The majority of North American women are looking to buy technology gifts for themselves, but their South African counterparts still look at electronic purchases as an item for the whole family, says BMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T).
BMI-T analyst Tertia Smit was responding to the results of a survey released by International Data Corporation (IDC) that says nearly 80% of women plan to purchase technology gifts this year. The IDC survey was conducted with the Women In Technology International (WITI) organisation.
High on the shopping list are digital cameras, iPods and iPod accessories, representing the "must-have gifts" this season.
According to IDC, trends driving the holiday wish list include product versatility, stronger female purchasing power, the "Let`s Not Forget About Me" shopping trend, and brand/product awareness.
"It is as true in SA that women represent the bulk of the holiday purchasers, but the trend here is still very much to buy for the whole family rather than for themselves," Smit says.
The IDC survey`s aim was to analyse the 2005 holiday season technology purchasing trends, styles and shopping experiences across a sample of women that were not representative, but reflective, of tech-savvy women.
Conducted in November using a Web-based survey, IDC invited current and former WITI members located in the US, Canada and Mexico to respond to multiple questions about their 2005 holiday purchasing-decisions. Nearly 1 200 women responded and comparisons were drawn across age, ethnicity, household size and income.
"The survey revealed that in addition to purchasing gifts for friends and family this season, there is an increasing trend of women buying technology gifts for themselves," Dana Thorat, IDC research manager, says. "We see this for four out of five of the top technology gifts."
Some of the findings include that women were conducting more research online, that price was an important factor and that buying at a physical location was still important. Respondents want to touch and feel the product and get personal assistance from a knowledgeable salesperson.
Smit says that South African women were more inclined to want the experience of physical shopping, while men generally preferred using online methods.
"Emerging black middle class women generally have the disposable income to buy technology gifts. But it seems that cellphones remain the most desirable of technology items for themselves and their family. Music devices and digital cameras are generally purchased as gifts for other family members," she says.
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