Mobile Usage Differences Among Men, Women

When it comes to mobile phone habits, men and women share some similarities yet also greatly differ in what they do – and don’t do – with their phones.

Curious? Here’s a summary of the recent research findings from Adobe Systems Inc.  The study found men and women have the same behaviors in certain areas – like using their phone for maps and directions – yet their mobile shopping habits vary greatly.

Women = Men  

• Searching for local information
• Reading/posting to blogs
• Playing games
• Maps and directions

Mobile commerce

Both men and women use their mobile phones for shopping. However, what they’re buying varies, which should hardly be a shock to anyone who’s ever visited a mall. Or even the grocery store. While women buy some items with their mobile device — clothing, shoes and jewelry – mobile commerce is male-dominated.

• Men spent more on their mobile purchases, with 60% spending at least $250 in the past year, compared with less than half of women who reported the same.
• Females were 11 percentage points more likely to say they had not made any mobile purchases in the past six months.

Women exceed men

• Accessing social network sites. Women are 10 percentage points more likely than men to use their phone for things like Twitter and Facebook.

Men exceed women

• Accessing content, including sports, videos, music and news
• Travel-related activities, including research, price comparison and booking
• Financial services, including checking their bank balance and buying/selling stock
• Paying for content. 53% of women said they had never paid for mobile entertainment content, compared with just 38% of men.