7 Suggestions for an i-Mom Friendly Web Site (e-commerce news and statistics)

The Internet began as a male dominated medium, but those days are long gone and merchants are advised to make sure their websites are female friendly to faciliate the rising surge of busy i-Moms shopping online for their family and friends.

Women now account for 51.7% of Internet usage according to a 2005 Lucid marketing study but that's only the tip of iceberg. When it comes to online purchasing, women are clearly leading the way. According to a Bizrate survey, women accounted for 62% of online purchases in the fourth quarter of 2004!

The above statistic shouldn't be that surprising when we consider that women are busy household managers and make many financial decisions across the United States. According to Small Business Administration, "women currently make up 80 percent of consumer spending. They currently purchase more than half the automobiles that are sold in this country. They consistently purchase more groceries, apparel and durable goods than men and they have become the primary ones to make healthcare decisions in 75 percent of American households."

Other research shows that women are less likely than men to use the Internet for entertainment purposes, but rather they are looking for information, household tips, low prices, and, especially, ease of use in purchasing online.

Merchant Strategy

The following seven recommendations will make your website a friendly home for busy moms online.

1. Make your website easy to navigate. A specific product should be easily found and only be a few clicks away from anywhere in the website.

2. Provide in-depth product information. The more product comparisons, reports and reviews you can add, the less likely they'll leave your website to round out their research.

3. Provide quality graphics. Seeing and feeling is of course the best way to examine and test a product, but the shortage of time has trumped that luxury. A quality fast loading image is extremely desirable.

4. Offer a maximum selection. Whether in your store or on your website, this always makes sense.

5. Maintain competitive pricing. The Internet facilitates easy price comparisons, if your prices are too high, it won't be a secret. Check the prices of your competitors.

6. Offer a variety of shipping options including gift wrapping. Women buy the great majority of family gifts. Merchants who gift wrap will get a lot of free advertising by word of mouth.

7. Offer excellent customer service. If there's a problem, a return or a question, there's nothing like a friendly voice by telephone.

Personal Story

During last Christmas, I noticed a tremendous scene. At my in-laws about 8 of us were sitting in the family room together. Some of the men were watching sports on television, others were chatting, while my wife, mother-in-law and daughter were online at three computer terminals on a long table in the same family room, all shopping for the holidays. They were comparing, giving each other advice, had their credit cards out, and were getting it done. Presents were being picked, wrapped and shipped all over the country. My mother-in-law gets the credit for realizing that she could keep the whole family together by moving the computers into one living area. Everyone was having a great time. Make your online store female friendly and you'll receive a loyal clientele for years to come.

Rick David writes a feature column for Merchant America a nationwide provider of credit card, debit card and check verification services for merchants. Rick also writes a comedy column entitled, Don't Laugh, It Could Happen To You

For online merchant account information click here.

---

How To Find the Best Merchant Account For Your Business

What a great idea! Start accepting credit cards and watch... Read More

The Plain Man?s Guide to Making Money Online

I'm a plain man who uses plain thinking in devising... Read More

How to Receive Payments for Your Online Sales

Once you decide which products you are planning to sell... Read More

Selling From Your Website

Greetings!Friends and relitives ask us all the time " How... Read More

Evaluating Vendors of Ecommerce Fulfillment Services

Once your website has secured an order, you have to... Read More

How Do You Make Money Online?

If you learn how other people make money online, I... Read More

Online Credit Card Processing - How to Accept Credit Cards - Ecommerce 101

Back in 1998 (through 2000 or so), I worked for... Read More

Cheap Cigarettes, Discount Tobacco and Cigars Online - Is It Legal?

Many people online today still believe that buying tobacco products... Read More

Succeed With Your Own Home Based Business

An internet business is by far the best way to... Read More

Starting An E-Commerce Business

The development and expansion of the Internet has made business... Read More

Tell Them Whats in The Can!

What does 'the can' mean? Well, its literal meaning relates... Read More

Conducting Business through B2B E-marketplaces

Businesses, which are still sitting on sidelines and not doing... Read More

10 Tips To Build, Manage And Profit From An E-Commerce Website

Just because you've built your e-commerce website doesn't mean the... Read More

Google to Compete with PayPal?

PayPal is secure in its domination over the electronic payment... Read More

PayPal Powered

Three years ago I was doing some work for a... Read More

What is SSL (the little padlock)?

SSL ("Secured Socket Layer") is a protocol used to... Read More

What You Must Know About Selling Online to Europe

The European market is a multi-billion $ sector which you... Read More

Using Drop Shipping for E-commerce

Thanks to the ubiquity of the internet, online virtual businesses... Read More

Coupons & Rebates

Yes, it's true, coupons are not just for newspapers anymore.... Read More

E-Currency Exchange: The First Bonanza of the 21st Century?

The 21st century has introduced the world to a new... Read More

5 Powerful Ways to Make Money Online with a Website

There are many ways to make money online and the... Read More

Two Pillars of a Successful Web Site

For a web site to get close to fulfilling its... Read More

How Measuring Key Performance Indicators Can Improve E-Commerce Strategy - Part One

The problem with most e-commerce marketing strategy today is that... Read More

Accept Credit Cards Online Without A Merchant Account

It is often assumed if you want to accept credit... Read More

Merchant Account Insider Secrets - Accept Credit Cards Online

The process of learning how to accept payments on the... Read More

6 Steps to Attracting Black Customers Online

by Jamila White, "The E-Commerce Diva"In the rush to keep... Read More

How Measuring Key Performance Indicators Can Improve E-Commerce Strategy - Part Two

Why time spent on your site is importantAll websites regardless... Read More

Do You Need A Merchant Account?

Deciding when to get your own merchant account for internet... Read More

How To Turn Any Product You Sell In To Residual Income

The concept of this is for you to offer a... Read More

Shopping from Your Cell Phone with Froogle Wireless

Many surfers already know about Froogle, Google's shopping portal that... Read More

Top 5 Dot Com Myths Debunked

Most people who get into business know what's involved. They... Read More

Free Competition Analysis for E-Commerce Startup

For anyone who has completed research regarding e-commerce, there are... Read More

Stakeholder Analysis and Stakeholder Management

What is a Stakeholder?Try "define: Stakeholder" in Google and you... Read More