A Woman's Take on Home Theater
November 8th, 2007
I’ve noticed in the past few years of selling home theater that more and more women are becoming more involved with the process. I recently worked with a family in Charlotte, the Ryans. I was impressed by how they had done their homework prior to coming to Zobo but they were also open to the suggestions I gave them to improve on what they had planned. I asked Lisa about the entire process once their system had been installed and here’s what she had to say:
My easygoing husband is the kind of guy who has discerning tastes, but is happy with any number of options when it comes to household purchases. I, on the other hand, won’t budge on a purchase until all of my concerns are addressed and I’m absolutely certain we’re making the right decision.
For the two of us, deciding on what kind of home theater system to install was as painstaking as making the decision to buy our cars, or our house! We wanted to be certain we were selecting wisely. A home theater system can bring a family together for movies and games. It can ensure the party’s always at your place on the day of the Big Game. It can also help you sell your house when the time comes. This was no small undertaking!
One thing we disagreed with was professional installation. My husband has spent way too many nights and weekends doing work (and rework) that we should have paid professionals to do from the beginning. I not only wanted professional installation, but also someone we could call with questions afterwards until we were completely comfortable with the system. My Zobo system designer may have been tired of hearing from me, but he answered his cell every time I called with a question.
I also insisted that I wanted a system that everyone in the household could easily use. Why bother installing a home theater system for the family if we have to call Daddy every time one of us wants to use it?
So it didn’t surprise me to learn that women’s influence on whether or not a home theater system is purchased for a household is on a rapid rise. A recent survey indicates that women have even stronger feelings than men on whether or not a system is purchased and what type of equipment is included in that system. The study also found that women overwhelmingly expressed concern about the sound quality of the system (74% said sound quality was “Very Important” versus 54% of men saying the same). Women are also concerned about the complexity of the system. They want to be sure that everyone in the household is able to easily enjoy home theater. And when it comes to installation, nearly half of all men surveyed said they were “very confident” they could do the install themselves while just three in ten women said the same.
There’s a lot to consider when buying home theater. The process can seem overwhelming so it’s critical to have professional advice throughout the planning and installation. As picky as I thought I was, our Zobo system designer thought of things that never would have occurred to my husband and me. We love our system and enjoy it every day, and that may have not been the case had we tried to go it alone. I strongly recommend working with a company that will be there every step of the way.
Lisa Ryan,
Charlotte, NC
