• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, October 30, 2003

Singles and Marrieds Surf on Different Waves

According to the release of recent reports by Nielsen//NetRatings@Plan Fall 2003, married surfers took the lead in e-commerce activities. According to the data, 10 percent more married surfers made an online purchase than was expected as compared to the average. More than 52 percent of married surfers made an online purchase during the period as compared to 47 percent of singles making an online purchase.

Purchases also mirrored the varied interests of single and married surfers. Top items purchased within the last six months by married surfers were related to home life, such as garden supplies and educational software. For single surfers, online purchases concentrated on entertainment and financial services.

Items Purchased for Singles vs. Married Surfers (U.S., 18+ Data)

Purchase-Single	Sgl Index	Purchase-Married	Mar. Index
1. Student Loans	136	1. Drugs/Remedies/Pres.	119
2. Credit Card	117	2. Home Improvement	119
3. Video Game Cart.	117	3. Edu.Computer Software	117
4. Computer Games	113	4. Gardening Tools/Supp.	117
5. Music CD's/Tapes	111	5. Toys/Non-Computer Games	117

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings @Plan Fall 2003

Top destinations between single and married surfers revealed life style variations that are generally true in the offline world. For singles, seven of the top 10 online destinations were dating/personal related.

"When children are worked into the equation for oft-overly extended married individuals, the convenience of online shopping can't be beat," said Jason Levin, Internet analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings. "For married surfers, the Web seems to be a far more functional rather than recreational resource."

For married surfers, six of the top ten frequented sites were family/child-oriented. Familyfun.com, had the highest composition of married surfers at 85 percent.

Top Ad-Supported Sites for Single vs. Married Individuals (U.S., 18+ Data)

Top Sites-Married	% Online	Index	Top Sites-Singles	% Online	Index
1. Match.com	84.4	252	1. FamilyFun	85.8	131
2. TheSpark.com	83.6	249	2. BabyCenter	83.8	128
3. Gay.com	80.4	240	3. American baby	82.9	126
4. Matchmaker.com	80.4	240	4. Nick Jr.	82.8	126
5. Date.com	79.5	237	5. iVillage	80.1	122
6. PlanetOutPartners	77.5	231	6. PBS Kids	79.7	121
7. PlanetOut	75.4	225	7. NewsMax.com	78.9	120
8. SparkNotes	73.5	219	8. GolfOnline	77.8	119
9. Yahoo! Personals	70.9	211	9. Quicken.com	77.8	118
10. Student Advntage	69.2	206	10. Edgar Online	77.5	118

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings @Plan Fall 2003

For more information, please visit www.nielsen-netratings.com