High end Audio for ladies? Check this out

Just to add, of course the generalizations themselves might be usually if not always wrong, but the particular inferences they license usually true. There are black swans, so they aren't all white. But the next one you see will be.

Interesting marketing. Most women don't want to spend this kind of money on a stereo system - certainly not $70K on speakers alone. A niche market perhaps for successful career women who love home stereo or have husbands/boyfriends who are the ones who this is really aimed at. Unfortunately given the current economic times, that niche market will get even smaller.

if you keep an open mind and consider each experience for what it is and do all of the analysis you can, you will make an intelligent decision in a stochastic world.

generalizations often over simplify and lead to erroneous decisions.

you ask "what else is there" ? the answere is confidence, after assessing all of the variables.

in audio, confidence comes from auditioning a component in one's stereo system. all else is risk.

I want to meet pookie10 - the concepts presented above seems to suggest a purely mythical being which if she did exist would be almost impossible for mere human audiophiles to deal with. Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, aliens, and pookie10 - do they REALLY exist.

From Stereolady's website: "I can tell you, even the most expensive systems probably cost less then the money most women throw at other stress relievers!"
What are these other stress relievers?
For all you lovely ladies reading this post:
I used to think I was an expensive "stress reliever".
Though, now, I suspect the opposite is true. I'm an expensive "stress generator"! And I'll bet that goes for a lot of these other guys, as well. (Especially, the ones with those stinky, obnoxious, cigar-smoky posts.)
I'm not quite sure why you women put up with us. My theory is that men are like puppies, sloppy, not too bright, but oh-so-adorable, so goofy, so silly-sweet.
Once you hold the right one in your arms, you just can't help but want to keep him and take him home.
And, while he might not be house-broken, yet, you're just sure he'll learn, if you teach him right. . .
Though most never really do learn to stop peeing on the floor, you can't help loving and keeping and caring for them, anyway.
That way they get scampering-crazy when they see you. And, ooh, that way they wag their tails! (The good ones, anyway.)
Sure, some run away. Some just get lost. But, you know they'd be lost without you.
They get kind of smelly, if you don't make sure they get a bath. Many can barely feed themselves. They shed. (And, some, one day, shed, completely.)
But, you'll love them till their teeth fall out and cry when they are gone.

Me? Sometimes, I think I'm nothing but a nuisance. I wouldn't recommend myself to anyone. I should come with a disclaimer.
I'm very lucky to be loved and to be able to give love, in return.
We all want to be cared for. And, we all need someone to care about. Whether we know it, or not. (People who only care about themselves, eventually, don't care about anything at all.)

I've looked at your site, StereoLady. Those are pretty good systems. And, yes, very pretty, too. Not as pretty as you are. But nice.
I, still, don't know what those other stress relievers are, specifically for women, that exceed $88,000.00, though. A tour of Europe? A luxurious cruise? A bad night of Baccarat?
However, if the Lifetime channel can stay on the air, even with all those crappy movies, why not a high-end site for women? I helped start a high-end store twenty-five years ago that catered as much to women as to men. Unheard of at the time.
It's, still, there. And it, still, does.

Great post Nietzschelover !

Thanks, Soniqmike!

there is one interesting visual on the web site which seems to attempt to attract men, namely the presence of a pretty female face.

http://wcco.com/business/best.buy.women.2.831698.html

Look at the percentage of electronics sold to women.

Home Depot are also redesigning its stores to be more appealing to the female shopper since they play a large role in many major household purchases/renovations.

So, are there any sales yet???
Did some totally stressed woman drop $88G on a rig after a long week at the office?

i think the key to a successful audio business does not entail treating men or women differently. rather, if people are not pressured, left to browse and allowed to listen, both men and women will feel well served. after all, men and women are human beings. physical differences are irrelevant to consumption.

Women are more into high quality electronics than they used to. Take my older sister for example, she just spent a sizeable chunk of her home renovation budget on a B&W 800 and Classe home theater setup. Another lady friend of mine was just telling me how she believes in spending more on electronics to get better quality like the new pair of headphones she got. Also didn't Hifi News just do a feature on a mother and daughter, about them setting up a top of the line PMC system in their listening room or something. I mean those speakers are so butt-ugly that I won't even allow them any where near my home. The times are really changing.

I too wish you luck. I really think you will have the best luck selling Meridian F80's to women.

When I met my GF she had a boombox and that's all she really wants. She actually hates my system, wires, placment, etc, and I usually play it too loud for her.

But offer a woman of means a compact and stylish system that is not outrageously priced and I think they will be interested.

I have not heard the F80 but read it sounds fantastic.

Another of my GF's friends spends tons of money on shoes, clothes, furnishing, etc. She recently bought a stereo for... get this... $150.

Just the AC outlet many of use for our system (at least I do) cost close to that amount.

So I think it will a tough sell unless a truly novel set of products or appreach is offered. Actually completely hidden in wall systems would probably be of interest to some women.

A speaker manufacturer I get some of my HT speakers from custom makes speakers for Martha Stewart. She requests custom colors. So she's clearly an audiophile... among other things.

Mrtennis, you say that physical differences are irrelevant to consumption ???.Mrtennis, you are only partly right. Men and women of course will react positively if not pressured. But there is a lot more to consider and there are many specifics that apply to only men and only women in order to attract them in buying a product. There is a world of neuro-buttons to be pushed in the ''switchbox'' above. The audio business does not escape this, and yes, I think the key is to DO treat men and women differently. This is not a question of prejudice at all, but closing in on your target market. If that target market is women (like stereolady) you can bet that a specific - and different than men's - approach to the audio market will yield better results. As for the 99% of the other audio shops out there - they will of course say that they cater as much to the women as men - I don't beleive it one second. They sure would like their business - but most don't have a clue as to how to do it.

There is a traditionally sexist observation which states that a man will pay $2.00 for a $1.00 item he needs while a woman will pay $1.00 for a $2.00 item she doesn't need.

While I have seen many examples that support this comment, I can say that I see quite a few that contradict it. Buying tendencies seem to be more a product of personality type than gender. That said, I suppose there are certain personality traits that are fairly consistent along gender lines.

So selling to anyone must be attuned to that individual's personal triggers rather than what's in their pants.

These threads are full of anecdotes about guys who can buy anything being dissed at a hi-fi store because of the way they dressed or looked at a particular time. And they usually accompany complaints about the assumptions that must have been made. None of us like being rejected on the basis of appearance. We can go home and change clothes however. Women are dead at the door when they show up. It's not going to be easy to conceal a lady's gender, and I'm pretty certain she isn't going to want to just so she can hand some misogynist twit a few thousand dollars.

Macrojack ''a man will pay $2.00 for a $1.00 item he needs while a woman will pay $1.00 for a $2.00 item she doesn't need'' That is a somewhat surprising observation.

Especially in this Crazy hobby. Could it be that men spent A TON OF MONEY for things we don't need? (including a lot of expensive toys that cost 5 times the price for only an incremental improvement over a more sensible or affordable piece of gear? (the infamous law of diminishing return!)

Think about it...

My 20 years old daughter is admirative of people who spend 50 OOO $ on something else than a big shiny car !