The X and Y of Buy

“The X and Y of Buy, Sell More and Market Better by Knowing How the Sexes Shop” is a recent book by Elizabeth Pace. She makes a funny start in her book: “Men buy.
Women shop and then purchase 80 percent of everything.” She assumes that men and women are different by design. She contrasts the buying styles of the two sexes. In the famous department store, Neiman Marcus, the business suit section is right at the entrance; thus, any man can easily find the right suit in seconds. However, a lady that tries to find a dress must be prepared for some exercise. She has to enter to the store from the same door; pass the men’s section, make a left, then pass cosmetics, go through women’s bags and shoes to reach the escalator and finally find the spot for women’s dresses. A man would never make a similar effort to buy a business suit. They want to find the target easily and in a short time; however, women must spend time and struggle to find the target. If you show a woman something that she wants immediately – even if it is the exact piece that she is looking for -- she cannot buy it. It is like giving birth to a baby. Without struggling and a certain amount of time, a woman cannot buy. They have to have a rich emotional experience while shopping. Elizabeth Pace is a specialist working on shopping behaviors on a scientific level. She researched consumers by using fMRG (functional magnetic resonance imaging). She has a deep knowledge of the male and female brain and how they function while shopping. In the first chapter she describes the key differences between male and female brains. The male brain is just like a file cabinet. There are many files in the brain; and each file is stored in a special section; and there is no connection between separate files. A finance file is totally separate from the file about his kid. This feature helps men to focus on a single subject at a time. There are two lobes in a brain, and men use one of the lobes for one issue. A man can hold his emotions separate from a business problem; thus, he can act in a rational way. On the contrary, a female brain is like a table. Files are available in groups that are connected to each other. In the female brain multiple thoughts take place at the same time, and this helps women to see the connections and interactions of things. There is 15 percent more blood flow in the female brain than in the male brain. The corpus callosum, which connects the two brain lobes, is 23 percent bigger in female brains. So, they can easily correlate different aspects of their lives. Elizabeth Pace gives a funny example from her personal live to illustrate how male and female brains work. In 1993 she decided to buy a car. She went to a dealer, and they started to examine a BMW. They were looking for a comfortable car, which they mentioned to the dealer. The dealer started to show a car’s engine and explain the technical aspects of the car. Her husband was impressed by the qualities of the car. The car looked really charming. Her husband said: “We found our car. This is the ultimate driving machine.” After this sentence Elisabeth asked, “Where is the coffee cup holder?” Before the dealer, her husband answered “This is a car, not a restaurant.” However, there was no coffee cup holder, and finally she bought a Toyota with a coffee cup holder. Not only her personal experiences but also business cases appear in the book. Elisabeth Pace’s book might help marketing people because she uncovers the secrets of male and female buying behaviors.