New Research Finds Women At Home On The Web
New research from IPC Media has found that 71% of UK women go online every day, with the average woman having been connected to the web for six and a half years.
The findings come from Women’s Space, the latest wave of research from IPC Media’s Origin Panel – a rolling programme of research using a 7,500-strong panel of UK women.
Women’s Space, focusing on understanding UK women online, also reveals that women spend an average of 105 minutes on the web, with an average of nine sites visited per session.
Meanwhile, mornings and late evenings are the key times to reach UK women online, while usage is prompted by both functional and emotional motivations – with the key online applications including social networking, dating and photo sharing.
The Origin Panel was launched in July, and designed to provide a continuous channel through which to understand the evolving attitudes and behaviour of women across the country.
The research found that, contrary to widely-held perceptions, the overwhelming majority of UK women believe they are knowledgeable about the internet (67%), whilst 25% are early-adopting web-veterans.
Only 8% of women classify themselves as online novices, with less than two years of surfing-experience:
Women’s Space has also identified six core groups of women online, distinctive in their attitudes towards the internet.
¡ Miss Duress (18%)* – at the beginning of her internet journey, but keen to get to grips fast to keep up with the kids
¡ Mrs Functional (14%)* – an experienced online user with a no-nonsense approach, gets what she needs when she needs it
¡ Miss Fanatical (16%)* – does everything she can online, she’s receptive to everything the web has to offer, including advertising
¡ Mrs Positive (18%)* – considers herself knowledgeable and receptive, but always looking to improve her understanding of the net
¡ Miss Easy Life (16%)* – an experienced online user, she’s motivated by sites and applications that make her life easier, but she also loves to browse and research
¡ Miss Relaxation (18%)* – serious about having fun, she uses the internet primarily as a source of leisure and entertainment.
* percentage of the UK female population
Amanda Wigginton, group head of IPC Insight, the division of IPC Advertising responsible for spearheading consumer research across IPC Media, said: “What women are doing online is a hugely testing question for a vast array of brands. There simply hasn’t been the data to illustrate how UK women use the web.
“Through the Origin Panel we have been able to comprehensively address that knowledge gap, examining the types of women online, the extent of their digital evolution, and the breadth of uses they find for the web.
“Contrary to many people’s old-fashioned perceptions, online is very definitely Women’s Space, and we will be working with this wealth of insight to help key clients and agencies to assess how best to target and engage their core audiences.”
The Origin Panel plans to conduct its Women’s Space research on an annual basis, building over time a comprehensive vision of the online evolution of UK women.
Online research firm eMarketer has found that consumers from Western European nations are among the world’s keenest users of the web, although there are still differences in the rates of internet usage and broadband penetration from country to country.
IPC Media: 0870 4445000 www.ipcmedia.com