More men than women use UPS as their shipping company when they buy online. Women like UPS, FedEx, and the USPS more than men do, and are more likely to track the shipment of items that they buy on the Internet. Men worry less than women that packages left unattended will be stolen, and are less concerned about which company delivers their online orders.
These and other gender-based differences in Web shopping habits are the subject of a fascinating new study from Forrester Research Inc. Between December 2002 and January 2003, Forrester surveyed 9,788 U.S. and Canadian households. The resulting report, “Retail North America,” shows that although women — who now make up 18.9 million of the 36.5 million Web shoppers in the U.S. — share many consumer behaviors with men, they differ greatly in some areas. For instance, women are 21% more likely to compare prices, 37% more likely to look for promotions, 61% more likely to buy toys online, and an overwhelming 145% more likely to buy linens and home furnishings. For more information, call Forrester Research at (617) 613-6000 or visit www.forrester.com.