TulipTools Internet Business Owners and Online Sellers Community

Quote:The truth is, despite the ­channel`s much-touted potential for niche and one-to-one ­marketing, retailers online are missing the simplest audience segmentation--along the she-clicks, he-clicks axis. They haven`t delved into the online gender divide beyond basic tracking of product preferences and some conventional wisdom tied to the Internet`s early male technophile-dominated years

Women`s and men`s online behavior now closely mirrors their offline shopping preferences

... five key insights...
1. Women feel empowered; men feel powerful...
2. Men`s inner shopper is awakened; women`s inner shopper is enriched...
3. Women scan; men dig...
4. Men are enticed by product, then lifestyle; women are enticed by lifestyle, then product...
5. Women expand the mission; men stick to the mission...

For online retailers, one-size-fits-all marketing makes little sense when gendered marketing could represent the lowest hanging fruit since Eve plucked the apple for Adam...

full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=16569

Excellent article!!!

" Women take three times more tangents than men when shopping online, but most female participants spoke of themes that connected diverse items, such as "vacation." One woman shopping for bathing suits ended up buying a kayak."

This is a great example of why it's important to think of specific customers when desigining for e-commerce.