Don’t think pink on female riders
Added on Saturday, August 21st, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Don’t think pink on female riders
Motorcycle dealers have been warned that they risk turning away female customers by assuming that they want ‘feminised’ riding equipment.
CAP, who provide used vehicle pricing guides to the motor industry, claim that the motorcycle industry is failing to expand potentially growing female customer base, which currently makes up between 10-15% of the UK market.
Alan Elsworth, editor of CAP Green Book, the industry standard trade guide to used motorcycle values, suggested that the most successful female-friendly dealers focus on safety and practicality rather than pink leathers and helmets.
Writing in the latest edition of Green Book, Alan Elsworth says: “A typical example of the desire among women to be treated on an equal footing came from a dealer contact recently who was selling to a married couple who were both starting out as riders. After making sensible bike choices, under the expert guidance of dealer staff, they were then pointed to riding kit and offered professional safety information.
“But when the dealer suggested the woman check out the “ladies gear” her immediate response was to ask if there was anything available non-pink. This dealer is not unique in realising that woman do not want to be treated as anything other than motorcyclists.
“It is also noticeable that dealerships run by a husband and wife team are more successful in retailing to women. No doubt they connect more easily with the female customer because they understand this fact. It is also noticeable that pink is conspicuous by its absence among the wares sold by the few specialist vendors of female biking apparel.
“The advice is, don’t tar women with a pink brush and instead realise that if women are better understood a still largely untapped market is probably there for the taking.”
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