It is of course no secret that women of every age and background experience stress. There seems to be a lack of time to get everything done, and blurred lines between work and home have only made things worse.
To top it all off, stress is bad for us. It weakens our immune system and promotes disease.
But what causes us to feel stress?
According to Professor Sharon Toker, a stress researcher at Tel Aviv University, when we’re in danger of losing something – resources, money, time, status, a relationship, we feel stressed. And many times, it’s only in our heads, because our minds don’t know to decipher between a physical threat and a psychological one.
But women release more oxytocin when they’re stressed, meaning that women often know how to reach out to others and receive assistance. And even so, there’s more that can be done by those looking to serve women.
Many businesses and startups are looking for the next big thing. But the truth of the matter is, that they don’t need to look far.
While women are good at finding solutions to their own problems, businesses can further help women by offering them products and services that will cause them less stress. Things like saving women time, helping them connect with others and helping them to do things they enjoy, can help them reduce stress. Businesses don’t even necessarily need to invent something new; they might be able to better serve women by simply improving their products or services.
Here are 10 questions every business-owner should ask themselves before selling their product or service to women:
- Can it save time?
- Will it promote her connections with friends, family and loved ones?
- How will it keep her healthy?
- Is it easy to use?
- Is the typeface clear, inviting and easy to read or small and headache inducing?
- How easy or difficult is it to open the package?
- How many times can it be used before a new one has to be purchased?
- Will the product be sold at a supermarket or drugstore where it is easily accessible?
- How many phone calls will she have to make to book an appointment or reach customer service? Can it be done online, instead?
Women control massive amounts of consumer spending. There’s so much room for businesses to improve their offerings to women, while helping them control their stress levels.