U.S. Women Spend 1.2 Hours Shopping Online A Week

For women, online shopping isn't just about browsing; it's about putting money where their mouse is, reveals a new Consumer Reports poll for its ShopSmart magazine.

Nearly all (96%) of American women who have shopped online in the past 12 months have purchased at least one product over the net. Fifty-seven percent of online shoppers do both product research and shopping online, while 31 percent do their research online and then make their purchase in-store.

The poll found that U.S. women spend an average of 1.2 hours a week shopping online. Of the time women typically spend shopping for non-grocery items each week, 52 percent of it is online.

Almost one in five (18%) working women admit that they do most of their online shopping during work hours, with 54 percent usually done between 5 and 12 AM.

Interestingly, online shopping time for women is generally spent on themselves (51%), whereas in-store shopping is more often focused on family members or others (56%).

The average spent on a single item online is $397. However, 15 percent of women have spent on average $1,000 or more.

What implications does this have for online jewelry purchasing? While the average ticket is fairly low, more than one-quarter of women have spent more than $1,000, and 9 percent have spend $2,500 or more shopping online in the past year.

The disheartening news for retailers is that, according to the survey, 7 percent of women will not buy jewelry online.