“We didn’t think women were using technology that much.”
That was the comment from a male employee at a Fortune 500 company when Microsoft recently went in to present global research about how women use digital. The astonishing remark shows there are obviously still misconceptions about women’s digital habits in 2013.
Kelly Jones, head of thought leadership in Microsoft’s marketing solutions team, set the record straight on Wednesday at a m:Ad Women event in Toronto organized by the Institute of Communication Agencies and Microsoft Advertising. She shared those research results to illustrate how women in Canada—and abroad—have woven digital into their everyday lives.
The study, which Microsoft partnered with Ogilvy on earlier this year, looks at nine markets including Canada, the U.S., China and the U.K. The companies polled approximately 1,000 women in each region.
Jones (pictured) began her m:Ad Women presentation by outlining the three main groups into which women in the study were segmented: globally, 32% of women are digital outsiders, 50% are mainstream users and 18% are digital divas.
In Canada specifically, 14% of the respondents fall into the last group, and it’s the one Jones focused on during her talk. Digital divas here, Jones said, are young (39% are under 34-years old) and have high incomes (with an average household income of more than $64,000).
More generally, digital divas are a connected, social bunch. The report states that two-thirds say they’re “completely comfortable and confident using digital tools and technology,” 75% own a smartphone, half download/use apps and they have an average of 475 contacts.
And these divas don’t just integrate their phone into their day: 51% of them admitted that they sleep with their phone all of the time (plus 27% of them even lose more than two hours of sleep to it).
When it comes to online shopping, this segment does more than browse—they actually buy. In fact, 56% of them make purchases online. The catch is that 60% of them wish websites helped them weed through the overwhelming amount of “digital clutter.” They are looking for brands to add value to their lives—not just coupons, said Jones.
That could mean, for instance, a brand acting as a curator by helping to find, organize and present relevant products or content, she said. Editing down the content presented to online shoppers will provide a better experience for them. As Jones put it, it’s important to put the therapy back into retail therapy.
