Gender Dynamics in Digital Consumer Behavior: Analyzing Online Shopping Patterns and Advertising Preferences in Ludhiana City

Digital commerce is growing at an unprecedented rate, which has changed consumers' shopping behaviours, with gender influencing online buying tendencies and attitudes toward advertising. The research looks at gender differences in Ludhiana City's digital consumer behaviour with regard to purchasing patterns, brand interactions, and responses to digital advertising. A survey was used to collect data from a wide range of respondents across a variety of demographic segments. The findings demonstrate significant differences in shopping motives, product concerns, and responses to digital advertising, specifically evidence that women engage more with influencer based content, while men prioritize price, brand image, and technical specifications when purchasing. Other factors that influenced digital shopping behaviour were educational and income status; for example, higher income groups had more trust in purchasing online than lower income groups. Through the study of advertising preferences, it was found that men and women show different reactions to marketing content. Women tended to have more favorable reactions when the advertising was visually appealing and evoked emotion; men preferred more direct and text-based advertising that included data. Trust in digital platforms differed greatly among genders; women tended to have less trust for new e-commerce websites that they were unfamiliar with. This research also provides marketers with valuable insights to implement gender-sensitive digital marketing strategies that take into account local consumer behaviors. Likewise, it emphasizes that cultural, social, and psychological components have implications for how genders differ in their online purchasing behavior. Lastly, we underscore the importance for businesses to establish practices that will build trust with customers, along with implementing advertising campaigns that are tailored to each gender’s unique preferences based on the findings. Future research can expand this form of examination across other Indian cities to identify greater trends in overall digital consumer trust.