There’s always plenty of talk about age in eCommerce – from teenage early adopters to the rise of the silver surfer – but in many cases gender gets pushed to one side.

Of course there are the old adages – women hold much of the spending power, as they tend to make the most trips to the shops – but as more people spend online, things are changing.

So how do you keep pace with this change and make sure that your eCommerce site is set up to cater for both men and women, whichever industry area you work in?

New figures from NPD Group show that men and women look for different things when considering which brands to buy.

In consumer electronics, both prioritise brands with which they are familiar, but back this up with different concerns.

Men, for instance, are open to the buzz from the people around them – making gadgets that are rising in popularity more appealing to them.

By contrast, women are more concerned with the devices they already own, opting for consumer electronics that mesh well into their existing set-up.

Targeting toys to mums and dads

For eCommerce sites in the toys and games segment, gender has an even greater significance – particularly where parents are involved.

Women are more likely to opt for toys because their child is a fan of a related TV show or character, NPD Group found.

But in many cases, men choose toys to fit into a collection of their own – with their offspring pushed into second place among their most important factors.

Here, women are more susceptible to peer pressure, as rising popularity ranks as the second-most important reason for them to choose a brand.

Put yourself in their shoes

Where clothing and footwear are concerned, eCommerce sites have an even harder battle to fight – in apparel, brands shoppers have bought before are important, but in shoes, customers prioritise designs that fit their own personal style.

Among women, a good fit is second-most important in athletic footwear, but men rank this fourth behind the trainers’ ability to offer “real solutions” for them and the activities they undertake.

Over at Mintel, more research reveals that clothing is more of a problem area for women than many people might realise.

While in the early days of eCommerce, those in the industry were worried that women might be put off by not being able to try clothes on, the analyst found 43% of female shoppers actually dislike spending any time in the fitting room.

Almost half think clothes shops are aimed only at young people – and 27% find it difficult to get clothes that are fashionable yet suitable for their own age group.

Mintel’s senior consumer analyst Michelle Strutton says:

“There is scope for online specialists to target those consumers who still buy more clothes in-store and those who have browsed for clothes online but never bought through viral marketing campaigns.

The communication could include the latest product and lifestyle news in order to increase brand loyalty, drive traffic to the website and encourage consumers to buy more.”

Wiping the floor with the gender gap

If the contrast between the perception and reality of women’s clothes shopping habits seems particularly marked, it pales in comparison to Mintel’s recent report on men and household chores.

As of the end of June, 31% of men said they do most of their household’s cleaning – up from 17% five years ago.

More than two fifths (42%) of those surveyed – including both men and women – said they would pay for any product capable of cutting down the amount of time they spend cleaning.

Whichever industry area you look at – and the above are just selected examples – it seems there are factors that influence buyers on both a gender-specific and gender-neutral level.

For eCommerce sites and their owners, the challenge is to:

• identify the customer base – whether male, female or both
• research the industry – to learn the influences behind people’s buying decisions
• style a site (and potentially the entire brand) to suit the customers and their influences

With a methodical approach and an engaging brand profile, eCommerce sites can give themselves a head start in bridging the gender gap and selling to men and women alike.