Ecommerce is still a male-dominated industry; but women spend less and make more
Happy Women’s History Month; a time when we can celebrate how women are absolutely crushing it – especially in business.
I know, I know. More than two thirds of Amazon’s third-party sellers are STILL men. BUT women spend less on their business and have more overall profit. 23% of women reported starting their business with $500 or less, and 35% of women (vs. only 30% of men) achieve profit margins between 21-50%. You go girl. Here’s a photo of my neighbors running their business. Godspeed, gentlemen.
So is there some power in women that allows us to be absolute bosses in what was once a boys club?
Maybe it’s because women are:
- Mystically tied to the moon and tides.
- Socialized to be more personable and creative.
- Still pissed that teachers always asked the boys to help move the heavy furniture even though they could kick those boys’ skinny butts.
- One with their audience since 72% of shoppers are women. Us ladies be shoppin’!
- Taking rules seriously. Only 6% of female entrepreneurs have gotten in trouble for violating Amazon’s Terms of Service by using black-hat tactics, compared to 12% of men.
Whatever the reason, the success of women is remarkable, especially since the odds are stacked against them. Males dominate the field, and female-owned businesses receive 31% less funding than their male counterparts. I learned that from the three guys who live on the other side of my apartment who also run an ecommerce business. Here they are hard at work.
But women continue to hustle and get shit done. From 2010-2015, the number of self-employed women in online retail grew by 28% and continues to grow today. A recent survey at Amazon showed that 48% of businesses selling in Amazon’s US store are woman-owned. Looks like the Ding Dong party is coming to an end, huh fellas?
So, if you’re a woman with a business, continue to roar. And if you’re a man, maybe take a page out of our book. Better yet, buy one!
