In results released from the 2009 Women and Social Media Study from iVillage, BlogHer and Compass Partners, it is no surprise to see that "Women Look to Online Peers For Product Reviews"...
"According to the study, 64% of the online women polled are posting product recommendations to message boards and articles online. An even higher percentage (79%) of women in the iVillage Community are doing so. Those postings are influential, as 77% of women polled say these community recommendations impact their purchase decisions. Within the iVillage Community, even more women are impacted by online recommendations (87%).
The study also found that 62% of those surveyed are comparing prices online more often, and 48% are spending more time online researching purchases. Specifically, "Millenials" (women ages 18-26) and "Generation X" (women ages 27-43) are the largest segments of social media users, representing a powerful audience of moms and other women with major purchasing power.
Message boards and forums are women's resources for "finding out about new products" (47%) and "giving me ideas about how to manage my household" (40%). Message boards and forums are also used to "get information" (68%), "share opinions" (70%), "seek advice, recommendations" (49%), and "provide advice, recommendations" (49%). Also, women who post to message boards enjoy influencing their communities. Eighty percent of those who post to message boards report investing time searching for new products online, and 53% agree they are on the leading edge of new trends. Among those surveyed, topics that rank high include parenting (70%), pregnancy/ baby (71%) and health/wellness (71%) as key message board topics."
Understanding that you can fulfill a need in your market by providing a way for these women to network could be a huge profit center for you, go after it!