A new survey reveals that 54% of men now shop every couple of days – meaning that the retail market can no longer afford to focus on women as the primary target, according to Shoppercentric.
Danielle Pinnington, managing director at Shoppercentric, said: “The findings have been very insightful. Yes, they support the already established stereotype that men prefer to plan their shopping and spend less time browsing, but they also show that men get a lot of enjoyment out of shopping when they find a retail channel or store format that suits them. The issue we’ve identified, and needs to be addressed, is that most stores don’t suit them – hence the internet being a preferred channel for many.”
Key findings revealed:
- Men are hardwired to be focused shoppers – wanting to cut through the clutter:
- 49% of men agree that they only like to shop if they know what they’re going to buy compared to 38% of women.
- 49% of men agree that shopping for them is about getting in and out, compared to 32% of women.
- Men are very clear on what they dislike about many stores – overcrowding, extensive queues or those that don’t hold their interest or inspire them.
- Men appear more likely to visit independent stores than women:
- 20% of men visit their local independent stores once a week whereas women prefer to go every couple of weeks (19%).
- The big spenders:
- When asked what the most money they have ever spent to impress a partner, men averaged £391 in direct comparison women averaged £131 on their partner.
- 14% of men spend over £200 on a partner’s birthday present compared to just 4% of women.
- Online is increasingly the heartland of reconnaissance for the male shopper:
- 54% of men browse the internet every couple of days (compared to 47% of women).
- The average online browse (non-food shopping) for both men and women lasts 30 minutes to an hour (30% of men and 31% of women).
- The typical number of sites viewed is very similar between the sexes – 84% of men and women surf between one and five sites per browse.
- Of websites visited regularly by the respondents, price was cited by 53% of men as the most important factor in shopping there, followed by product choice with 15% and quality of products (14%). Least important were delivery options and product information (1% each).
- Interestingly 4% of men and 6% of women said that they never shop online.
Source: Shoppercentric
