• by Karl Greenberg , April 3, 2013

Women favor shopping online, and have a big influence over what men buy. The second annual “SheSpeaks/Lippe Taylor Women’s Buying Behavior Index” talked to 2,152 women over the past two months to get a pulse on buying habits and forecast purchasing trends of American women. 

Among the findings: stores are no longer where women start researching products. When asked which method they use most to research products, 71% chose laptops, 18% selected mobile/tablet, while only 6% preferred browsing in a store. When it comes to the actual transaction, stores get more respect. Forty-seven percent of women polled said they use computers, while 45% shop in-store. When it comes to actually buying, only 8% use their phone or tablet. But 70% use their mobile devices to do different kinds of shopping behavior. And of that cohort, 75% use phones and other devices to find store locations and hours; 70% use mobile devices while in-store to look up and compare prices; 66% search for coupons; and 34% make purchases on their mobile.

Of the 83% of women planning vacations, social is a go-to source, with 62% using the these channels. Sixty-nine percent of them use Facebook to get suggestions; 49% use blogs; 40% use Pinterest; 21% use Twitter; and 17% use Instagram. 

Said Aliza Freud, CEO of SheSpeaks,: "Online research is having a huge impact on the purchase funnel with close to 90% of women going online, either on computer or mobile device, to research products before buying. Capturing her attention online presents a huge opportunity for brands looking to influence her purchase decisions."

And, as is well known, women wield major influence when it comes to influencing men, with 71% having input into what their husbands and boyfriends wear; 69% grooming; 51% influencing travel plans; 39% buying technology for men; and 18% of women are the primary buyers or shoppers of cars.

Celebrities have undue influence over what women buy as well, per the study. Almost half of respondents say they have bought a product because it was endorsed by a celebrity. 

And personal appearance trumps a good cup of joe, per the study, with 64% of respondents saying they would spend on appearance before they spend on coffee. About a third of respondents said they would opt for fitness classes; 16% liposuction, which tops the 15% who said they opt for a cup of coffee every day at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts; breast implants or reductions got a 10% vote and botox was 4%.