COMMUNITY What Happens when Women Start Marketing Themselves as “Certified Women Owned?” A recent MarketWatch.com article asked the question, “What happens when female-led companies label their products ‘women-owned?” and notes the successes of women-owned companies that have labeled their products with their certified status. The article cited a study conducted by Walmart, where it surveyed 1,200 shoppers and noted that 90 percent of female shoppers said they would go out of their way to buy a product marked as “woman-owned”. Additionally, a 2017 survey by Cone Communications found that 84 percent of consumers would buy a product because a company stood up for an issue they cared about. Iowa Targeted Small Business owner, Deshara Bohanna, owner of Design Fetish, agrees with the surveys’ findings after seeing a “woman-owned” label during a recent shopping experience. “It caught my attention and made me more interested in the company,” Deshara said. “People do feel more connected to woman-owned companies because women tend to give back to their communities.” Knowing a woman designed a product helps Bohanna have faith in the product itself. “I think women know how to design and create for women. You have a like mind that is creating something for you to use.” (Deshara Bohanna, pictured in the Design Fetish studio). The businesses listed in the MarketWatch.com article had been certified by a national third-party organization which charges businesses a fee up to $1,250 to be certified, “based on the size of their budget.” For companies not interested in paying a fee for certification, the Targeted Small Business program provides eligible Iowa businesses with an option to get certified at no cost.
25 Publizr Home