What do women want to see, feel and understand about brand packaging?  For centuries women have responded to romance, flowers and chocolate.  Why, because women respond when their emotions are activated.

While women’s median income has soared 63% over 20 years, those earning over $100k doubled in a decade, and 30% of women earn more than their husbands.  And while women make 80% of all supermarket, drugstore and department store purchases, only 20% of character trademarks are female.

Why the disconnect and how can marketers use packaging to harness the power of the purse?  Unfortunately, much confusion still exists when it comes to designing packaging to appeal to women. Perhaps it is because “She segments” differ greatly from “He segments.”  Take pet food/supplies, the fastest growing supermarket category, with its array of natural foods, special treats, teeth whiteners, sauces, gravies, and more, all with great photos of cuddly pets, which appeals to women who view Fido as a family member. Men just don’t react in the same way.