Mallrats and mallmice: online shopping gender gap

WOMEN are less likely to use the internet to shop or bank, a new survey has shown. They are also more reluctant to use email.

The survey, which covered Europe and Asia-Pacific and included participants from Ireland, showed that 23%, or almost a quarter of men, prefer to use online communications, compared to just 14% of women.

The gender gap is particularly evident in the finance sector, where more than one in three men prefer to bank online, as opposed to one in five women.

One factor cited by many women for their reluctance is a fear of lack of security across email and internet channels, whereas men do not view this as a primary concern.

Key criteria for men are speed and ease of communications, hence the preference for using services online.

A similar trend emerged in the travel sector, where, again, more than a third of men prefer using email and internet communications, as opposed to just over one-fifth of women.

Security is less of a factor here: women prioritised human contact and a traditional approach. Men once more cited speed and ease of communications as crucial.

In retail, twice as many men expressed a preference for shopping online as women, which the researchers said was “owing perhaps to the fact that many women view shopping as a recreational and social activity”.

The survey was carried out by Birmingham-based Coleman Parkes Research on behalf of BT, the parent company of Esat BT.

Some 1,261 interviews were carried out across Ireland, Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, while a further 607 were carried out in the Asia-Pacific region, with respondents from Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

1,120 women and 748 men between the ages of 18 and 55 were surveyed.

The findings

Women cited tradition as a crucial factor in their choice of communications across all sectors, whereas men focused on the speed and ease of communication.

Fear of lack of security was most prevalent in the finance sector, where 24% of all respondents saw it as a factor. In all other surveyed sectors, less than 10% were concerned about security.

15% of men said they preferred to communicate with their utility company online, compared to 9% of women.