Women Are More Likely Than Men To Purchase Technology Products

A new study has brought to light some interesting information. Women are more likely to buy three out of the four top consumer electronics. We also are a growing video game demographic.

According to Wired, “Parks Associates asked 2,000 consumers, ages 18 and older about their buying habits in the consumer tech space. The study, which was conducted in late 2011, asked men and women which products they intend to buy before January 1, 2012. Retailer HSN announced the findings on Monday at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show.”

Here’s the actual breakdown: “Women expressed more interest in tablets (18%), laptops (20%) and smartphones (20%). Only 15% of men planned to buy a tablet, while 14% sought a laptop and 17% intended to buy a smartphone. The only category in which men surpassed female interest was flat screen LCD TVs, with men (19%) favoring the sets over women (17%).”

“The tech industry has long been dominated by men — even at CES — but women are really the powerhouse in the household driving purchase decisions,” said Jill Braff, executive VP of digital commerce for HSN. “Women are highly engaged with the latest and greatest gadgets and technology.”

Parks Associates also found that once a woman purchases a product, it’s heavily used over time and that women “engage in more digital media activities — including watching full length movies online, downloading music and uploading pictures to the Internet — than men.”

All in all, the results of the study don’t really surprise me. If you’d asked me what I thought the breakdown was before I probably would have said it was an even split between women and men. “88% of women purchased any tech-related item in 2010, compared to 83% of men,” according to the study. Although this bit caught my eye…

“Women are also playing gaming consoles more than they were in previous years, especially on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the study found. Women (54%) are most interested in social gaming with multi-players, compared to 45% of men. In addition, females are 40% more likely play games on Facebook.”

“This is not surprising,” said Braff. “Women love to communicate and interact with others and online entertainment is becoming an extension of that.”

Braff also mentioned that the most popular tech item purchased from HSN is a purple scanner, though didn’t have a breakdown of who purchased them. “It’s not just about black, white and gray anymore,” Braff said. “It’s also not just about features – it’s about simplicity, the seamless use of technology and how technology fits into your lifestyle.”

(via Jezebel)