Some women set online shopping trends as ‘digital divas’

Guys may ‘bogart’ the TV remote control, but gals are ‘mastering the mouse’ when it comes to online shopping. Rather than store-hop like previous generations, today’s women use technology to save time, compare prices and share information more efficiently and effectively. Insights from a new study of the digital lives of more than 800 women give retailers and CPG a look at their different behaviors and receptiveness to messages from online sources. The collaborative survey between Microsoft Advertising, Ogilvy Chicago and Mindhsare sought to answer key questions that would help brands forge productive online relationships with women. Among them: How could brands leverage digital media to deepen relationships with them? Are we moving fast enough? So explained Beth Uyenco, global research director of Microsoft’s Advertiser and Publisher Solutions, who added that “even the most low-interest categories such as toilet paper can apply their digital advertising agenda to reach and impact women.

Guys may ‘bogart’ the TV remote control, but gals are ‘mastering the mouse’ when it comes to online shopping. Rather than store-hop like previous generations, today’s women use technology to save time, compare prices and share information more efficiently and effectively.

Insights from a new study of the digital lives of more than 800 women give retailers and CPG a look at their different behaviors and receptiveness to messages from online sources.

The collaborative survey between Microsoft Advertising, Ogilvy Chicago and Mindhsare sought to answer key questions that would help brands forge productive online relationships with women. Among them: How could brands leverage digital media to deepen relationships with them? Are we moving fast enough?  So explained Beth Uyenco, global research director of Microsoft’s Advertiser and Publisher Solutions, who added that “even the most low-interest categories such as toilet paper can apply their digital advertising agenda to reach and impact women.

“Men and women fundamentally embrace technology differently. Women think less about the technology itself and more about how it fits within their life—seeing their computers and cell phones as extensions of their personalities,” Uyenco said. “It is imperative for brands to adjust the way they deliver their messages in a way that works to meet a woman’s needs.”

For example, moms are “the future of content creation. Especially moms with new babies see the Internet as a link to the outside world.  They have an insatiable appetite to create and share content—posting more than twice the average U.S. adult,” noted Debbie Solomon, managing director-business planning of Mindshare.

More than half of women overall said they “never’ unplug from their digital devices, even when sleeping. Other study findings: They value rewards, loyalty cards, cell phones and coupons via the computer, and regard opt-in daily e-mails and other technologies as a “blessing.” E-mail is overwhelmingly the most important tool.

Most prone to shop and communicate digitally are Digital Divas, the 16% of women who “are the trendsetters for marketers to understand now…The mainstream will soon follow the patterns and paths they are forging now,” said Graceann Bennett, managing partner, director of strategic planning at Ogilvy & Mather Chicago.

How do Digital Divas behave?  22% shop once a day. Most view devices such as cells and computers as “extensions of themselves.”  86% pass along interesting ‘finds’ to others. On average, they have 171 contacts in e-mail, social networking and cell phone address books.