New research reveals single females are overlooked and misunderstood by advertisers

A new study titled ‘All the Single Ladies’[1] – co-commissioned by 9Honey, Nine’s leading women’s network, and Amplifi, part of the Dentsu Aegis Network – has revealed that 79% of single women don’t believe being single defines them, with many focusing on personal interests over the need to find a life partner. 

The study further reveals the attitudes and behaviours of single women today, and their potential impact on marketing strategies.

Despite nearly 2.3 million women in Australia being single[2], a quarter of Australians living in a single person household[3], and the average marriage lasting 12.1 years[4], the research suggests marketers are overlooking the great potential of the single female segment in their marketing strategies.

The study highlighted the need for brands to reconsider how they are representing single women within their marketing strategy, with the survey panel scoring brands just 5.82 out of 10 when it came to visual representation within marketing content, 5.84 out of 10 for brands’ understanding their needs, and consideration by the government a low 4.79 out of 10.

Utilising quantitative and qualitative means to conduct the study, the research identified insights that will assist brands with their marketing strategies across a number of key buying categories, including travel, dating, finance, and wellbeing.

“The women we spoke to all agreed they enjoyed the freedom of being single. In fact they considered mental wellbeing, financial freedom, time with family, health, professional satisfaction, travel, fitness, further education and looking your best as far more important factors in their life over a long term relationship,” said Mel Mullins, Director of Strategy and Experience at 9Powered.

“If we want to better represent single women and engage them more effectively it is clear that we need to rise above the social stereotypes. As single becomes the new norm, the research clearly highlighted the need for brands to better market without stigma,” added Louise Veyret, Head of Knowledge & Research Services, Dentsu Aegis Network.

Key findings include:

• Single women are mindful with their discretionary funds and would rather save than spend or repay debt, with 42% in this segment being active savers versus women who are married or in a relationship at 35.4%. 
• 74% of single women feel in control of their finances and 86% feel self-sufficient in this area.
• 79% agree that being single doesn’t define them, and enjoy the freedom of being single. Putting mental wellbeing, financial wellbeing, time with family, health and diet, professional satisfaction, travel, fitness, being connected to the world, career achievement, further education and looking your best are all more important to them than finding a partner.
• Single women do not consider dating the gateway to finding love but consider it a chore (60%), with only 28% believing dating services are safe and only 23% believing them beneficial to raising their self-esteem.
• 72% of respondents said that online dating services were an accepted form of dating; only 19% said they were currently using online dating services, with 45% saying they had never used one at all.
• Travel was rated the number one item single women are spending their disposable income on, with single women more likely to travel overseas in the next 12 months than their married counterparts. 
• 58% of solo travellers today are women and one in five females has travelled solo in the past year.

[1] Research by Hoop Research Group, who surveyed more than 500 women nationally between the ages of 25 and 49, who had been single for more than three months and earn over $60K per annum.
[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Nov 2016, Population Snapshot, Women 14+ years
[3] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Nov 2016, Population & Housing
[4] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Nov 2016, Marriages & Divorce

Amplifi, Research, Insights, Data, Marketing, Strategy