Gender Differences Apparent In Mobile Shopping Habits

September 17, 2012

This article is included in these additional categories:

Men | Mobile Phone | Retail & E-Commerce | Women

Women and men may both be active mobile shoppers, but they differ significantly on the specific shopping activities they perform, according to September 2012 findings from uSamp. Some 44% of women on the uSamp’s mobile panel have used a mobile coupon, versus 35% of men. Yet men are more likely to have made a mobile purchase (45% vs. 34%), as well as a mobile payment (46% vs. 32%).

Men, in fact, led in most mobile shopping activities, including writing a review of a purchase (26% vs 16%), commenting on a purchase (35% vs. 28%) and scanning a barcode (91% vs. 85%). (These numbers are high compared to the mobile shopper demographic at large, but the researchers’ iPoll panel is comprised almost entirely of active mobile shoppers.)

An August 2012 report from Scanbuy also found barcode scanning to skew male: in Q2, 69% of mobile barcode scanners were male, up from 63% in Q4 2011.

Men and women practice much of their mobile shopping while they are “on the go.” 12% of female respondents to the uSamp survey reported shopping on their mobile devices while in the waiting room at a doctor’s office compared to 8% of men, while 25% of men most report they most frequently shop on mobile devices while at work, compared to 15% of women.

Males Dominate Mobile Shopping In Most Product Categories

Gender differences reveal themselves as well in product categories. 27% of males purchase consumer electronics on mobile versus 8% of females. Men also lead in purchases of digital content (30% vs. 20%), food and drink (13% vs. 8%), and office supplies (8% vs. 4%).

Asked which products they photograph, clothing led in both genders (34% of women, 22% of men), but in second place among women were cosmetics (11%) versus consumer electronics among men (22%).

Among those who scan barcodes with mobile devices while shopping, 27% of males report shopping at electronic stores, versus 12% of females. 7% of males report scanning codes at convenience stores compared to 3% of females. But, 6% of females have done so at a health and beauty store, compared to 2% of men.

A study released in May by Nielsen also found that QR code scanning was most popular in electronics stores. Among US smartphone owners who report using their devices while shopping in-store (“smartphone shoppers”), 57% reported having scanned a QR code for product details while in an electronics store, compared to 36% who have done so in a department store, the next most-popular location for this activity.

About The Data: The uSamp survey was conducted to examine the mobile shopping habits of 1,100 men and woman, ages 18 ”“ 75. The survey was conducted using uSamp Mobile, a platform that blends uSamp’s mobile survey technology with its targeted audience.

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