Female Boss, Worker Don’t Shop Alike

Speaking of the Internet, a new study reports that women who own their own businesses are more likely to purchase goods and services online than are women who are employees.

In fact, the National Foundation for Women Business Owners study found other significant differences in the buying habits of female business owners and female employees. Overall, the study underscores why marketers are targeting the nation’s 9.1 million women-owned businesses: Female entrepreneurs frequently control the purse strings in their homes and in their businesses, and they buy a lot of stuff.

The study found that businesswomen are the primary decision-makers in their households two-thirds of time when it comes to purchasing a wide variety of items, from clothing to cable TV service.

Female business owners and female employees are both active Internet users, with 6 in 10 saying they use the Net with some frequency. However, female entrepreneurs are much more likely to make purchases online. Nearly 60% of female business owners have used the Internet to buy goods and services, compared to just 40% of female employees, according to the survey.

Among the other findings:

* Nearly 75% of female business owners have investments in stocks, bonds or mutual funds, compared with 58% of female employees.

* Female business owners are less likely to shop at malls, more likely to shop from catalogs, and more likely to say they want to get in and out of stores quickly than are female employees.

* Female entrepreneurs are much more likely to hire someone to clean their homes (46%) than are female employees (19%). Ditto for lawn services (47% versus 22%).

The June telephone survey polled 735 female business owners and employees from across the United States. For more information, contact NFWBO at (301) 495-4975.