WOMEN ONLINE - growth of women internet users - growth of Cdn Women shopping online - Canadian women vs. American women online

"WHO"  is using the Internet "Women" Customers

In contemplating whether or not to include a specific section on women and the Net there was some thought given to the point that this might be a "non-issue" by the year 2002. That is to say in the mid-1990's it is freely acknowledged that persons accessing the internet were predominantly young men in North America - but by the time the millenium broke, users have included vast numbers of people in Asia, Europe as well as other genders so perhaps having a special section on women and the Net might be considered patronizing.  In June 2000, Ms. Zena Olijnyk wrote and interesting article for the National Post (which was also included in the online version) titled "More Women Using Internet to Shop" The original article was still on the National Post's web site in August 2000 check  http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/000614/316546.html Olijnyk wrote that "...study of more than 2,000 Canadian women ...indicates 46% have used the Internet to make an online purchase in the last six months... That's up from October, [1999] when a survey said 38% of women had bought online. " "...  there are differences in the types of transactions men and women make on the Net; women tend to buy more books, gifts and toys, while men tend to buy more computer software".  Gender Differences in Communication  http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/2052/genddiff.html thought provoking page by academics about the ways men and women think differently, and subsequently interact differently online - which can allow for inferences in consumer patterns

"Women"  Customers 2000       "WHO"  is using the Internet     "Women"  Customers 2000                                         "WHO" is using the Internet "Women"  Customers 2000

- readE-shopping trickles into mainstream, on-line article comparing Canadian and American e-shoppers - we will discuss this in class Sept 1999 this chart was included in the article written by Mark Evans for the Globe and Mail in Sept 1999 Evans in turn obtained the information in this chart from the J.C. Williams Group  http://www.jcwg.com/ J.C. Williams Group   Source: Ernst & Young (January, 2000 )  The chart to the immediate left was found Sept 27th, 2000 and we have added it in here because it serves to show that Canadian women have, in a short period of time, moved from 22% to 38% of Canadian online shoppers. If you go to the J.C. Williams site in September 2000, they don't mention the Sept 1999 report but you can find  noted that "June 14, 2000 - DoubleClick Inc. the leading global Internet advertising solutions company today announced the release of the first wave of findings from the Canadian Women Online Study."  http://www.jcwg.com/doubleclick-press.htm Key findings from the first wave of the Canadian Women Online Study: "7 in 10 female Canadian Internet users use the Internet during the shopping process" "46% of female Canadian Internet users have made a purchase online, and 26% use the Internet to browse or shop for products before purchasing offline" "The percentage of female Canadian Internet users who have made an online purchase has grown by 21% since October 1999" Here is some more current information on Canadian women shoppers and you can see that it is now roughly 50/50 This information was gathered by Ernst & Young in December 2000 and shows that the percentage of women shoppers has grown from 21 % in 1999 38 % in Sept 2000 49 % in Dec 2000 so we can conclude that the % of women online in Canada is growing very fast

Women Online 2001 a great interest to companies marketing products to women     Women Online 2001 a great interest to companies marketing products to women

other material from the story on the left "Whether making purchases, or just researching them, the  growth in Internet use is rapid. Between July 2000 and February 2001, for example, the percentage of female  Internet users who shop online grew from 46 percent to 56 percent, and that growth rate will remain faster than that  for men.  A full 70 percent of women Internet users will research  their next vehicle purchase online, and 20 percent of them  plan to buy within the next 12 months. The findings of the study reinforce the earlier assumptionsonline are a significant marketing target with value for automakers.  Some surprises include where they get their information, and how often they are online." "According to the study, 90 percent of women Internet  users are online more than four times a week Communication is the main reason women go online, citing e-mail as the universally used application."   AutoWORLD story above mentioned the "Canadian Women Online Study" In the screen capture to the left, you can connect to the official site for the "Canadian Women Online Study" off the J.C. Williams web site.

Women Online 2002                           Women Online 2002                             Women Online 2002

This article above appeared in the Toronto Star early in January 2002. It is significant in that it breaks the news that women are now ahead of men in shopping online. The article in the Star was based on a study done by the Pew Internet and American Life Project - the screen capture below is from the splash of their website.  If you go to the Pew Internet & American Life site, you can download the full report in Adobe PDF format:  They also have other articles titled "Shopping and gift buying online, the overall  e-shopping picture "

Portals for Women

Portals are websites that you can go to that have many links to topics arranged in a master theme.   There are a number of Portals that are devoted specifically to women's resources on the net - this is a Canadian one and very large.

Women driving developments of products specifically to women

Renato Calixterio, a student in BCS 555 Sept-Dec 2002 at Seneca, found an interesting article about a Samsung phone which is designed for, and specifically marketed to women  described at  http://mobile.burn.com/review.jsp?Id=178 "Samsung unveiled its latest ladies phone, the SGH-T700 (SGH-T708 for chinese markets). Known  as the Samsung "Drama" T700, this handset carries a unique design that is  very much suited for the female user, resembling that of a cosmetic case ... also includes a calorie meter .....comes with a UFB LCD screen with over 65000 colors and 40-chord polyphonic ringtones."

ONLINE SHOPPING AMONG CANADIAN WOMEN IN 2003
Further results from the Canadian Women Online Study show that online shopping has
grown by 7% since July 2003 among Canadian women from 46% of female Internet users in
July 2002 to 49% of female Internet users having made a purchase on the Internet .
Certain categories experienced the most dramatic increases including books (up 6% to
55% of buyers) gifts (up 6% to 31% of buyers) and women’s clothing (up 8% to 27% of
buyers).” “In three months we have seen a significant increase in the percentage of
women who have made a purchase on the Internet”, declared Muller. “And, key female
categories are gaining momentum including women’s apparel and health and beauty”,
According to ActivMedia, U.S. online retail is growing nearly 20 times faster than offline retail growth rates. The online population is growing at a staggering rate too, and its composition is slowly changing to reflect the demographic attributes of the general public. Four years ago, the typical Internet user was likely to be an affluent and well-educated young, white male. As we move into the future, this individual:
is likely to be female. 58% of all new Internet users are women.
is likely to be married, with children at home. 65% of online buyers are married or have a domestic partner. 48% have children at home. (ActivMedia)

55% OF CANADIAN FEMALE INTERNET USERS BANK ONLINE - ACCORDING TO THE DOUBLECLICK CANADIAN WOMEN ONLINE STUDY
- Canadian women indicate a preference for Internet banking for
many financial transactions and 1 in 4 use the Internet to research
investment options -
2003
A new report released today found that over half of Canadian female Internet users
bank online and most indicate a preference for online banking compared to branch
banking for basic financial transactions. DoubleClick Inc. (NASDAQ: DCLK), the
leading global Internet advertising solutions company today announced the release of
the second wave of findings from the Canadian Women Online Study. The Women and
Finance report is the second wave of the Canadian Women Online Study, the first
nationally representative study that examines the effect of the Internet on the browsing
and buying habits of Canadian women.
Key findings from the second wave of the Canadian Women Online Study follow:

MANAGING FINANCES USING THE INTERNET
The following table identifies the channel most preferred by Canadian women for
conducting financial transactions:nch
 Preferred
(% o
Channel Preference of Canadian Women
Task InternetPreferred BrandPreferred
Account queries/updates 39% 13%
Obtaining rate information 32% 27%
Transferring funds 34% 20%
Pay bills 37% 15%
Product/services info. 28% 38%
Credit card application 14% 40%
Loan or mortgage application 8% 61%
Investment advice 8% 56%
Source: DoubleClick Canada

“Canadian women have always been instrumental in managing the finances of their
families, and clearly the Internet is a key tool to help manage this important household
function“, stated Wendy Muller, General Manager of DoubleClick Canada. “Canadian
female Internet users have told us that they prefer using the Internet for many day to
day financial transactions such as account inquiries and paying bills”, continued Muller.
“But, the financial services sector needs to encourage female Canadians to conduct more
complex financial transactions over the web – there is still a strong preference for inperson
transactions”, stated Muller.
The study found that although only 7% of women have used the Internet to conduct
investment transactions, over 25% indicated that they use the Internet to research
investment options before making a decision. This was even more pronounced for
women under the age of 35 who were more likely to use the Internet to research and
make investment transactions. “The investment community has embraced the Internet
as an informational and communication tool”, stated Muller. “Their next challenge is to
develop programs and tools that make using the Internet for investment transactions
more attractive to all age groups – not just the early adopters”, concluded Muller.

ONLINE BANKING
The second wave of the Canadian Women Online Study revealed that 55% of Canadian
female Internet users bank online. The reasons for banking online were varied.
The following table identifies reasons for banking online (all that apply):
Of those banking online…
Saves the hassle of going to the bank 76%
Saves time 72%
More convenient than other banking methods 68%
I prefer to bank at non-traditional hours 66%
Saves money/eliminates service fees 25%

Other findings show a continued concern about protecting personal information
implying that security should continue to be a major communication goal for all
financial institutions. Also, it appears that Canadian financial institutions have a
significant consumer education job ahead of them, almost 1/3 of Canadian women don’t
even know how to get started with online banking.
The study found that some financial institutions have a more Internet savvy consumer
base than others. It appears from the research that with the Canada Trust purchase, TD
Bank has cemented its lead as the most web friendly bank.
The following table identifies the percentage of customers that plan to conduct no online
banking in the next 12 months:
% OF FEMALES WHO PLAN TO CONDUCT NINTERNET BANKING IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS
Canada Trust 25%
TD Bank 28%
Royal Bank 28%
Bank of Montreal 31%
CIBC 35%
Scotiabank 41%

NUMBER OF FEMALE WEB SURFERS GROW FASTER THAN OVERALL INTERNET POPULATION, ACCORDING TO NIELSEN//NETRATINGS
Male Surfers Use the Internet More Aggressively than Female Surfers
NEW YORK, NY – January 18, 2002 – The Internet ratings report for the month of December 2001 from Nielsen//NetRatings, a leading Internet audience measurement service, revealed that the number of female Internet users at home grew at a faster clip than the overall Internet population, jumping nine percent in December 2001 from a year ago. The total Internet
population grew at a rate of six percent year-over-year. Females accounted for 52 percent or 55.0 million Internet users at home. Males comprised the remaining 48 percent of the total surfing population, rising three percent from 48.2 million to 49.8 million surfers.
 

70% OF CANADIAN FEMALE INTERNET USERS WILL RESEARCH THEIR NEXT VEHICLE PURCHASE ONLINE - ACCORDING TO THE DOUBLECLICK CANADIAN WOMEN ONLINE STUDY
- Canadian women indicate the Internet is an essential tool when
purchasing big ticket items -
 
Contact: Wendy Muller, DoubleClick Canada, 416-598-9261 wmuller@doubleclick.net
Debra Kavchak, J.C. Williams Group, 416-921-4181 dkavchak@jcwg.com
 
Toronto, Thursday February 22, 2003 - For Immediate Release
 
A new report released today found that seven in ten Canadian female Internet users indicate
that they plan to research their next vehicle purchase online.  DoubleClick Inc. (NASDAQ:
DCLK), the leading global Internet advertising solutions company today announced the release
of the third wave of findings from the Canadian Women Online Study.  The Women and
Automotive report is the third wave of the Canadian Women Online Study, the first nationally
representative study that examines the effect of the Internet on the browsing and buying habits
of Canadian women.
 
Key findings from the third wave of the Canadian Women Online Study follow:

RESEARCH BIG TICKET PURCHASES ONLINE
Results from the third wave of the Canadian Women Online Study show that online shopping has
grown by 22% since July 2002 among Canadian women, from 46% of female Internet users in
July 2001 to 56% of female Internet users having made a purchase on the Internet in the past six
months.
 
.It is becoming increasingly clear just how essential the Internet is in the shopping process.,
stated Wendy Muller, Managing Director of DoubleClick Canada.  .Not only has the number of
women who have actually purchased online increased substantially since we began this study
only eight months ago, but even more dramatic is the impact of the Internet as a research tool
for offline purchases..
 
.As an advertiser, the general rule of thumb for success is .go where the eyes are., . continued
Muller.  .Without question, the eyes of Canadian women are moving onto the Internet, whether
or not they are conducting the actual transaction online or offline..
 
The results demonstrate that 75% of women Internet users research their Travel related
purchases online before making a purchase, and between 50% and 60% of them research items
such as Electronics, Computer Hardware and Software over the Internet before making a
purchase decision.
 

AMERICAN WOMEN THRIVE ON THE INTERNET

by Gerry McGovern
Author, New Thinking
February 21, 2003

In 1995, only 30 percent of Internet users were women in the United States. Today, according to a report by MediaMetrix and Jupiter Communications, they are in the majority. (This is not the case worldwide. In Japan, for example, only one-third of Internet users are women.)

Women approach the Internet in a more practical manner than men, the study found. They use it for such things as health queries, child-care, holiday or financial planning. Another recent study by PeopleSupport found that almost two-thirds of Internet users who shop online more than once a week are women.

While more and more women use the Internet, there is still a real lag in women becoming involved with the IT industry. According to Tech-Savvy: Educating Girls in the New Computer Age, published by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation in July, "As violent electronic games and dull programming classes turn off more and more girls, the way information technology is used, applied, and taught in the nation's classrooms must change."

The report found that less than 28 percent of computer science graduates in the US are women, down from the 1984 high of 37 percent. Only 9 percent of engineering graduates are women. As a result, only 20 percent of IT professionals are women.

"When it comes to today's computer culture, the bottom line is that while more girls are on the train, they aren't the ones driving," stated Pamela Haag, the director of research for the report. "The report makes it clear that girls are critical of the computer culture, not computer phobic," said Sherry Turkle, professor of sociology at MIT. "Instead of trying to make girls fit into the existing computer culture, the computer culture must become more inviting for girls."

In many quarters, there is an automatic assumption that computers represent progress. Computers are seen as an evolution towards a more civilised society. While computers have undoubtedly driven substantial economic growth, they do not by necessity make the world a more 'civilised' place. What is interesting though is how the emergence of the Internet is changing the role of computers within society.

From being a tool that computes, to one that also communicates, the Internet has made computers relevant to the wider society. The implications are enormous. I predicted a number of years ago that the Internet would be a door which women would open in order to play a much greater role both economically and socially.

The Internet is a network and networks encourage collaboration. Women are natural collaborators. The Internet brings to women access to information that was previously difficult to attain. Women have historically spent considerable time at home. The Internet supports their ability to tele-work.

With the ongoing scarcity for IT workers, it makes sense for education strategies to focus on making IT a more attractive environment for girls to concentrate on. It may well be that the powerhouse economies of the next twenty years are those that best tap the huge potential that women offer.

Women have created a niche for themselves in the internet world. Communities dedicated to female support ranging from small business support to learning online support exist all over the World Wide Web. Sites such as www.studioxx.org and The Canadian Women's Internet Directory link users with Canadian women's equality resources online. The directory connects organizational and individual sites promoting awareness of women’s equality issues, debates, campaigns, activism, creativity, services, research and policy issues. A resource created by Womenspace Association, with support from Status of Women Canada. These resources are made available to women by women online. The proves that not only is the average female internet user capable of using online services to their advantage but they are further able to manipulate the web and create valuable information depots and use the web as an advertising tool for themselves and their businesses. Today’s female internet user is savvy and well educated and is becoming more and more so.

-Contributed by Radha Calu