Source: Remodeling Online.

It's no secret women are a major influence when it comes to green-lighting remodeling projects. A recent study on women's economic power, conducted by Kleber and Associates Marketing and Communications in collaboration with StandPoint Marketing Research, revealed that women are brand-conscious but won't sacrifice quality and generally make major purchasing decisions after consulting with their significant other. Plus, women comprise 51 percent of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and spend an estimated $2 trillion each year. As a result, many remodelers are reevaluating their marketing programs to focus on women.

For example, Neil Kelly Designers/Remodelers in Portland, OR, has long had a business model that focuses on the woman of the house as an influential decision maker, according to president Tom Kelly, including using women in its advertising and as key players in the company's sales force. "Women buy from women more easily," Kelly says. "We also have a lot of women who are carpenters and project managers. That makes us more attractive, from a brand perspective, to women."

Read the full story.