Online VAR nets female pound with IT boutique

Female buying power in the technology sector is being harnessed by a new online reseller aiming to cash in on the female pound.
The web site, 21stcenturydiva.co.uk, has been designed to look and feel like an online fashion boutique, with the twist that it sells only technology products and peripherals.
“We wanted to sell technology for women in a stylish way,” said Michelle Gledhill, co-founder and sales and marketing director at 21st Century Diva.
The site sells everything from printers to MP3 players, laptops, designer laptop bags and software. Vendors such as Sony, Canon and Apple are already on board and Gledhill said the firm is on the lookout for other vendors.
“Vendors are missing out on a massive gap in the market,” she said. “The female pound is growing and is worth more and more in the overall IT spend among consumers and small businesses. We are looking
for more vendors to approach us to sell their technology so we can help them take advantage of this upcoming sector.”
Vendors will miss out on £600m in 2007 alone because they fail to connect with women, according to a study released this week by advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi.
A survey of 3,000 women by Gadget Candy revealed that over half of those questioned spend more than £800 a year on technology, with 28 per cent spending more than £1,000.
Ingram Micro and Westcoast are supplying the web site. Bhavesh Patel, commercial director at Ingram, said he believes vendors have not been doing enough to target women.
“Over the past 12 to 18 months, certain brands have launched products designed for women. Other vendors are not targeting their products specifically, but vendors are thinking more about aesthetics now.”
According to a recent Ofcom study, women aged between 25 and 34 spend more time using the internet than men. In this age group, 2.18 million young women users account for 55 per cent of total time spent online. By comparison, just 1.83 million 25- to 34-year-old men in the UK use the internet.
Gadget retailers failing to target women