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The image we always see of the on-line type is a guy, the surfing, hacking tech-head, sometimes a geek, sometimes a savvy Net Knight challenging the System, but almost inevitably male. Yet, according to Forrester Research, the number of women on-line will reach 18 million by the year 2000, a 250% increase. With working women pegged as the fastest growing in this segment, followed by women attending college and educated women who stay at home with their children, these influential consumers will have a significant impact in the Internet’s development as a medium for commerce, communication and entertainment.

Let’s back up to that part about commerce. In our society, women are more likely to shop. This is not a sexist statement, but rather the reality of the retail world. Women purchase 90% of home products, clothing, healthcare and perishables. And there is no reason to think that this pattern will change on-line.

We decided to see for ourselves in an on-line study that examined women’s on-line shopping attitudes and behaviors. After mailing out 10,000 e-mail questionnaires, 392 women answered back, a response rate of 4%. The women who answered tended to be heavy internet users, with 52% telling us they spend 10 or more hours a week on-line.

Our survey confirms findings reported by others, that on-line shopping ranks relatively low as an enticement to go on-line (38%). When asked the reasons for going onto the Internet, women named e-mail (97%), education/research (81%) and browsing/surfing (74%). However, while other factors may bring women onto the Web initially, our survey showed once they are there, 75% shop and 60% actually buy.

Women who bought on-line said they spent an average of $400 last year and plan to spend $600 in the next year, a projected increase of 50% in just one year. And although computer hardware and software are considered "male" products, software also tops the list of purchases made by women (30%). Books (21%), travel arrangements (19%) and gift items (18%) follow.

Making the buying experience positive was a major theme among our respondents. "Make it fun and attractive," wrote one woman, adding that "junk" pages were a waste of her time. "Make sure finding your site is easy, and easily searchable on all search engines with several different keywords. Offer free tech support for the first time user." Other respondents said companies should develop easier tools for navigating their sites and quick, efficient and painless on-line ordering mechanisms.

Women in our study confirmed our belief that they shop on-line because it saves time. Convenience (59%) and speed (26%) were the main drivers, "I shop on-line particularly around holidays and birthdays, due to time management considerations," one woman said. "Not because I find great deals."

Another argument in favor of targeting women on-line: they’re heavy users of credit cards, the payment method of choice on the Internet. In fact, 74% of women buyers in our study have purchased products on-line with a credit card-an issue, with regard to privacy and piracy, that many on-line services are just now going out of their way to address in consumer communications (see the current IBM TV spot). Of that 19% have called or faxed their credit card number to an Internet vendor. Credit card fraud was cited as the primary barrier (57%) to purchasing on-line. In fact, the concern over credit card security came from buyers and non-buyers.

"Nothing is perfect but knowing that there is a secured connection when entering my charge card helps," one woman said. " If I feel safe giving that much information, it is much nicer than catalog shopping and very convenient."

They also urged alternative payment options: debit cards, COD, 800 numbers, order by fax and electronic checks. Several suggested that billing be done through an Internet service provider or a commercial on-line service, with AOL being mentioned most often.

Other reasons that kept women from buying on-line included the need to touch, feel or try on a product (48%); not seeing any products that would motivate a purchase (35%); and a desire to speak to a "live" person before buying (31%).

The desire for ease of payment and refunds, reliability, customer service, and ability to cancel orders are all a concern. This points to a boon for traditional vendors who already have an off-line reputation. Indeed women, seem to favor familiar retailers. However, this is a double-edged sword. Women complained that on-line shopping areas do not carry as much merchandise as the store’s physical location. In other words, once they started shopping on-line, they wanted to accomplish as much as possible. They see no obvious advantage to buying via computer if they if they have to make a trip to the store anyway.

Strictly on-line vendors can gain a significant edge by making the shopping and buying experience relatively painless. "Have a reasonable return policy and credit my account promptly for properly returned merchandise," said one shopper. "I don’t want junk, and I won’t pay inflated prices just for the "prestige" of shopping on the Net. Go buy something from (on-line bookstore) Amazon.com. they do it right."

Women in our survey were eager to gather as much information on what they were buying as possible, apropos to the 81% who said they go on-line for education and research.

"Give me information about content, sizing, colors, requirements for using the product," said one respondent. "Don’t skimp on the copy."

And despite conventional wisdom on the need to keep sites simple and graphics to a minimum, there was an overwhelming desire for photographs of merchandise. And not just one photo. These women urged marketers to take advantage of the medium and show multiple photos of the same items "from several angles."

One wrote: "What impresses me most about on-line shopping is a company’s ability to present a product so effectively. Not only do you see the product, but it is described in much detail, leaving little doubt about what the product has to offer."

On the flip side, some offered warnings about having too much information on a Web site. Begin with basic information and leave it to the shopper to determine the amount of information she needs, they advised. To quote one: "Get to the point. Offer the product and have a buy option up top, with other options to learn more about the product below that, and then frequent buy options scattered in between. I HATE having to go through a lot of copy when I know what I want."

Women were nearly unanimous in their appeal for marketers to advertise anywhere but in their e-mail box. Woman after woman said how much she hated "spam" mail and cited it’s negative effect on their decision making. "It is annoying, and in most cases does the exact opposite of what it intends," said one. If I am looking for a product or service, and I see that I get unsolicited e-mail, I will go out of my way to avoid the company that does not respect my privacy."

Many of the women in our survey, even those who have not necessarily yet bought anything on-line, expressed an interest in doing so in the future. They see an enormous potential there. They want it to be fun, they want it to be easy, and they seek the variety that on-line has the potential to give them. In other words, they want more, not less.