A shopping idea: would this be possible?

[IdaBWells]

Because women have responsibility for so much of a household's spending and not all of us shop at Ocado for example to boycott them, I have a thought.

Would it be possible to create a portal which would clearly support women and our concerns, some kind of charity or non-profit which we could go to and through to then shop online as normal? So then the portal could calculate where these women shopped and how much they spent? Does that make sense? So you could clearly see how much economic power women with those views had?

Maybe the site could request responses from popular companies on questions women were concerned about and publicize them to their users? So for example I could easily search for Sainsbury's or Asda's policy on the GRA?

The thing is I don’t think Asda or Sainsbury’s need a policy on GRA reform. They’re supermarkets; I want them to sell me food, not take political positions on the hot topics of the day.

Ocado could have just not got involved, saying nothing was an option.

I suspect that many women have little choice where they shop. Choosing to boycott Ocado or Thinx is a luxury. When you can only afford to shop at Lidl or buy own-brand tampons your ability to march with your feet is limited.

I think Lidl advertise here don’t they? You are voting with your feet aren’t you?

I like the idea, no idea how to put it into practice though.

Also agree that Sainsbury’s and Asda do not need a published view on the GRA. They do need a published policy on if their changing rooms are single SEX or mixed SEX though.

So then the portal could calculate where these women shopped and how much they spent?

Speaking as a tech I industry professional: it's certainly feasible from a technology point of view; that's pretty much how affiliate marketing works, anyway (with the redderer getting a cut, so a tad more complex yet).

OTOH, it's not a call for tenders I would want to answer in a professional capacity. A platform whose explicit goal is to monitor the behaviour of a group of likeminded individuals opposite a controversial political topic - and one on which much of the controversy plays out online at that - sounds like a veritable data protection, compliance and IT security nightmare to me. Were this to land on my desk today with the question 'should we offer' I'd tell them not to touch it with a barge pole (and if I didn't, legal certainly would).

Yes you can shop online via portals which support a particular purpose (such as Amazon Smile) but I am not sure
a) how profitable they are, and
b) if there is space for another one to thrive.

Have you actually got a business plan/potential funding? I'm pretty sure Smile exists only as a 'loss leader' so Amazon can show corporate philanthropy. And that you'd need a fairly big backer, especially if you intend to give advice on companies to avoid.

Skull you have convinced me it’s unworkable! I guess I am trying to think of straightforward ways to remind other of/or reveal the economic power of women as it seems money talks. Of course coming here to MN and using the advertisers is also an obvious option but MN at times restrict our free speech.

I am grappling with ways where The Silent Majority can show our clout. Of course we can vote (although God knows who for right now...) but in the years between elections how can we influence policy as a large group?

Amazon Smile means you donate a percentage of what you spend to charity, I have it set up for my local woman’s refuge. There’s a similar app called Give As You Live. I didn’t think that was what you meant OP.

What about supporting businesses that are for women and by women?

There's a few now.

Can't remember who it is but there's an etsy with badges and mugs and stuff.