Highlights. Global consumer spending is evenly distributed among the sexes; in the United States, however, women are directly or indirectly responsible for up to $14.0 trillion or 80% of consumer spending.
- On any given day, 39.4% of American women and 33.7% of men shop.
- In one month, the average single American male consumer spends $3,608 or 98.6% of his income after taxes.
- The average single female spends $3,515 in one month or 114.7% of her income after taxes.
- Moms do 80% of grocery shopping in households where a spouse or partner is present.
- Worldwide, women spend almost $35 trillion on consumer goods, the equivalent of 50% of global consumer spending.
Please note that this report conforms to terminology used in source data. In most sources, sex and gender terms are not clearly defined and may be used interchangeably. For example, both “male” and “men” may refer to cis-males or male-born consumers.
Male vs. Female Shopping Statistics
Globally, women spend an amount equivalent to more than twice the amount of all consumer spending in the United States.
- Women spend an average of 58 minutes per shopping trip, while men spend 45 minutes.
- 89% of women and 41% of men claim responsibility for daily household shopping.
- 82.2% of male and 81.5% of female consumers shop holiday sales events over Thanksgiving weekend.
- 49% of women and 37% of men regularly shop at big box or department stores.
- 48% of women and 36% of men regularly shop at pharmacies and convenience stores.
- 43% of women and 32% of men shop online marketplaces.
- Consumer direct shopping is the least popular option among men (11% usage) and women (13% usage).
Male vs. Female Spending Statistics
Statistics indicate that shopping habits inform spending.
- Women are directly or indirectly responsible for 70% to 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions.
- Among women, 65% prefer to purchase in-store, and 22% prefer to use a brand’s app or website.
- 36.4% of women buying online prefer to use a brand’s mobile app or mobile website.
- Among men, 60% prefer to purchase in-store, and 24% would rather buy online.
- 20.8% of men buying online prefer to use a brand’s mobile app or mobile website.
- 57% of men and 45% of women have used buy now, pay later (BNPL) services.
- Single homebuyers are twice as likely to be women instead of men.
- Women make up 70% of travel consumers.
- The average Millennial male spends 59.9% more on clothes and shoes than his female counterpart.
Male vs. Female Online Shopping Statistics
Browsing online does not always translate to buying online.
- 44% of female shoppers and 53% of males prefer to browse retail items online.
- 75% of female online shoppers prefer to browse on the brand’s website; among them, 36.4% prefer mobile browsing.
- Roughly 25% of female online shoppers prefer to browse on third-party apps or websites.
- 71.7% of male online shoppers prefer to browse on the brand’s website; among them, 28.9% prefer mobile browsing.
- 26.4% of male online shoppers prefer to browse on third-party apps or websites.
Male vs. Female Food Shopping Statistics
The starkest contrast between male and female shopping habits is with household shopping responsibilities, particularly grocery shopping.
- 78.2% of women claim to be their household’s primary food shopper.
- In households where a spouse/partner and children are present, 80% of women perform most of the grocery shopping.
- 68% of married or partnered women with no children at home are the primary household grocery shoppers.
- 42% of men claim that they do most of the food shopping for their household.
- In households where a partner and children are present, 20% of men claim to be their household’s usual food shopper.
- 23% of married or partnered men with no children at home are the primary household grocery shoppers.
- In households with a spouse/partner and children present, 11% of women and 23% of men claim an equal share of grocery shopping responsibility.
- Among couples without children at home, 19% of women and 27% of men claim an equal share of grocery shopping.
| Item | Single Males | Single Females |
| Housing (incl. utilities) | 37.1% | 46.5% |
| Transportation | 16.1% | 14.1% |
| Food at home | 7.03% | 8.86% |
| Healthcare | 6.91% | 11.2% |
| Entertainment | 4.36% | 5.16% |
| Dining out | 5.04% | 4.46% |
| Apparel and services | 1.90% | 3.05% |
| Education | 1.55% | 1.78% |
| Miscellaneous | 1.68% | 1.99% |
| Alcoholic Beverages | 1.56% | 0.99% |
| Tobacco | 0.83% | 0.51% |
| Personal care | 0.67% | 1.88% |
| Reading | 0.18% | 0.30% |
*Percentages do not total 100% because they include only selected expenditures.
Single Male vs. Female Shopping Statistics
Single male or female households may or may not include children under the age of 18.
- Single male consumers spend an average of $43,299 per year.
- Single female consumers spend an average of $42,174.
- The average single man spends 9.31% less of his income on footwear each year than the average single female consumer.
- Single men also spend 20.2% less of their income on housing and 9.43% less on food compared to single women.
- The average single woman spends 174% more of her annual income on her pets and 181% more on personal care products compared to a single male.
Women’s Shopping Statistics
Statistics indicate that women make the majority of consumer spending decisions, so research investment focuses on this sex and/or gender more than any other.
- Over half of women will give a company a second chance if expectations were initially not met.
- 78% of women will try a company’s products or services if they are aware of the company’s support to women-owned businesses.
- 94% of women aged 15 to 35 years who shop online shop at a rate exceeding one hour per day.
- 85% of women claim to have some brand loyalty.
- Women’s global consumer spending is equivalent to over twice the total value of U.S. consumer spending.
These data and insights were compiled by the Capital One Shopping team based on publicly available data.
Sources
- UN Women, Procurement’s Strategic Value: Why Gender-Responsive Procurement Makes Business Sense
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), CPI Inflation Calculator
- The World Bank, Final Consumption Expenditure
- Forbes, 20 Facts to Know When Marketing to Women
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Data: National Income and Product Accounts
- Statista, Retail & Trade: Shopping Behavior
- BLS, Consumer Expenditure Surveys
- National Library of Medicine, Current Sex Distribution of Cooking and Food Shopping Responsibilities in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Pew Research Center, Among U.S. Couples, Women Do More Cooking and Grocery Shopping Than Men
- BLS, American Time Use Survey