While running my own construction business, I realized how difficult and intimidating it could be for women to feel confident about home repair and maintenance. So, instead of building skyscrapers, I decided to create a brand that would build confidence. In the spring of 2003, I launched a line of high-quality tools and how-to kits that would provide solutions and empower women to tackle projects in and around the home.
As the CEO of a lifestyle brand, my mission is to provide women with the knowledge and products they need to take charge of home repair and enhancement, automotive maintenance, simple electronics and more. I’ve come to realize how important it is to stock a line of tools and kits that are designed with women in mind. This means stocking items that include easy-to-follow instructions that make women feel confident in their own abilities.
When researching which automotive accessories would be most useful for women, the parallels between the male-dominated construction industry and the male-dominated auto aftermarket were clear. In both situations, what empowers women to take charge of maintenance and repair is having the knowledge and tools that remove the intimidation from unfamiliar tasks.
And as women gain confidence in a hands-on approach to maintaining and repairing their vehicles, they will begin to insist on the kinds of service and products that work best for them.
In the driver’s seat
As “CEOs” of their households, women take matters into their own hands to get things done in the most efficient and economical way. Our market research shows that 65 percent of women make trips to automotive stores to purchase necessary tools and accessories. The items they purchase are for light tasks, such as changing oil or spark plugs or replacing batteries, as well as items for cosmetic improvements, such as washing or waxing compounds, floor mats or accessories to organize their car’s interior.
Once at an automotive store, women respond best to a high level of service that includes clear directions and non-patronizing explanations of how to use tools or install parts.
Approximately 60 percent — or just over 20 million — women car owners shop for parts for their vehicles, and it’s estimated that more than 10 million of these women who purchase automotive parts and accessories install them on their own. Women are routinely undertaking tasks such as checking their cars’ fluids, replacing wiper blades and changing oil.
Made with a woman in mind
I launched my line of do-it-yourself kits, tools and accessories in April 2003, in part because of the difficulty of working with tools designed for a man’s hand. The tools are ergonomically designed for a woman, and are both smaller and lighter to accommodate a woman’s touch, although they are by no means light duty. It’s important to women that tools are organized and contained in a compact and attractive kit for easy access and storage.
Women are not simply smaller versions of men. It seems like some manufacturers think that way. We are built differently, which means we need products that are made to fit us and our needs.
I have noticed that some auto manufacturers are more attentive to the needs of “today’s woman” because they offer more storage features. This is key to the woman who needs to pick up the kids, run to the supermarket, the drug store and the bank in one fell swoop. She needs to make the most out of every trip and requires lots of storage for it.
We also tend to think differently than men. According to our Just Ask A Woman Study, conducted last February, 68 percent of women say that better instructions would make installing easier, which is why kits like my Roadside Safety Kit come with step-by-step instructions for basic automotive maintenance or roadside emergencies.
I have also noticed that auto manufacturers are catering to women’s needs for information on the purchasing end.
Many of them are offering websites that help consumers research the best features and best values. This is key before we step foot into an automotive store because we want to have as much information as possible in order to feel self reliant in making a purchase.
Aesthetics are another area of importance to women, both in terms of the vehicles they purchase and the tools and accessories they use to maintain and improve them. They simply want to purchase reasonably attractive items that come with clear directions for safe and effective use.
When I heard that my friends, family and customers wanted to feel the same level of confidence on the road as they do in the home, it made perfect sense. Market research tells us that safety and security are most important to women when it comes to the car. It also shows that women prefer to learn about new products from other women.
Knowing that women want to be able to handle emergencies or unexpected situations with their vehicles on their own is not surprising. One customer told me about being on vacation with her young daughter and finding their rental car in the hotel parking lot with a tire as flat as a pancake. The woman had a vague idea of what changing a tire entailed — something to do with the spare, which she had located in the trunk of the car, and the need for a jack, which was also right there, next to the spare. But she was intimidated — she’d never changed a tire before.
As she prepared to call AAA and arrange for someone to show up to help, a businessman came out of the hotel, headed for his vehicle in the parking lot. He offered to help, and tossing his suit jacket on the driver’s seat, rolled up his sleeves. He quickly assembled the jack, put a block behind the rear wheel, loosened the lug nuts, switched to the spare, repacked the tools, advised the woman to take the tire to a garage to be patched, as she shouldn’t drive for too long on the spare.
As relieved as she was to have had the help, the woman had to agree with her daughter, who, having watched the whole tire change said to her mother, “Well, that didn’t look too hard.” When she told me the story, the woman admitted that she was sure she could have changed the tire herself — after all, the tools were all right there in her trunk. She just had no idea how to use them!
Including instructions and demonstrations with your tool offerings will help develop relationships with female do-it-yourselfers, and will hopefully lead to a lifelong customer. This is a growing category for women that retailers and manufacturers are targeting.
The bottom line is this: Women today are multitasking marvels, whether they run huge corporations or busy households. If it’s an efficient use of their time, if they have the right tools and knowledge, there is no task they won’t undertake — oil and tire changes included.
