We’re cranking up the accelerator. (We get the message, boys.)

It’s official – there is a bit of Top Gun in every bloke surfing around the Internet.

Researchers from Southern Illinois University have done a study and found that blokes prefer fast download speed over easy navigation.

(Actually they aren’t the only ones that think men and women come from different planets. Wharton does too.)

But hey, before you strip every image, object and script from your website, (and just in case you thought life was easy), women prefer something else – they like ease of use, easy navigation, and accessibility.

So, how do you get Adam and Eve both loving your website?

Know How The Genders Behave.

• Women use the Web to develop relationships while men use the Web for information gathering. Fast download speeds make searching for information online more efficient. There is more about it here.
• Men favor coupons over sale items while women prefer sale items over coupons.
• Women are more likely to plan ahead at Christmas time, while men are more likely to get frustrated.
• Women buy strategically, while men buy immediately. A way to think of this is that women want to know more up front than a man does; men are more willing to gamble a bit in the hopes of a greater reward.
• Men and women care about different things – and if you want an illustration of this principle, check out product reviews by different genders to see what they care about.

How To Accommodate Gender Differences Online.

• If you don’t know what gender typically buys from you, try this handy tool to gauge it. (Heck, it’s not foolproof, but it’s free.)
• Ask members/prospects/customers for their gender when they sign up.
• Segment your customer database by gender and test coupon vs. sale headlines, imagery and even timing (start sending holiday emails earlier to females, or send fewer holiday emails to men).

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