Home of the Swank - Frank About Women

FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
Home of the
SWANK
October 2015
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FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
TABLE OF
contents
PREVIOUS REPORT:
1
Introduction
2
The Life and Times of a SWANK Homeowner
3
The Great Outdoors
IN THIS REPORT:
4 Healthy Home
COMING SOON:
5
Dudes and Their Homes
6
Smarter Homes
7
Mom as Homeowner
INTRODUCTION
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FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
A BRIEF
look ahead
In our previous chapters, we introduced you to today’s “SWANK” (SINGLE
WOMAN, AFFLUENT, NO KIDS) Homeowner and gave you insight on how she
approaches home ownership and building out her outdoor spaces, as well as
how her shopping experiences differ from those of Single Men Homeowners
and Family Women Homeowners. In this report, we’ll take a deeper look at
Swanks and the role their homes play in their overall health. But first, let’s
revisit the Swank.
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INTRODUCTION
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FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
HOME AND
the single woman
Over the past several years, single women have become a significant force in home
buying. In fact, they have consistently outpaced single men when it comes to
purchasing homes — since 2001, about twice as many single women have bought
homes as single men. While much has been made about the number of single
women buying homes, little has been said about how these women behave after
they’ve bought the home. So we here at Frank About Women decided it was time
to investigate this important segment. Because we believe that single women will
enjoy and improve their homes differently — and marketers across a huge range
of categories will need to rethink how they connect with this critical consumer
audience.
Meet the
SWANK
So who is the single woman homeowner? Though single women homeowners
represent a hugely diverse spectrum of ages, life stages and socioeconomic levels,
today we’re looking at Swanks. Think of the Swank as post-Sex in the City; instead
of focusing her emotional energy on the quest for marriage, she owns her singlehood
and the freedom it affords her. She’s highly educated, has a higher income, lives
alone and has plenty of disposable income to spend as she likes.
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INTRODUCTION
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FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
OUR
methodology
To get a closer look at Swank homeowners and how
they may feel, think, act and shop differently than their
counterparts, we fielded a proprietary survey among 600
recent homebuyers. All our respondents had purchased
a home within the past two years, all were aged
24–49 and all had a household income of $75,000 or
higher. For the purposes of comparison, we divided the
respondents into the following unique segments:
600
recent
homebuyers
THE SWANK: She’s a single homeowner in the
purest sense — regardless of marital history or
relationship status, she’s currently living alone and
purchased the home for herself.
THE SINGLE MAN: This is the male counterpart
THE FAMILY WOMAN: She shares her home with
a partner/spouse and potentially some children.
In a later report, we’ll take a closer look at “Moms”
(those with a partner and kids in the home) as unique
from “Coupled Women” (those sharing their home with
a partner, but not kids). But for today, we’re looking at
these Family Women as a whole.
THE FAMILY MAN: The male counterpart to our
to our Swank. He lives alone and purchased the
home for himself.
Family Woman — he shares his home with a partner/
spouse and potentially some children.
We asked these homeowners about a range of topics — from their motivations
and emotions during the home-buying process, to their attitudes and
experiences shopping as homeowners, and even to their participation in
some emerging home trends. Compelling insights emerged — from life stage
differences unique to today’s shifting landscape to classic gender divides. In
this report, we will give you insight on how homeownership effects Swanks’
overall health.
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INTRODUCTION
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FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
Healthy
HOME
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FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
HEALTHY HOME,
healthy life.
With all the news about preventive health, we found that many believe that it
starts at home. According to our research, home is where the soul and body go
to refresh, renew and rejuvenate. Approximately 9 in 10 homeowners — whether
male, female, living alone or not — agree that, “The environment in which I live
can have a great impact on my overall wellness.”33
In their quest for a healthier home, today’s homeowners are considering purchases
that will benefit them in terms of stress reduction, improved sleep, exercise, eating
better and breathing better. And Swanks are no exception. Let’s take a closer look
at just how today’s Swanks are approaching the healthier home.
HEALTHY HOME
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FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
FOUR TRUTHS
about the Swank approach
to a healthier home
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HOME IS WHERE THE HEALTH IS: They
say home is where the heart is. So it’s probably
not too surprising that a majority of Swanks
(and respondents across all segments) noted a
connection between home and health. Around
four in five of our Swank homeowners said the
most exciting part of buying a home was having a
place of their own for relaxing and recharging.34
And over half of the Swanks we heard from said
they’re willing to splurge more on home products
that help them live healthier.35
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IN SEARCH OF ZEN: With an increasing
societal awareness of the connection between
stress and health (just type “stress relief” into
Google; the millions of recent links should be
proof enough of the ubiquity of this trend), not
surprisingly, our Swank homeowners cited stress
reduction as a top motivator for a healthy home.36
It’s their castle, a fortress where they seek shelter
from big stressors to small daily annoyances.
When considering products to make their homes
healthier, about two-thirds of Swanks said they are
seeking products that help them reduce stress. 36
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SEEKING MORE ZZZs: Sleep has been
closely linked to overall wellness, particularly for
women, and with an increased understanding of its
importance, sleep has become a big business all on its
own. Swank homeowners we heard from are definitely
looking for more shut-eye. A better night’s sleep was
another top benefit sought when considering home
purchases — around two-thirds of all respondents want
products that help them sleep better.37 Think new bed,
mattress, pillow, bedding, linens, blackout blinds, noise
machine, etc.
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BUT SWANKS COULD BE DOING MORE:
Yet interestingly, despite drawing a clear connection
between home and health, almost half of Swanks haven’t
made purchases to make their home healthier. 38 In fact,
Swanks were the group least likely to have purchased in
categories like major appliances, HVAC and fixtures for
the purpose of making their home healthier.39 Clearly
there’s an opportunity to further engage Swanks in the
healthy home purchases.
HEALTHY HOME
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FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
COMPARED TO SINGLE MEN
SWANKS ARE:
56 likely to
% more
HAVE PURCHASED
PRODUCTS THAT MAKE
IT EASIER TO EXERCISE
32 likely to
% more
HAVE PURCHASED
PRODUCTS THAT MAKE IT
EASIER TO EAT BETTER
more
18%likely
to
SEE A CONNECTION BETWEEN
HOME AND HEALTH
15%likelylessto
PRIORITIZE
BREATHING BETTER
less
28%likely
to
HAVE MADE A HEALTHY
HOME PURCHASE
% less
38 likely to
HAVE PURCHASED
FURNITURE TO MAKE
THEIR HOME HEALTHIER
HAVE PURCHASED
A MAJOR APPLIANCE
TO MAKE THEIR
HOME HEALTHIER
29 likely to
% less
HEALTHY HOME
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FRANK ABOUT WOMEN > HOME OF THE SWANK
FOUR THINGS EVERY SWANK MARKETER
SHOULD KEEP IN MIND
SHOW HER THE WELLNESS: Across our broader study, the connection
between one’s home and one’s health was a theme with universal agreement,
regardless of gender or life stage. And Swanks in particular were willing to
splurge on a product that helped them live healthier. Brands that can draw
a direct line between their product or service and her personal health and
wellness will give her a reason to engage.
BE A ZEN EXPERT: We know from the research that all consumers, and
particularly Swanks, want to swap stress with sleep, more exercise and better
eating. No matter what your product or service is, keep in mind that her
biggest driver in purchasing her own home is having a place for relaxing and
recharging. How can your brand help her infuse greater mindfulness into her
bedtime routines, eliminate stress from her mornings or even transform her
home into a true wellness escape?
MAKE HEALTHIER EASIER: While Swanks expressed an interest in products
that make it easier to exercise more or eat better, almost half our Swanks
have not made any purchase to support their healthier home. Consider how
your product or service supports her healthier lifestyle — especially when
it comes to diet and exercise. Take inspiration from Vitamix, a brand that
showed just how splurge-worthy a superior smoothie is. Or, help her spot easy
wellness fixes in unexpected places. As we mentioned in our first chapter,
“Home of the Swank,” infrastructure is her least favorite investment. However,
if infrastructure investments (duct cleaning, new windows, watering systems)
were tied to improving overall health, they may suddenly seem much sexier
and more urgent.
A HEALTHY BOOST OF CONFIDENCE: We also know from “Home of the
Swank” that Swanks tend to feel less respected when shopping for a range
of categories that can be connected to wellness, like major appliances and
HVAC systems. Boost her confidence through improved customer service and
intuitive online interactions with your brand, and you could open up an entire
healthy home category to her.
Want to talk about this more? Reach out to Cindy Abad-Mancheño or Shaun Stripling to see
how Frank About Women can help your brand better connect with today’s homeowners.
HEALTHY HOME
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