Phew, we made it to 2021.
Now what?
It can feel daunting to embark on strategic planning for life after COVID-19 while we are still in the midst of the pandemic. This is especially true when it comes to serving the consumer market, where women dominate. You already know that women’s lives have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. What is the best way to meet their needs now, and at the same time prepare for a post-pandemic world we cannot see?

Strategic planning for post-pandemic life
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You’ll find answers by studying the needs, wants, habits and buying behaviors that have arisen among women during the past year. To borrow the language of economics, women are leading indicators for how the consumer market is changing. Historically, many of the changes that women pioneer eventually go mainstream among all genders and age groups. Women are a compass for a changing world. As an example, consider policies around flextime and working from home, which were once viewed primarily as “accommodations” for professional women with childcare responsibilities. Even before the pandemic, such policies were becoming mainstream for office-based employees of all genders and viewed as the hallmark of a desirable employer. What’s good for women is usually good for everyone.
Most of all, the pandemic has laid bare the “invisible” care work that women and caregivers do every day that keeps our families, households and societies running. The challenges that come with balancing care work with paid employment is fertile ground for innovation across nearly every industry.
Here are five strategies for aligning your organization to meet the needs of the women-dominated, consumer economy:
1. Benchmark: Determine whether your share of the women’s market has gone up or down since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Segment your existing market research by gender to identify similarities and differences in attitudes and behaviors. You may discover overlooked opportunities that could lead to innovation.
2. “Fast Forward” Your Insights Work: I recently interviewed a woman about how her shopping habits have changed over the course of the pandemic, and she said, simply: “I’m not the same person I was 10 months ago.” She then articulated how every aspect of her life has changed from the moment she wakes up until the time she goes to sleep. If you haven’t conducted in-depth, qualitative research since the pandemic began, now would be a good time to start. Small details about daily life can lead to big insights.
3. Conduct a “Freshness Test” for Your Marketing Materials: Asses your marketing visuals and copy through a female lens. Are your images fresh, diverse and gender-inclusive? Is the language you’re using relevant to modern women, or are there some old phrases and tired tropes that should be scrubbed? Look for opportunities to refresh language and visuals, or risk alienating the very audience that you’re hoping to attract.
4. Re-evaluate the Customer Experience through the Lens of Women: Do you know which aspects of your customer experience women value most? Update your training programs to ensure that customer-facing teams are providing an inclusive and memorable experience for women. This is one of the most powerful ways to differentiate your offering and win her business.
5. Pilot, Test, Repeat. I’ve often been told by executives, “We tried a women’s initiative once.” This kind of thinking misses the point. Marketing to women isn’t about creating a side project in a silo – it’s about integrating and mainstreaming women’s perspectives into every area of the business.
Stay close to the changes in the women’s market to prepare for a post-pandemic world.