A rather interesting study on voice over IP usage by Harris Interactive has revealed that men are more likely to use VoIP mobile apps for international calling than women. 31% of male (versus 19% female) respondents said they were more likely to make calls through computer software, and 10% (vs. 2%) said they’d make the same switch on mobile. 16% of male respondents were likely to make video calls, and 42% of them would be willing to pay for it (vs. 11% and 24% for women).
Of what practical use are these stats? Well, VoIP app developers can either capitalize on the natural leaning towards male customers, or they can try to carve out a niche for female-friendly VoIP apps. I think the latter might be tricky, since men’s natural inclination towards whatever solution involves more gadgetry, technology, and general obscurity is well-documented. As smartphones become simpler and VoIP less of an arcane nook of the wireless world at large, maybe the women-folk might be more compelled to use it, but until then, I can hardly blame them for sticking with standard voice calls for long-distance than trying to figure out how to get Skype on the phone.
[via TechCrunch]