Women Exerting a Larger Influence Online--Direct Marketing, Mail Order, E-commerce News

Direct Marketing, Mail Order, and E-commerce News from the National Mail Order Association

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New eMarketer Study Sees Women Exerting a Larger Influence Online

Online Female Majority Is Projected to Grow, Forcing Changes in Content, Commerce and Marketing

Women make up the majority of Internet users in the US, and their online activity is increasing rapidly.
As their influence grows, women will increasingly shape the way companies strategize their Web content,
commerce and marketing efforts.

These are among the conclusions of a new eMarketer report, Women Online in the US: A Growing
Majority, released today. Females now make up 51.6% of the US online population, and eMarketer
projects that the female majority online will become even more pronounced over the next few years.
By 2008, females will account for 52.6% of total online users in the US, according to eMarketer
projections. In absolute numbers, that means that in 2008 there will be roughly 10 million more females
ages 3 and over online in the US than males.

"While the ratio of women to men in the general U.S. population is expected to hold steady at least
through 2008, that won't be the case on the Internet," says Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer Senior
Analyst and author of the report. "Cultural, societal and Internet business trends are combining to
shift the balance more firmly toward women. Because of these factors, eMarketer projects that the
female majority online will have a transformative effect on content, commerce and marketing."

Possibly the most significant impact will be on online retailing. In the offline world, women are said to
influence more than three-quarters of household expenditures. That level of influence may not have
been fully felt online yet, but it will be -- soon.

Women Online in the US is based on eMarketer's independent analysis of available data from leading
research firms, as well as interviews with key industry leaders. Ms. Williamson focuses on key trends
and valuable data for marketers seeking to tap into the growing female population on the Web.

Key points addressed in Women Online in the US include:

-- How large is the female online population in the US?
-- How quickly is it growing?
-- What can companies do to reach the growing female majority?
-- Will females drive future growth in online shopping?
-- How do females respond to 'word of mouth marketing' and viral
marketing?

And many more...
"As more women are drawn online, their sheer numbers will force companies to communicate with
them on their terms, in their own language," says Ms. Williamson. "The onus is on Web marketers,
retailers and content sites to make sure they are thinking of women when they design their sites and
their online marketing -- even if women aren't their primary target."

For more information on obtaining a copy of Women Online in the US, visit eMarketer
online at http://www.emarketer.com.

About eMarketer

eMarketer is "the First Place to Look" for market research information related to e-business, online marketing and emerging technologies. eMarketer aggregates and analyzes e-business research from over 1,700 sources and brings it together in one place. This research is presented in analyst reports and the "eStat Database" -- the most comprehensive compilation of up-to-date e-business and online marketing statistics in the world. For more information, visit www.emarketer.com.

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