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Results of Annual Reader Survey – State of the Blog

Coffee Time with Kay
Comments(17)
February 2, 2019

Hello dear readers! Today is all about you. I’m so grateful that you are here. And 299 of you recently completed a survey for me about your experience here at Dressed for My Day. Today I want to share those results with you and let you know what I have gained from that information.

2018 Reader Survey Results

To those of you who completed the 2018 Survey, thank you so much. I was actually amazed at the response. I know bloggers with far more subscribers and readers than I have who can’t get 299 people to complete a survey. I know it took a bit of your time, so thank you.

And without further ado, let’s get to those results.

What I learned about you

The Demographics

A whopping 89.2% of those who completed the survey are subscribers. That’s great. By the way, as of this moment I have 924 email subscribers and 43 who follow me through WordPress. That’s tremendous, considering this blog is less than one year old. And in the month of January, 2019, I had 10,494 visitors come to Dressed for My Day, with an average of about 800 per day. I’m thrilled.

From here on out in this post, I’ll refer to those who completed the survey simply as “you,” assuming that the results are a fair representation of my readers.

Twenty-five percent of you have been with me since the blog debuted in March, 2018, or shortly thereafter. Another 55% have been reading DFMD for at least several months and 20% found me just recently. Those are good numbers, indicating that I’m retaining readers, but also gaining new ones steadily.

2018 Reader Survey Results

Oh, and 75% of you came here via another style or lifestyle blogger. I am so grateful for the women I have had the privilege of working with this past year. Jo-Lynne Shane certainly brought me many readers through this collaboration, but also through her plug for me on Facebook. Then some of you were introduced to me through Dianna Miller and others through Susanne Thompson.

It’s a good thing my blog is interface sensitive because you gals (And you are 100% gals, by the way. Whew!) read Dressed for My Day from every kind of device out there. And according to your responses, things are showing up like they’re supposed to and you’re able to read with ease.

If you ever consistently run into real problems reading or navigating my blog on any device, please email me. You can use the Contact tab just under the blog header. I want to know if something goes wrong. And we’ll see what we can do to improve things for you.

2018 Reader Survey Results

I’ve been advised to narrow my niche as much as possible. But let’s be honest, saying that my target audience is women 50+ is just a little scary. I worried that I would alienate potential younger readers/followers. But the truth is, I’m 54 (55 later this month!) and you are my audience. And you are resoundingly over 50!

I’m grateful for those of you who are younger, but 98% of you who answered this survey are over 50. That’s amazing to me. And it’s confirming…and affirming. I can build a solid and vibrant community of readers who are 50 and above. Thank you, ladies, for showing up!

Not surprisingly 95% of you live in the United States, but I do have a healthy contingent of readers in Canada and Europe. But I also daily see viewers popping up in my stats from other countries all over the world, including countries in Asia and Africa. (Don’t worry. I can’t tell specifically who is reading my blog; but I can tell what countries your IP address is in.)

Here’s where things get really interesting for me.

2018 Reader Survey Results

When it comes to work…most all of us are doing some. Ha! Most of us are either working hard in the home or as a caretaker, working part-time or employed full-time.

But. And this is a big but for my particular audience. But about 30% of you are retired. When it comes to selecting fashions to post, that’s kind of important for me to take into consideration.

From what I gather, on any given day, about 50% of you are in your homes and about 50% are working outside the home. You’re split right down the middle.

So, here’s my word to you on this. I see you working gals. I see you homemakers and caregivers and work-from-home gals. And I see you retired gals, you lucky dogs, you! I’m trying my best to offer a balance of casual and career clothes, athleisure and classic street clothes, busy-on-the-go clothes and stay-at-home-and-scrub-the-toilet clothes. Well, I don’t know about scrub-the-toilet clothes. But you know what I mean. We’re diverse. So the offerings on this blog will continue to be quite diverse, too.

That’s both a pleasure and a challenge for me. Hang with me. I’m really trying to meet you where you are.

That’s the diversity. Here’s a little commonality.

It looks like 90% of us are married. That’s good to know. But I love you unmarried, widowed or divorced gals, too. So hang with me.

I’m surprised that only 38% of you checked the “emptynester” box. But evidently that’s because some of you older gals still have a child or two at home, or you’re raising grand kids.

Shopping

When I asked where you shop, I got surprising results. Now keep in mind, I didn’t ask you how much you shop at any one store. So stats do not represent how much you’re buying at these retailers. You only indicated where you shop any at all.

I’m just going to give you a rundown of the places that at least 30% of you shop for clothing, shoes and accessories:

  1. Loft – 54%
  2. Old Navy – 49% (This really surprises me. Do you shop there a lot??? Or just a little?)
  3. Target – 47%
  4. Kohl’s – 47%
  5. Nordstrom – 42%
  6. Macy’s – 37%
  7. JCPenney – 34%
  8. Talbots – 32%

You all indicated about 20 additional stores where you shop for fashions, but they were chosen by significantly fewer than 30% of you.

When asked, some of you also indicated stores you would like to see me share more fashions from. I’m definitely going to try to share more from Kohl’s because 47% of you shop there. But, while we do have Kohl’s in Tucson, none of them are easy for me to get to. That’s why I tend to forget about them. Yes, I actually like Kohl’s. But ever since we’ve moved to Arizona, we just forget to go there.

I may try to feature some items from Old Navy, since so many of you shop there (a lot or a little? I really want to know.) But I’ve never found things to really fit me there. I’m definitely willing to give it another try though.

I’ll give JC Penney a try, too. Again, I just forget about them. But I’m going to make an effort.

I don’t have access to a Belk or I would certainly share their clothes, but I think most of theirs are also available at other retailers. I also don’t have access to a Dress Barn or an Eddie Bauer (and I really wish I did). I do shop Marshall’s and I can share things from there (and have in the past), but I can’t link to them since you can’t order online from Marshall’s and every store has different merchandise. So that’s why you don’t see those stores represented here.

I also discovered that 80% of you still shop a good bit at brick and mortar retailers. Honestly, that’s good. It doesn’t help me any when you do that. Just keeping it real. But it does help our local economies and job rate, so I’m all for that.

Just under 60% of you shop online a good bit, and 25% of you shop online little to none. When asked why you don’t shop online more, 54% of you claimed to like trying on clothes in the store before buying them. And, of those of you who do shop online, 79% of you said you shop at least once per month. Just keeping it real, that’s good news for me. In case you haven’t figured this out, that’s how I make a living here.

Still, only 30% of you regularly shop from my blog. And another 30% think that maybe you did that once. Ha ha!

Here’s the thing. I am so glad you are here, dear, dear reader. And if you never buy a thing from a link in my blog, I still love you to pieces. But if you’d like to know how to support me a little, I’d love it if you did shop from my links when you do shop online. So no, I’m not encouraging you to shop. I’m just letting you know that when you do shop, shopping from my links helps me out tremendously. Really, I make pennies on a purchase. But it adds up. And it doesn’t cost you a dime more.

In fact, 20% of you said you do sometimes intentionally start your shopping from my blog site. Thank you! And another 52% of you said you’d try to remember to do that in the future. Please, do. And thanks so much. You can start from a post you’ve pinned or bookmarked. Or you can start from the list of retailers to the side or at the end of the post, depending on what device you’re reading from.

How you relate to Dressed for My Day

So what do you think of my blog? And what suggestions did you have for better servicing you?

2018 Survey Results

The vast majority of you like the frequency with which I publish…or at least you’re fine with it. So I’ll continue to publish posts Monday through Saturday…with the occasional late one!

When asked about the price points on the items I feature, 72% of you said the range of those price points is pretty much perfect for you. And 24% of you said you’d prefer more budget friendly items. I hear you. More on that in a bit.

My most popular posts, in fact, are the outfit posts (93%), followed by styling tips and how tos (78%), how I really dressed for my day (70%), try-on sessions (66%), the Dressed for My Day My Way series (64%) and Trunk Club try-on sessions (49%). Fewer of you are crazy about my fitness posts (37%), but when I asked what you’d like to see more of these folks were probably the same ones who requests more fitness posts. In fact, that was the #1 request. So there ya go!

Speaking of what you’d like to see more of…

Some of you want more fashions for larger sizes. Unfortunately, that’s just not feasible. Not only do I not have any way of showing you those sizes on me, but I really have never tried to dress my body for any size larger than a 12. However, I always try to show fashions that come in a full range of sizes. And when I find that an item is low in large sizes, petite sizes, whatever, I try to find something else to link to. Also, I do have posts scheduled about dressing to appear thinner, dressing to minimize the tummy and dressing to minimize the hips. Otherwise, I encourage you to seek out other bloggers who target larger sizes. I can recommend Fonda at www.savvysouthernchic.com and www.wardrobeoxygen.com. Oh, and I have no idea what sizes these gals wear; I just know they have a different body type from me.

Some of you want to see home organizing and decorating. That’s just not going to happen, with respect. I’m not all that good at either. And my desert home is so atypical that it wouldn’t really appeal to many of you. So…no.

Some of you want to see one item styled multiple ways. And so I’ve been doing that a little. And there’s more to come! You can check out an example here and here.

Some of you want more heels. Some of you want more flats. Ha ha! So I’m trying my best to remember to style most everything with both from here on out. I make no guarantees. If I accidentally leave a pair of shoes home during a photo shoot or an outfit just doesn’t work in my estimation with different shoes, you’ll only see the one. But this is a concession I can make at least frequently.

Some of you want how to organize and sort your wardrobe, along with purchase planning. This I need to do and I will do. In fact, this will be a big part of my 2019 style series. I’ll release that later this week!

Some of you want fashions for petites. Sorry, I’m 5’8″ and when I accidentally find myself in the petite department, I scurry out for fear that the petite police will write me a ticket. I’m not joking. LOL! However, one gal did sweetly ask for me just to continue to mention when a certain fashion comes in petite sizes and to link to those. And I absolutely can and will do that. In fact, I am making a point to improve in this area. I do love you sweet petites!!

Also, I do have collaborations planned with other bloggers who have different body shapes, proportions and sizes from me. So that’s helpful, right?

Some of you want photos taken from inside my house or other venue. Honestly, my house just isn’t great for photos. We have very creamy walls that cast a yellow tone on everything we photograph. And really, it’s just hard to take nice fashion photos inside. But I am attempting to get out and further from home. I’ve already posted some fashion pics from the University of Arizona here and here. And we’ll be taking more from Tucson, soon.

Some of you want biblical posts that encourage women spiritually. I’m glad that you’d ask for that. But that’s not going to happen here. I do have an inspirational blog here. And while I’ve completely neglected it while getting DFMD up and running, I will be returning to writing there once a week starting in March. Meanwhile, there is a huge catalog of posts there from the past few years that I’d love for you to read and enjoy.

Some of you want…

  • how to incorporate completer pieces such as jackets, cardigans and scarves. Check!
  • more casual outfits. Check!
  • more fitness posts for women 50+ or perimenopausal. Check.
  • more of what I really wear around the house. Check.
  • more budget friendly options. Check. Sorta. I’ll continue to offer a wide variety of price points. But I’ll do my best to include budget friendly options when possible.

What you’re dealing with

Any smart blogger is going to pay attention to the felt needs of her audience. I truly want to meet you where you are. That’s why I asked about your greatest fashion, fitness and beauty struggles. And you answered.

Many of you struggle with:

  • finding fashionable clothes on a tight budget
  • living in a hot climate but loving winter clothes
  • being overweight or out of shape
  • dressing a body that has changed over the years
  • finding shoes that are fashionable, functional and comfortable.
  • aging
  • building a cohesive wardrobe – feeling like you have a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear
  • building a wardrobe for retirement after having worked for so many years
  • dressing appropriately for your age (not wanting to look too young, too old, like you’re trying too hard, silly, etc. – I addressed this topic in depth here.)
  • dressing for your body shape and proportions – finding clothes that fit
  • how to apply eye makeup
  • sticking with an exercise plan
  • toning up your upper arms (me, too!)
  • hair loss (me, too!)

There were a few other concerns mentioned, too, but all of these were mentioned more than once. I share them so you’ll know you’re not alone. But I also want you to know that I hear you. I see that hand! And I will keep these concerns in mind as I schedule blog posts in the coming months. Please, keep the suggestions and concerns coming.

When I asked for positive, constructive suggestions…

You were so very gracious. Thank you. Honestly, most of you just heeped on the praise. I am humbled. And so very thankful for this community of women. You’re a blessing to me.

But here are a few of the things you suggested.

“Sometimes your blog posts are way to long.” Ha! Case in point!! Well, give me this one. And yes, wordiness has always been a problem for this writer. And some educational posts just require more words. But I do try to edit the rest of them and keep them more concise. Give me a little grace and I’ll keep trying.

“Could you remember us Canadians?” You know, I really just don’t know where to send you to shop. But if you don’t already, I do suggest you follow Deborah at Fabulous After 40. In fact, even if you live in the states, you might enjoy following her. I do.

“Could you share tips for consignment shopping or other budget shopping?” I can try. I’m just not very knowledgeable. But I probably need to be!

“Could you show less from Talbots? I don’t shop there. I don’t like their clothes. They’re too expensive. Etc.” Actually a variation on this plea came from several of you. But here’s the thing. I try so hard to shop other places. And obviously I do shop other places. But Talbots’ clothes fit me better than any other retailer. I think it’s because their size model must be my twin. Also, Talbots features modern classic clothing. And that’s my style. Also, for every one of you who don’t like Talbots, I’ve got 200 other readers who do. That’s the proportions. So I won’t lie. You’ll continue to see a lot of Talbots here. I can’t do otherwise. But I am going to work really hard to show you plenty of other brands, too. PS – I’m actually posting later this week about why and how I shop Talbots.

“Could you mention if the clothing you’re modeling comes in other colors. Your coloring is so different from mine.” Absolutely. That’s a great idea. Thank you.

“Could you create a capsule wardrobe for retirement?” You know what, considering your demographics, that’s a great idea, too. Give me some time to work on this one. It will take research and thought. But, yes!!

Here are some other things to expect this year:

  • fun collaborations with other bloggers
  • packing posts
  • photos in new places
  • a new style series, similar to Dressed for My Day…My Way, but on a new topic. We’ll be learning how to build, cultivate and use a timeless wardrobe!
  • lots of try-on sessions
  • lots of styling tips
  • lots of 5 (or more) ways to wear… posts

Well, ladies. That’s a wrap. Actually, I could tell you the result of the social media questions. But there wasn’t much there, and I’ll probably do another post another weekend that includes that info. So let’s stop here. Praise the Lord! I know this was long. If you’re still reading I probably owe you a cookie or something! He he!

Again, thanks so much for reading Dressed for My Day. You’re the bomb!

Oh, and the winner of the $50 gift card goes to Amy Cooksley. I notified her and will be sending her a gift card to… Guess where? She chose Talbots!

Have a blessed and beautiful weekend, gals.

Don’t Miss a Post:

If you like what you’re seeing here at Dressed for My Day, I invite you to subscribe to my email list. You can receive an email each time I post (about 6 times weekly) or just on Saturdays. You choose! But you’ll also receive the password to open up all the subscriber freebies I offer.


I am thrilled that most of you enjoy reading this little devotional thought or blessing. But I am equally happy that those of you who don’t care of this element still feel welcomed here. Truly, I am so glad each of you are here!

Blessed for My Day

Self evaluation isn’t easy, and sometimes it’s not pleasant. But I’m a firm believer in setting up accountability and measures of progress. When we ask someone else to speak into our life, we do indeed open ourselves up to criticism and sometimes it can seem harsh.

But I encourage you to choose wisely and ask a handful of people to hold you accountable to the goals you have set for yourself. Give them permission to speak truth into your life, but with grace. I call it “gracious accountability.” Do you have any?

Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! ~ Lamentations 3:40

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xoxo, Kay
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17 thoughts on “Results of Annual Reader Survey – State of the Blog

  1. I have tried from time to time to shop at Old Navy. In fact, I just placed an order. You have to watch for fabric content. They have lots of things that are 100%rayon and wrinkle if you just look at them funny ?. Then, others are not of very high quality. I don’t think I have anything in my closet that I have kept from ON.

    1. I agree, Patt. I never find anything of interest to me at Old Navy. Their clothes seem cheap and also look like they’re made for teens or twenty-somethings.

  2. Thanks for sharing the survey results. They are very interesting and I appreciate and admire your honesty and thoughtfulness in your response to some of the requests. (And though I rarely shop at Talbots, your posts give me ideas of how to style clothes I already own or similar styles from stores I do shop at. And yes, I try to shop via your links when possible) God Bless!

  3. Kay, I really enjoyed reading the survey results!! BTW, I would love to win a Talbots gift card!!?. I look forward to all of your great ideas for upcoming posts!! Keep inspiring us!!! Thank you!!

  4. Interesting results! Keep up the good work! Ever since I started following you and Jo-Lynne last fall, I have bought more clothes online than in the past. You two are my favorites. I usually try to purchase through your links when possible. Enjoy your Sunday!

    1. Thanks so much for shopping my links, Rachel. That’s so helpful. This baby costs me! And I want to keep it going so turning a dime here and there is crucial for me. I never want to come across as an advertisement, but I am so grateful when gals shop from here. ?

  5. Hi, my Mom introduced me to your blog and I just love it? I love how you explain why the outfits work!! I’m 42 and I love Old Navy, Kohls , JC Penney’s and Macy’s. My mom shared with me your tips for short waisted tall gals and it’s saving me money and helping me to feel great about my wardrobe. I know what you mean about the petite department. I’m 5’9 but my 19yr old is 5’2? I’ll shop for her but if she’s not with me I always feel like the associates are going yeah right!!

    1. Yes, that’s exactly how I feel in the petite department. And even when I am shopping there with my mom I feel like I need to say very loudly, “I’m with her!” Lol!??

  6. I loved your Blessed for the Day comment about opening ourselves up for feedback. Remain true to yourself and your intentions. . . there are a million (probably literally) bloggers, representing all shapes, sizes, and purposes. If someone needs something different, they can follow a second, third or tenth blogger! Take care and I look forward to this year’s content!

  7. Happy Sunday! New to your fashion blog and enjoying it. I AM finding nice things at Old Navy this year. I am finding lovely, soft, and flattering 100% cotton tops in pretty colors. The caveat is that you really have to search for the nicer quality items, but they are there and very cheap when they are the Today Only and Hot Deal items. I try everything on at the store though and wait on the deals and pick up in store for free. They have slim flt and relaxed fit tops, so the sizing is different on any given item. I would definitely like to see you do a try-on from Old Navy. I think you’ll be as surprised as I have been.

  8. Even as a new follower, I enjoyed reading the survey results. As a 62 year old retiree, on a fixed budget, when I purchase clothing, I do look for a lower price point. And because we live in a very rural area, 95% of my clothing and accessories purchases are made online. I do buy clothes from ON and I love 95% of them. I have numerous pairs of their Rockstar jeans and love all of them. Some of my friends shared that for a longer length they buy the tall sizes, so I will do that at times. I also buy clothes, shoes, and accessories from Target, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, DSW, and Amazon. I love your Blessed For The Day! If I don’t have time to initially read your whole post, I will skip down to read that then read the rest later in the day. We own close to 100 acres of land that we also hunt on. We have our 1,800 sq ft home and a 3 1/2 acre lake with a house that we rent to two of our hunting buddies. My husband is fighting multiple myeloma due to Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam war. This April will be his 2nd birthday after undergoing an auto stem cell transplant. While he’s doing good overall, he cannot do what he did 3 yrs. ago, and we are still learning to accept and be grateful for our new normal. Because Larry has a lot of issues with his white blood cell count, we have to be super cautious about being around other people since it doesn’t take much for him to come down with pneumonia & end up in the hospital. On the days we have appointments I wear my better casual clothes. All other days I’m in clothes appropriate for doing inside and/or outside chores. This June 4 we will celebrate our 25 anniversary. God bless!

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