NEW! List of most loved brands by women in Kenya; M-Pesa Tops

In Kenya, women are most loyal to the following brands: Equity Bank, Safaricom, Mpesa, and Airtel.

The retail chain Naivas and Samsung round out the top six, according to an Ipsos and BSD Group survey.

The purpose of the study was to clarify how the principal consumer in Kenya, a woman, influences decisions about what to buy for her family.

The study, which is currently in its third edition, declares the authority of women consumers to be a rising, large, and lucrative consumer market.

The report also explains how women markets affect the financial and reputational performance of brands and organizations, as well as the main data-driven reasons why the Top 100 brands made it to the third edition.

According to Chris Githaiga, managing director of Ipsos Kenya, 78 percent of adult women’s income is often spent on household purchases, and 97 percent of adult women play a significant part in the purchase of goods or services.

“The percentage of female-headed households is increasing and can no longer be ignored. Our recent studies show that close to 50 percent of households in Kenya has a woman (a mother) as the head. Therefore, empowering women impacts the overall economic growth and value creation,” said Githaiga at the released of the report.

He said brand owners, policy makers and investors can now get a better understanding of women’s consumption habits after the survey we realised that the demographic and value of women consumers in Kenya was understated, misunderstood, and ignored.

A research by McKinsey shows that if women participated in the economy on the same basis as men, it would add $12 trillion, or 11 percent %, to the annual global GDP by 2025.

Eva Muraya, founder and chief executive, BSD Group says Kenya, the East Africa region, and Africa at large need to capitalise on the potential growth of women-led emerging markets.

“By incorporating gender concerns into market research, businesses can ensure a strong understanding of women markets, gender norms and relationships that impact development of this special segment,” said Muraya.