subject: Are Women The Hottest Thing In Home Improvement? [print this page] While browsing the aisles of your local home improvement center, it's likely you've seen pink-handled hammers and tape measures adorned with floral designs, rather than chrome. Women are a hot market, no matter what you're business is. Today, this is truer than ever.
Home Improvement by the Numbers
Women decide more than 80 percent of a household purchases, spending $6 trillion every year. By 2010, women could hold 60 percent of the personal wealth in the U.S. for the first time. Women spend $80 billion on home improvement alone. Given these numbers and the state of the nation's economy, it won't come as a surprise that home improvement stores are vying harder than ever to woo female shoppers.
Hopping on the Home Trend
Suzanne Horton, founder and CEO of BeJane.com, saw the writing on the wall and, in 2004, launched her online home improvement community, which caters to female do-it-yourselfers of all ages and skill levels. The site offers articles, videos, tutorials, and how-to guides for everything from how to be more green to home finance. Also included are basics, such as how to replace a showerhead or change up your home's interior, and more complicated projects, including how to replace siding, refinish cabinets, and build an outdoor barbecue.
The site is currently being expanded to include more features, like the proposed Mommy Jane Network, essentially DIY for moms. Says Horton: "My goal became to demystify and encourage the do-it-yourself spirit, because once we overcome this mental barrier, there's nothing stopping us from tackling even more daunting projects in our personal lives and the world at large."
