Some fantastic research was published on June 30 by the folks at comScore, Inc. in their study “Women on the Web.”

You can download the entire white paper here.

I’m just now digesting it, but here are some key take-aways:

• Though (slightly) still trailing men in overall internet use globally, women are now more engaged than men on the internet
• The average 15+ female spends 8 percent more time online than her male counterpart
• Women have responded rapidly and strongly to social media, though not as quickly to mobile internet (they own less smart phones than their geeky male counterparts)
• These facts, coupled with the prime-shopper authority most women have in households makes the emerging realm of “Social Commerce” a high-potential area
• In the realm of search, women prefer Bing more than their male counterparts

Moral of the story:  You’d better be including women in your requirements sessions,  focus groups, user communities, etc. – or you’re missing half of the market!