American women are 61% more likely than men to say they shop and spend money to improve their mood, per results from an Ebates survey. The study reveals that 63.9% of women surveyed say they engage in retail therapy, compared to 39.2% of men. Overall, slightly more than half of Americans report shopping and spending to improve their mood, with the main triggers being a bad day at work (18.9%), bad news (14.6%), and a fight with a significant other (12.2%).
While many Americans say they engage in retail therapy, fewer believe it actually improves a person’s mood, though women are twice as likely as men to believe that’s the case (39.2% vs. 20.6%). Interestingly, two-thirds believe that online shopping is better for retail therapy, mainly because they don’t have to leave the house (43.7%), it’s more convenient (42.6%), they don’t have to drive (37.9%), and because there are a wider range of stores to browse (30.8%).
Given American’s love for deals, it’s not too surprising to find that getting a deal makes about 4 in 5 feel best when engaging in retail therapy. Among those, the most popular ways of scoring a deal are shopping during a sale (61.8%), receiving a reward, such as cash back (49.4%), free shipping (45%), and using coupons (44.6%).
According to the survey, the top items women buy for retail therapy are:
- Clothes (57.9% of women citing this category);
- Food (34.7%);
- Shoes (32.4%);
- Accessories (29.1%); and
- Books/magazines (28.7%).
For men, the top categories are:
- Food (28.1%);
- Electronics (27.4%);
- Music/movies (26.6%);
- Clothes (21.5%); and
- Games/toys (17.6%).
About the Data: The survey was conducted online within the United States by TNS Global via its omnibus product on behalf of Ebates from March 7-10, among 1,000 adults ages 18 and older.
