Female Online Spending Outstrips Men

A recent report from Fastlane International has revealed that women are bigger spenders than men when it comes to online shopping. Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that on average UK women spend £460m a week on ecommerce sites. Their use of the internet for shopping research has also seen a big rise, with 89% of UK females using the internet to find retail information compared to only 6% who researched in store.

Where do women spend the most of their money?

Women in the UK spent far more buying clothing online than men, with 81% of British females choosing to buy their clothes from websites, compared to the 73% of UK men that did so. There was also a big difference between the sexes in Christmas spending, with only 50% of men buying at least one item from online stores; far less than the 64% of women who shopped online.

Why is the difference of online spending between men and women?

The difference is not simply because women enjoy shopping more. Fastlane International pointed out that many so-called ‘New Men’ still expect their wives and partners to take responsibility for shopping and for all the choosing and buying of presents, as do their children and even their work colleagues. It is not surprising that woman are going online to save time and avoid the legwork of shopping for others.

What are the implications for those involved in eCommerce?

The figures show that women are spending more across all types of online stores, even those that have been traditionally aimed at men, like video gaming sites. This means that new online retail start-ups need to take these figures into account when designing sites and remember that the customer is no longer king, but queen.

If you are looking for a web developer or designer contact Adeo Group and see how we can help!