Female consumers use the web for various purposes when it comes to shopping.

Brands that produce and promote products directed toward female audiences may need to alter their approach to marketing, a new study by Time Warner Cable and Ipsos MediaCT suggests. Recently, the two agencies joined forces and conducted a study of 3,800 women nationwide to determine their feelings, behaviors and media consumption.

The report focused on Chief Family Officers (CFOs) and Girlfriends on the Go (GOGs). The former are females with a median age of 38, half of them are married with children and more than half work. The latter segment is comprised of women with a median age of 34 who are without children and living in urban environments.

Executive Vice President of Time Warner Cable and President of Time Warner Cable Media Joan Hogan Gillman explained that the two previously mentioned segments represented more than $200 billion in spending last year and were key decision makers for their entire households. Gillman says the study was conducted to help marketers understand subtle differences between female consumers. Professionals can use the reports’ results to appeal to the two female segments.

The study noted that CFOs are less likely to be sole decision-makers for larger purchases than their GOG peers, especially when it comes to the latest tech trends. In addition, women across both categories living in New York or Los Angeles were more independent in their shopping endeavors than females residing in Texas or Ohio. Perhaps most interesting is how both demographics use the web to research products or verify the perceptions they have of those brands. CFOs use the internet to compare price points and product value, while GOGs use their tablets and smartphones to engage with specific brands.

Marketers can learn a lot from the study – these two female consumer segments depend on the web for specific parts of their purchasing process. Factor in Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising and Brand Messages report that found 52 percent of females trust branded websites and 34 percent trust online video ads, and it’s clear that developing a content creation strategy that includes website content and video content could appeal to these buyers. More, brands take advantage of their $200 billion spending power.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.