6. A Car Only For Women!

Shift of the influential gender in car purchase decision?

When it comes to car, the decision-making in car purchase has been traditionally leaded by men. Men are generally more likely to buy a car for themselves and even for their wives or female family members. It was probably because women might not used to have enough knowledge to identify which car will be suitable for them. This is what I have learnt about one instance happening in the customer decision-making process.

GM discovered a growing women’s car purchase power

As I read through today’s news paper, my eyes stopped at the company section in which new GM car was introduced as one made only for women. I was just intuitively certain that the article must be obviously speaking of the target on particularly women segment, but after a few seconds, I started to cast some unclear my thought on customer decision making process regarding car purchase.

Significant increase in women drivers

My doubts come from marketing lesson years ago. I was taught some kind of formulated form of customer decision making process in marketing class. I can not remember what it was exactly referred though; my professor gave us an example of who are more influential in the car purchase between men and women. It was plainly very simple to say “Men.” This assumption or commonly shared ideas about who would make a decision to buy which car they will buy might be still true to some extent. However, this article was telling us women’s car purchase decision power has become also considerably powerful as more women drivers are found on the road.

Click on the link to read more about “A car only for women”:
http://news.mk.co.kr/outside/view.php?year=2008&no=234296

How GM Daewoo engage women driver’s attention?

Referring to the article, GM Daewoo recently introduced Matiz(Small car), Zentra X(Sedan), Winstorm(SUV) especially designed for women. Women’s car production involves car interior, colour combination to perfectly colored match with all different parts together, some convenience detail such as a makeup mirror, a hanger for a handbag, multi-purpose storage and so forth. They analyzed the trend of professional women that the number of women working professionally is continuously increasing and even its population sizes up to 1billion which is nearly one forth of the total Korean population. Moreover they also witnessed the women’s growing decision-making power in car purchase.

GM Daewoo previously released a vivid orange-colored Matiz that orange colour all around both outside and inside. The result showed fairly good shape; 5% of total Matiz sales were made with this the orange Matiz. The company immediately determined to implement this special edition production to raise its sales to 20%. Based on the success of a small car market with the orange Matiz, GM is accelerating its speed to develop cars targeting women. Those cars are going to be equipped with more advanced convenience options including sunscreen sunglasses, an assistant system to park backwards, the control the height of driver seat.

The pioneer in the women car market, GM
: How long is GM going to be the forerunner??

All options particularly considering women’s convenience sound all attractive and fascinating. However, can we just seat back and draw tons of money from sales after just introduction of new products to satisfy women’s wants as well as solve their difficulties driving a car? Not at all! R&D is certainly important, since there are still some tasks left to capture women’s attention to their cars not to other companies’ car. GM Daewoo was the pioneer in women’s car market, however the market is going to have other competitor then the competition with hardly distinguishable products will definitely follow. That is market saturation.

Never early to start, R&D

On top of that, I am also potential customer in the car market in the near future. While I was chewing over car purchase decision and studying the GM Daewoo case, I put myself in both customer’s shoes and that of Car Company. On the side of customer, this sort of car is fairly fascinating at a glance. However, I might be going to want better options that I myself also never noticed the inconvenience or difficulties during driving but that is absolutely helpful and improves my drive condition. Unless Car Company set on another R&D for the newly introduced one right away or early, customers will be weary of existing benefits but seek better one.

Who is going to be the winner in women’s car market? GM Daewoo? Hyundai? Kia? Who else?? Watch out other companies! They are just behind you at this moment. Hence, It is apparent the winner will be up to customers choice depending on how you are doing R&D.

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