Going after female drivers

Australian SHEdrives is bent on making the automotive industry female friendly. Whether it’s assisting women in buying a car online from their virtual dealership, discussing auto fashion, or training dealer sales staff, the aim is to make the process of buying a car easy and fun. Although women buy more cars than men and have a say in up to 85% of purchases made, Juliet Potter, founder of SHEdrives, felt the car industry wasn’t doing enough to accommodate female buyers. Unfortunately, women are still often patronized or even humiliated when they go to a dealership. Salesmen either ignore them, or try to sell them cars based on colours or interiors, addressing the more important details to men. Which is why SHEdrives is taking a two-pronged approach: educating both consumers and salespeople. Car dealerships send staff to SHEdrives seminars, and sales teams that complete the training are given a female-friendly accreditation. On the buyer’s side, SHEdrives advises consumers on which models suit their needs, and also offers advice on maintenance and buying used cars. Of course, the automotive industry isn’t the only male-dominated industry that needs to take a friendlier approach to female customers. What about builders and plumbers? The DIY industry? Ditch the bad attitude, and win yourself customers!