While women have the reputation of being more prolific shoppers than men, in Singapore young males spend more money shopping online than women.

Half of the males surveyed in a Singapore Polytechnic study on Singapore online shopping admitted to burning through more than $100 a month on online purchases, compared to 41.3 per cent women. The survey covered 816 people between 15 and 35 years old.

However, women shop online more often, the survey finding that 20.4 per cent of female respondents browsed online for products and services every day compared to 14.5 per cent of males. More females (47.6 per cent to 32.5 per cent) buy from online stores they have subscribed to on social media.

For males, apparel, technology and movies are the top purchases, while women prefer apparel, beauty products and travel.

Privacy is also an issue, with 59.5 per cent of youth saying they buy online without their friends or family knowing, and 57.9 per cent do so to keep their identity private. This is reflected in the percentages for respondents saying they shop online as if gives them privacy – 61.8 per cent for men, and 54.1 per cent for women.

Young shoppers are more receptive to special online deals, peer influence and social media, the survey found. Celebrity endorsements appeared to be the least effective sales strategy, with only 11.4 per cent of respondents buying from stores endorsed by their favorite celebrity.