Trend 9: Increasing recognition of the purchasing power of women online

As women have flocked online, they have contributed significantly to the growth of e-commerce. The online gender gap in the United States has almost disappeared: Jupiter Communications forecasts that women will comprise 52 percent of the U.S. online population by 2002. And, according to a demographic study conducted by CommerceNet and Nielsen Media Research, the number of online purchases made by female users increased 80 percent over the nine month period from June 1998 to April 1999. Women made 50 percent of all online purchases during the 1999 holiday shopping season, up from 39 percent in 1998.

It's no surprise that women are driving consumer e-commerce revenue -- after all, they control or influence 80 percent of personal and household goods spending in the brick-and-mortar world. As women bring their purchasing power online, web content providers and e-tailers are increasingly molding their websites and wares to better appeal to women. Women constitute a major online consumer force for everything from cosmetics, cars, and clothing to online news and financial information. This female online buying power is not lost on VCs and angels. They are increasingly funding consumer-oriented e-commerce companies led by and targeted to women.

Given these nine key trends, it's no wonder that the number of women web entrepreneurs is burgeoning. There's never been a better time for a woman entrepreneur to start a new business, especially in the Net space. So if you're thinking about starting your own web venture, what are you waiting for? Go to it!

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