What women want

The smoking ban was supposed to herald the end of the male-dominated boozer, but women will still need tempting in, says Punch beer & cider category manager Stephen Martin

1. Potential

l Spending by women on food and drink has risen by 11% in the past year, compared to male spending, which only rose in line with inflation (2.5%)

l As women tend to go to the pub more for special occasions, they are less likely to be as price-conscious

l The older population is a huge market place - not only because there are increasingly more older people, but also as their spend per occasion grew by 29% in the last year

l 18 to 25-year-olds visit the pub most frequently - approximately 1.2 visits per week

l Women aged 35 and over increased their frequency of visiting pubs by 16% between 2004 and 2006.

Don't forget, men are drawn to pubs with a high-er percentage of women, so focusing on bringing in females could also attract more men.

2. Standards

Just bear these stats in mind - 78% of customers will not go back to a pub with dirty toilets and 80% believe a poor pub toilet tells you a lot about the hygiene in the kitchen. If you want women to enjoy your pub, make sure you have the sweetest-smelling, cleanest toilets in the business.

Your toilets should be well lit, have hooks on the backs of doors, paper towels, tissues, mirrors and plenty of toilet paper. If you really want to make your toilets a talking point, provide hand cream, flowers and, if there's space, somewhere to sit. Don't just check them at opening time, inspect them every hour or so to maintain standards. A clean, well-lit and tidy pub will attract women.

3. Wine

Wine is a category traditionally associated with female drinkers. Compared to men, women are far more influenced by the impression you give about your wine offering, ie, if it looks like you have cared for your offering, women will be much happier about buying it. Failure to get this right is why 16% of female wine drinkers in the UK do not buy wine in pubs.

Women want reassurance that they are getting value and so are far more influenced by price and brand than country and grape variety. Give them reassurance of the quality of the wine by providing a good description, stocking well-known brands and listing by price.

Pay particular attention to your rosé and white. New World wines are very popular as they are usually easier to drink. New World Chardonnays remain popular but Pinot Grigio has been very fashionable for some time now. Sauvignon Blanc is a refreshing, crisp style of white wine that can be drunk on its own or with a light fish dish or salad.

Rosé wine, whilst still small in terms of sales compared to white wine has seen phenomenal growth over recent years.

4. Spirits and mixers

While men drink spirits on 9% of on-trade occasions and spirits account for 13% of their total consumption, women drink spirits on 22% of on-trade occasions and they account for 40% of their total consumption.

When looking for mixing ideas, keeping track of supermarket trends is a great way to tap into the latest fashion. For example, the latest juice revolution is pomegranate - this could create a real point of interest for your pub.

When it comes to quality, women accept no compromises. Those over 25 are particularly sensitive to branding and are prepared to pay more if they feel they are getting quality.

Presentation is also important. The appeal of buying a spirit and mixer in the pub is that a superior serve can be enjoyed against what most of us can achieve at home and the range of spirits, fruit and mixers is greater at the pub.

Unfortunately this is also where women can feel let down. If you want to impress, the minimum requirement is a tall, clean, cold glass with lots of ice, a quality spirit and mixer, wedge of fruit and preferably a straw.

Serve can further be enhanced with accessories such as stirrers and napkins that add that extra special feel to a drink.

5. Events

Women generally see going to the pub as a special occasion, so a range of well-planned events and activities can help ensure a more frequent visit rate. Here are a few ideas:

l Live TV: Show programmes such as The X Factor or Big Brother on Friday or Saturday night to encourage ladies into your pub on a regular basis. You could offer an early-bird food promotion in conjunction with the shows. Maybe even an X Factor-style karaoke competition.

l Dancing: If you have a function room or large trading space then you could try some Strictly Come Dancing-style dance lessons with an instructor or salsa complete with Spanish tapas meal.

l Speed dating: This is a low-cost event to organise if you have spare space and it could help fill the pub on quieter mid-week days.

One good tip is to provide a couple of disposable cameras for the ladies to take pictures. Get them developed and put them on your wall or noticeboard as a reminder of a great night. This will create a talking point and encourage other ladies to come along to the next one.

6. Food

Women are now more likely than men to visit the pub at lunchtime. A survey by KeyNote found that a fifth of working women pop to the local for a bite to eat and a quick drink every week, compared to less than a sixth of men. For many of these women, weekday lunchtimes represent a spell of freedom from both work and domestic obligations - the perfect opportunity to head to the pub.

l Healthy eating: Women's magazines, newspapers and TV shows often mention healthy eating and lifestyle, and a large number of ladies will look for bite-size, healthy options. It may also be an idea to mark up some low-carb or low-fat meals on the menu or those using superfoods. Some pubs also mark down Weight Watchers points on the menu.

l Shoppers: Advertise on your A-boards and external chalkboards for maximum impact with an enticing offer to encourage shoppers in. Morning coffees, teas, cakes, pastries or even a warming bowl of soup for the winter months will give shoppers a welcome break.

l School: Consider an early-bird offering for mums. A low-cost meal deal or coffee and cake with no washing up to do, and the chance of meeting up with other mothers is tempting.

l Cookery master classes: A great way to build trade on a quiet night. Consider offering a set price for the tuition and food and use your own chef where possible to keep costs down. Then serve the attendees the meal they've cooked along with some wine recommendations to encourage purchase.

7. Local salon link-up

Join up with a local hair salon, beauty therapist or ladieswear shop to offer their services for one night. Choose a number of women, perhaps by running a raffle with proceeds to charity, to benefit from a makeover and beauty tips.

You could take the link-up with the salon further and cross-sell each other's products. The salon could give 10% discount vouchers to customers for a meal at the pub and you could offer the same for redemption at the salon.

8. Safety

Safety and comfort are prime concerns to women. Of particular importance is getting home safely, especially if they are on their own. Link up with a reliable local taxi firm to create a good supply of taxis for the beginning and end of the night.

9. Database and bounce-backs

At the end of each event or promotional offer, send your ladies away with a voucher for a special food or drink offer that they can redeem within a certain time period to encourage them to visit your pub.

Once you have attracted these women to your pub it would be a shame to let them go, so use a prize-draw card or promotional voucher to capture email addresses.

It is the most effective and inexpensive way to stay in touch and inform women customers about upcoming events.