I have plenty of female friends who use the Internet. Still, while giving a talk about the Web to high school students in Chicago in October, I was surprised by the sea of shoulder-length hair and lip gloss before me. Of the nearly 40 students who filed into the computer lab, more than 30 were girls. Hold on to your suspenders, gents.
Women rule the Web.
There's suddenly an opportunity to program sites for women and really tap into their needs,'' says Jupiter analyst Anya Sacharow. Most astonishing, though, are the two age groups leading the charge. So wake up, Web merchants, and feminize your sites. Even so, many e-tailers don't consider their sensibilities. Lots of gadgets and busy design, for example, reflect a male bias that turns off women, according to a survey by ad agency Leo Burnett.