Things Women Have Stopped Buying

It's no secret consumer tastes are always changing; with the traditional wedding practically non-exsistant, kids no longer hanging out at the malls, and even the fashion staple blue jeans being shunned by teens, it's important to take stock of the evolution of consumer behavior, versus what we know has traditionally been true. A perfect example are women, who control $5 to $15 trillion in purchasing power annually (that's not the kind of chump change you want to bet on by hunches). And if you think they're throwing it down on diet foods and purses you're already out of date. The recession changed a lot of priorities, particularly in terms of finance. Below, Time found 8 things women are spending less on, some highlights include:

1) Pantyhose- dropped 47% in favor of tights, which is up 18% since 2009

2) Diet Foods- Diet doesn't always mean healthy, and kicking the chemicals out of our diets has meant a 17% dip in "fat free" foods and 15% drop in "sugar free" foods. Alternatively, natural and organic foods, which we know are healthy without being diet, have grown 10%.

3) Diet Cola-  no longer the "ladies cola;" sales have plummeted 21% since 2009. As we get more health conscious, we start to realize the oxymoron that is a "healthier soda."

4) Cigarettes (and anti-smoking products)- cigs sales are down 13%, and consequently, anti-smoking devices are down too by 18%. Today, only about 16% of American women smoke. You've come a long way, baby.

5) Hair Products- Natural and easy is in, and relaxers, home perms, and styling creams are out--by 14%. During the recession more women took to at home hair care instead of the salon, but it looks like that downgrade made us less fussy about hair in general.

6) Business Casual- Adios, blazers, skirts and slacks. Perhaps as the Coogle Effect (my awful term I made up right now about how working at Google is cool and more offices want to replicate it's work environment), more work places are becoming less formal. Blazers and suit jackets are down 32%. Awesome news though, scarves are up a whopping 68%!

7) Accessories - Women are spending less on gloves, purses (-14%), watches (-15%) and sunglasses (-26%). But we still got those scarves.

8) Books- Uh oh; we can't even blame eReaders--women are reading less--both paperback and digital--with a 13% drop in the last 5 years. However, this is kind of on trend for America at large, a quarter of which read nothing last year.

So what are women buying? Fun and experiential stuff (hello Groupon and concerts), health moderation like gym memberships and fit bits, and big financial investments--with the majority of new car loans, home equity loans and savings bonds being owned by women.


Time, August 14, 2014