Surprising Shopping Study Results: Men Engage More Frequently Than Women in Five of Six Online Social Shopping Activities

Performics unveiled its 2011 Social Shopping Study which found men are more likely than women to conduct five of six social shopping activities. Contradicting commonly held beliefs about gender and social behaviors, the study showed men more frequently research product information, read reviews, compare products, find product availability and get store information via social networks, shopping and deal sites; while women reign supreme when searching for deals, coupons and specials on similar sites.

Aside from Facebook, men frequent social networks (at least once a month) substantially more than women:

"Women are reported to control about 80 percent of household spending, so it may be surprising for some to see men play a more dominant role in the social shopping and research process," said Dana Todd, SVP, marketing and business development for Performics. "But given recent reports of 'digital dads' and increases in shared shopping activities across genders, this new data is intriguing. We've layered social network behavior with shopping patterns and the results are helpful for marketers trying to predict how social shopping figures into upcoming holiday campaigns. Many may not have considered specifically targeting men in social ads."

Aside from key gender differences, the study, conducted by ROI Research Inc., also revealed that active social networkers most often turn to shopping sites like Amazon, eBay or brand websites to begin the purchase process when searching for a product (87 percent) and right before they commit to a purchase (83 percent). They are more likely to turn to social networks such as Facebook immediately after the purchase to share their experience (59 percent).

"Many people have integrated social media in all phases of the shopping process, particularly because Facebook is how they connect with friends on mobile devices and at home. We all do it-asking friends, family or colleagues to weigh in on a purchase, or posting a great find," added Todd. "But it's not all about social activity; shopping and deal sites are certainly holding their own and offer an excellent opportunity for marketers to participate with customers."

Online activity while shopping in-store is also gaining popularity-many respondents said they occasionally or frequently conduct in-store social (20-50 percent) or search (18-62 percent) activities. In fact: