NBC News: Who Spent the Most on Black Friday? You Might Be Surprised

By Nicole Spector

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The tried and true stereotype that women shop more than men may have been shattered this Black Friday, at least when it comes down to adding up how much they spend.

new study projects that men doled out the most dough during the shopping extravaganza.

The survey, commissioned by the media agency Mindshare, found that men planned on spending up to 69 percent more than women during Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday shopping events. Mindshare consulted 779 consumers, and was roughly split between men and women, said Joe Migliozzi of Mindshare.

Boys Will Be Buyers

The study discovered that men were aiming to spend $417, on average, on Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday, while women anticipated spending an average of $247.

“I love how the stereotypes [around gender and shopping behavior] were flip-flopped,” said Migliozzi. “The information about men was eye popping, but actually, it makes sense that they’re spending more.”

Note the key difference in wording here: Men aren’t necessarily shopping more, but spending more. What it comes down to is their predilection for more expensive items — largely electronics, gaming gear, computers, and high-end audio products, added Migliozzi.

Electronics, Video Games Versus Clothing, Toys

According to the research, 57 percent of men said that electronics was the number one spending driver for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, followed by video games (48 percent). Clothes came in at 44 percent.

Women are also quite interested in purchasing electronics, with 53 percent saying that was their top shopping priority during the sales events. But video game technology, which can get pretty pricey, wasn’t on their list of must-buys, and clothes was their number one, with 66 percent of women stating this was their biggest spending driver.

Read the rest of the piece, including insights on millennial shoppers, on NBC News: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/who-spent-most-black-friday-you-might-be-surprised-n687571