Gregg Lengling
11-08-2002, 12:33 PM
By Elisa Batista
Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56245,00.html
02:00 AM Nov. 08, 2002 PT
In the digital age, a diamond is not a girl's best friend. A high-definition television set is.
After interviewing 1,000 men and women, the Consumer Electronics Association found that 58 percent of women would prefer to own a HDTV set than a 1-karat diamond ring. CEA's study, which was released on Tuesday, said that 64 percent of women would rather have a digital camera than a pair of half-karat diamond stud earrings.
The study confirmed that women like digital toys just as much as men, who are generally believed to be the main purchasers of electronic gear in the home, said a CEA spokesman.
"Female consumers spend approximately $55 billion each year on consumer technology products," said Sean Wargo, director of industry analysis for CEA. "That's nearly half of the total consumer electronics market. And with these survey results showing a significant portion of women saying they are now more confident in purchasing electronics, we can only expect their collective buying power to increase as well."
In fact, women expressed a high level of interest in certain items that are traditionally popular with men, like color TVs (63 percent) and digital cameras (43 percent), CEA's study stated.
Women also own more consumer electronic goods than ever before: 20 percent of women own a laptop computer, whereas only 12 percent did in 2000. Nearly two-thirds of women own a cell phone, while 49 percent did two years ago, said CEA.
Women initiate almost half -- 49 percent -- of all electronics purchases, the study concluded.
Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56245,00.html
02:00 AM Nov. 08, 2002 PT
In the digital age, a diamond is not a girl's best friend. A high-definition television set is.
After interviewing 1,000 men and women, the Consumer Electronics Association found that 58 percent of women would prefer to own a HDTV set than a 1-karat diamond ring. CEA's study, which was released on Tuesday, said that 64 percent of women would rather have a digital camera than a pair of half-karat diamond stud earrings.
The study confirmed that women like digital toys just as much as men, who are generally believed to be the main purchasers of electronic gear in the home, said a CEA spokesman.
"Female consumers spend approximately $55 billion each year on consumer technology products," said Sean Wargo, director of industry analysis for CEA. "That's nearly half of the total consumer electronics market. And with these survey results showing a significant portion of women saying they are now more confident in purchasing electronics, we can only expect their collective buying power to increase as well."
In fact, women expressed a high level of interest in certain items that are traditionally popular with men, like color TVs (63 percent) and digital cameras (43 percent), CEA's study stated.
Women also own more consumer electronic goods than ever before: 20 percent of women own a laptop computer, whereas only 12 percent did in 2000. Nearly two-thirds of women own a cell phone, while 49 percent did two years ago, said CEA.
Women initiate almost half -- 49 percent -- of all electronics purchases, the study concluded.