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