotel chain in the world has redesigned rooms and services for the female business traveler. Why some malls, appealing to women, are succeeding while others fail. What women look for online and why some retail websites, like Amazon, attract women while other sites turn them off. “The point is,” writes Underhill, “while men were busy doing other things, women were becoming a major social, cultural, and economic force.”

And, as he warns, no business can afford to ignore their power and presence.

Critics Review

  • “Underhill shows himself to be both an amiable and a knowledgeable guide to the shifting retail landscape.”

    Wall Street Journal
  • “With wit, razor-sharp analysis, and a better understanding of what women want than most of us have—or at least realize we have. It will make female consumers think differently about their shopping and, hopefully, encourage stores to sell a whole lot differently.”

    USA Today
  • “In a friendly, conversational style, Underhill…makes a compelling argument that a failure to cater to women consumers with products, services, environments, and customer experiences that meet their expectations is just ‘bad business.’”

    Publishers Weekly
  • “Chamberlain narrates without a lot of embellishment, but his tone is even and confident throughout. He alters his pacing to fit Underhill’s words and conveys just enough enthusiasm to be engaging without overpowering…Underhill’s observations paired with Chamberlain’s relaxed style make for a compelling combination.”

    AudioFile

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