Men and Valentines Day and the Net

Men are more likely than women to use the Internet to aid them in their Valentine’s Day gift purchase, particularly to get gift ideas or find a store, this according to DoubleClick Performics.

Of 656 men and women surveyed 47% said they planned to use the Internet in shopping for a Valentine’s gift. However, 57% of men said they planned on using the Internet compared with only 39% of women.

“Retailers should understand the potential link between online research and in-store purchases, even for a simple item like Valentine’s Day candy,” says Stuart Larkins, vice president of search for DoubleClick. “No matter where consumers intend to make their purchases, online is proving to be a springboard and a key influencer for much of their purchase activities.”

Convenience was cited by 48% of consumers as the key reason for using the Internet for Valentine’s Day gift shopping

Convenience was followed by:

• better selection 18%
• less expensive 9%
• better quality 4%
• 19% said they weren’t sure why they were using the Internet

The key questions missing from the report is how many of the 48% who cite convenience actually admitted that they shopped online to their girlfriend or wife. And how many of those were accused of laziness instead of being convenient!