Men Vs Women: online shopping habits – Infographic

1. More women than men shop online

You may find it hard to believe, but the fairer sex are more likely to shop online than men, with a staggering 72 per cent of women having shopped online within the last 30 days, compared with 68 per cent of men, according to a nielson.com report. Not only that; a greater proportion of women found their most recent online purchase in a marketing email (14 per cent of women; 8 per cent of men). There is enough of a discrepancy here to warrant a better targeting of women than men when it comes to sending out those marketing emails. Be careful though, because although more men find products when browsing without a clear purpose, women tend to search for specific brands, rather than immediately looking for a product. Help them find the product they’re after more quickly by making sure that your search categories can be narrowed down by brand.

And if it’s reviews or feedback that you’re after, you’re better off targeting your male buyers, as 70 per cent of the top Amazon reviewers surveyed were male. When it comes to payment methods however, “Significantly fewer women than men appear to have embraced Bitcoins as a currency, with 96 per cent of users being male.

Read our latest research piece on cryptocurrency payments.

Differences in payment preferences extend offline as well. A survey of this season’s holiday spending indicates that women were more likely to use cash rather than a card machine in making their purchases. Although women were slightly more likely to use debit cards than men (59.09 per cent versus 53.09 per cent of men) men were more likely to turn to credit cards for payment (62.37 per cent versus 54.09 per cent women).”

2. Women are bargain hunters

How many times have you heard a conversation between two women, where one woman exclaims wildly over the other’s gorgeous [insert: shoes/top/bracelet], only for her to respond gleefully that she bought it “on sale”. Yes, women have a real keen eye when it comes to spotting a good deal, with 71 per cent admitting that the last item they bought online was on sale. Similarly, women are more likely than men to use coupons to pay for items – Groupon attracts a (US) audience of 62 per cent women. So what does that mean for your marketing campaign? Well, those sites targeting mainly females should actively promote any sales or offers to ensure that you gain an edge over your competitors – there’s a reason why women’s retailers display those huge red SALE signs in shop fronts.

3. Women go for handmade and vintage items

When it comes to the various online purchasing channels, there’s a fairly even split between the numbers of male and female customers for the likes of Amazon and eBay. When it comes to Etsy however, women account for a huge 80 per cent of customers. So if you’re looking to target women in a big way, selling your handmade wares on Etsy may give you a greater number of sales.

4. Tech for boys and shoes for girls? Think again

You’d be forgiven for assuming that the majority of the buyers for tech-related items are men, while women rule the roost when it comes to buying shoes. Well, you may be surprised to hear that while British women will spend around three times as much money on clothes over the course of their lifetime than men will, male British shoppers are taking the lead nowadays on the purchase of shoes. You think that’s strange – a whopping 88 per cent of women purchased at least one tech-related item in 2010, compared to 83 per cent of men, according to an article on mashable.com. You may want to start rethinking that totally male orientated tech campaign then.

5. Women love apps

When it comes to installing apps, free or otherwise, it is women who take the lead again, installing on average 40 per cent more apps than men. But for in-app spending and mobile games, men are at the forefront. Somewhat surprisingly, a greater percentage of men also use shopping apps provided by retail stores (18 per cent vs. 14 per cent). So although you may get more women installing your carefully created app, take into account that men are more likely to do the spending.

6. Want to promote your brand to your female demographic? Get on social media

While men are more likely to use social media sites Reddit, Google+ and LinkedIn, the number of women on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook far outnumber the men. As you may expect, women love a bit of social interaction. It’s worthwhile therefore, considering installing a chat section on your website, where customers can talk to a member of the customer care team in real time. Trust us, a bit of effort with your social media interaction will pay off when it comes to your female customers, as 55 per cent of women are more likely to buy from brands they interact with on social media. And if you’re hoping for customers to help you promote your brand or service, you can also rely more heavily on women for that too, with practicalecommerce.com finding that 35 per cent of women and only 28 per cent of men likely to recommend brands and services over a social network.

Start taking payments online in 24 hours

Our payment gateway can be activated within 24 hours of approval and allows businesses of any size to take card payments online, by phone or email. We support integration with over 40 different shopping carts and our friendly support team can help you integrate in case you get stuck. Looking to take card payments in store? Find out why our card machines for small businesses are the ideal option for any business type.