• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, December 10, 2004

Married women, nearly all of whom believe they do most of their family's online shopping, will be surprised to learn that men browse and shop online more frequently than women do, according to an American Online report out today. And even though women now represent the majority of Web shoppers, men plan to spend nearly 15 percent more online this holiday season--$326 for men against $284 for women, according to the report.

The findings raised eyebrows of some industry observers. "I would have expected just the opposite given the research that I've seen," said Jeffrey Grau, a senior analyst at eMarketer. "Even though men have traditionally had more of an online presence, women usually spend more on and especially offline."

The report, based on a Digital Marketing Service survey of more than 6,000 adults between August 19 and Sept. 9, revealed that men research and browse online an average of 31 times a month compared to 22 times a month for women.

On average, men spent $204 online each month, compared to $186 spent by women, according to the report. Furthermore, 42 percent of men shopped for luxury goods online vs. 35 percent of women.

One theory, posited by Chuck Moran, BURST! Media's market research manager, is that women are less decisive when it comes to online shopping. "Women tend to hesitate, and go looking for more input from friends and family, while a guy is more likely to comparison shop online and impulsively pull the trigger," suggested Moran.

Impulsive or not, men are willing to spend $1,751 for a single item online vs. $787 for women, according to AOL's report. Patrick Gates, senior vice president of eCommerce at AOL attributed this difference to the fact that men have traditionally spearheaded their family's expensive and technical "high- involvement buys" like plasma TVs and home entertainment systems.

Buying music and videos, clothing and books rank as the top three categories for both sexes' holiday gift lists. However, there is a marked difference in the number of men planning to purchase consumer electronics as gifts, 38 percent, vs. 25 percent of women. The same goes for computer software and hardware as gifts, 37 percent of men vs. 25 percent of women.

Men also plan to buy more sporting goods and travel services/tickets, while women plan to purchase more health & beauty products and toys, reported AOL.

While more women-78 percent against 74 percent of men-say that finding bargains and deals is important when shopping online, men are more likely-70 percent against 64 percent of women-to say that shopping for bargains and deals is easier on the Internet.

At variance with AOL's findings, JupiterResearch also predicted in October 2003 that women would makeup 52 percent of online shoppers through 2008, men making up the other 48 percent. Jupiter is expected to release revised forecasts shortly.