Online Shopping Behavior of Women - Essay Example

Previous research studies have already identified several differences in the shopping behavior of males and females in conventional "bricks and doors" retail stores. For each of the key questions below that will guide the online shopping research, a summary of what we already know is provided. The surveys and other sources will yield further information about men's and women's online shopping habits. Analysis will show whether men and women continue to exhibit the same patterns, or develop new ones based on their experiences and preferences in the visual-only online shopping environment.

Among a host of other factors, how does the lack of physical store buildings, touchable merchandise, and interaction with live people, both other shoppers and sales personnel, change the browsing, shopping and buying patterns of men and women of various ages Not according to Paco Underhill, marketing consultant and author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping (Simon & Schuster, 2000). His research shows that both men and women spend time shopping -- in specific and widely differing categories -- without having a specific need in mind as they shop.

His company, Envirosell, has done marketing studies for large computer retailers which show that 17% of the male customers interviewed come into the stores more than once a week just to look around. Computer equipment, video games and DVDs have replaced cars and music systems for many men as their technology focus. They go to the store to gain information as well as to buy, as was noted from how intently they read the packaging of software and accessory hardware for their computers. Men prefer to get their information firsthand, off the box or from a brochure, rather than ask a salesperson.

For other purchases, such as clothing and shoes, men go into a store, pick out what they need, and try it on. If it fits, they buy it. Women assess clothing, particularly shoes, on many criteria besides fit to close the deal on a purchase. These include price, color, fabric care and if the garment makes them look good overall or makes certain features look better or worse. Many a pair of pants or shoes have been rejected, even if they fit well, for the subjective reason that "they make my butt look too big," or "they make my legs look fat.

" Shoes also must fit the season (summer or winter), and the activity where they will be worn. These range from dancing; dating; management meetings; taking the kids to a soccer game, ad infinitum, which is why there are so many more styles of shoes for women than men. 2. Are the buying decisions of male shoppers more rational than those of female shoppersTraditional research shows that in certain situations, males shop no more rationally than females. A primary case in point is the supermarket.

Grocery industry studies show that sixty to seventy percent of supermarket purchases by both men and