How do men shop?

Men hate shopping. It is a common cliche and a sweeping statement as inaccurate as saying women hate football. Contrary to popular opinion, many men are perfectly happy to hit the shops, providing those shops hit the mark. The trouble is, all too often, they do not.

It’s not unusual to see men staring into space while their partners try on endless outfits in fashion fitting rooms and most could think of 100 better things to do than go to a supermarket at a weekend. Many men are quite content to buy the same shirt in five different colours to avoid the perceived rigmarole of actually setting foot in more than one shop. In fact, some are more than happy to wear, day in, day out, outfits that have been entirely chosen by their partners.

But to generalise that men and shops do not mix just is not true. More often than not, the problem lies with retailers not making life easy enough for male shoppers. And for retailers, there is significant money to be made if they can better understand the often complex relationship that men have with shopping.

What men what

“The biggest misconception is that men don’t like shopping,” says Danielle Pinnington, founder of shopper research firm Shoppercentric, which has carried out extensive research into how men shop. “They love having bought something. They just don’t like the process. It’s a subtle difference, but an important one.”

The first challenge for retailers is to consider how men’s shopping habits are changing and will continue to. There has been a long established assumption in retail that women have the most spending power. That is still true. Certainly, it is mostly women that control the weekly shopping budget, but increasingly, research suggests that the balance is not quite as weighted towards women as it used to be. In many cases, joint household spending decisions are becoming more common and, if you can persuade men to part with their cash, they are more willing to dig deeper into the wallets.

When Shoppercentric asked what was the most money they have ever spent to impress a partner, for instance men averaged £391 in comparison with women, who averaged £131 on their partner. What’s more, 14% of men spend over £200 on a partner’s birthday present compared to just 4% of women.

Research by customer insight firm Nunwood supports the idea that when men spend, they spend big.

A study it carried out before Christmas concluded that men seem less affected by the ongoing economic uncertainty than women. On average they planned to spend 1% more last Christmas, versus women who said they planned to spend 8% less than the previous year.

Other research from Nunwood suggests that men are less bothered about bargains. “Men are much less worried about the recession,” says Nunwood head of shopper insights Craig Ryder. “They operate in a bubble because they’re not managing the weekly budget. They’re slightly divorced from the problem,” he says.

Changing demographics also have an impact on male spending power. One factor, Ryder points out, is that people are staying single longer and settling down later in life. Secondly, younger male shoppers are less likely than ever to conform to any stereotypes about men and shopping. Pinnington says: “It does look like young men in particular are starting to display more female shopping habits. They see it as more enjoyable and are more open to being entertained,” she says.

In Shoppercentric’s research, nearly a quarter of those aged 18 to 24 agreed that they love making shopping a social event with their friends, compared with a 12% male average. Nunwood suggests similar trends, and describes the ‘millennial generation’ – sometimes referred to as the ‘eighties babies’ generation – as being more engaged with the whole shopping experience. “They’re much more defined by the brands they wear and the gadgets they own,” says Ryder. “The moment you address the millennial generation, the difference between men and women becomes much less than what it was.”

The male shopping psyche

The question for retailers, then, is to consider where they might be going wrong in capturing the imaginations of the male half of the population. Premium fashion etailer My-Wardrobe.com has two distinct areas on its website for men and women. Buying and merchandising director Luisa de Paula says it is a question of tapping into the male psyche. “They don’t spend as much time on it as women. They do know what they want and they want to look their best, they just don’t waste time, so you have to provide a shopping experience that recognises and taps into this.”

When it comes to bricks-and-mortar stores, Pinnington believes that woefully few multiple retailers – excluding those relatively few aimed only at men – cater well for male shoppers. “Most retail environments just don’t suit them,” she says. “Women like foraging around more. Men don’t like clutter and being bombarded with ideas. They want to get to where they want to be as quickly as possible.”

Only once they have found specifically what they are after will they then step back and browse. It is at this point that men are potentially more susceptible to persuasion – not before.

But too many retailers make the mistake of merchandising those areas of the store aimed at men in exactly the same way as they do for women. Which brands are taking more of a tailored approach? Pinnington suggests that John Lewis is among those that differentiate between two more effectively, but says other examples are thin on the ground.

Another common sentiment among male shoppers is their overwhelming need to feel in control. Ryder points to Richer Sounds and Apple as two examples of retailers that understand this fact wholeheartedly. “Richer Sounds has known for years just how much men are influenced by their surroundings,” he says. “And Apple has a laid back nature to its stores that suits men. Men don’t like a huge range. They like to think they’re making an informed choice.”

Retailers’ inability to make their male shoppers feel as though they are in the driving seat is where many slip up. “Men’s mindset is that they don’t want to feel they have a weakness on a psychological level. If you present product in an environment that makes them feel ill-informed, you’re not going to hit the mark,” says Ryder.

Take the usual way in which a retailer might display digital cameras. An abundance of product is often lined up behind a cabinet of glass, forcing the male shopper to ask for assistance from a sales assistant way before they are ready to start any form of communication. The only way to look at the product closely is to engage in conversation and open himself up to the dreaded hard sell and being made to feel inferior.

Ultimately, retailers need to make everything more accessible for men and make them feel confident in their purchases – whatever the category. And that’s where Apple gets it so right. With its open-plan approach to store design, and the fact that its products are there for all to test without asking for an undue amount of assistance, the retailer taps in to the average male shoppers’ need for autonomy.

Men and online

The clutter and lack of control that causes many men to shy away from a high street shopping spree is precisely what drives many online. For many this is the shopping medium that suits their browsing and spending style.

De Paula says My-Wardrobe.com’s male shopper knows his brands and expects the site to have the right selection for him. “From focus groups the smoothness of the customer journey is also really important so we have spent a lot of time making sure the navigation is right, that there are not too many clicks to where you want to go and that everything is very clear and easy. Men are sticklers for detail and the customer experience and journey is paramount,” she says.

Jeremy Langmead is editor in chief of Net-a-Porter’s menswear offering Mrporter.com, which launched in February 2011. Why does he believe online works for men? “It’s easier. There’s no doubt about it,” he says.

“The ability to shop from the comfort of your own home where you can make a considered and thoughtful purchase decision cannot be underestimated. We’ve fine-tuned the shopping experience and made it an easy and enjoyable pastime,” explains Langmead. Any questions that shoppers have, for instance, are covered by the information on the site, and can be answered by calling or emailing its personal shoppers.

But crucially, men shop differently online to women, too. Langmead says men tend to want more information, and like being presented with different ways of wearing the product. Men are also, on the whole, more cautious buyers initially and will ask more questions, he explains, but once they have tried it they become very loyal.

“Men are very vocal customers and will go to great lengths to let us know whether they like something or not; they enjoy an online dialogue. Women tend to shop more on impulse or because it’s ‘in fashion’, men more out of necessity or pure desire.”

Just as retailers need to carefully tailor their store operations to the ways in which men and women shop differently, they should bear the same principles in mind with online, too. Get it right and there is serious cash to be made. Men become exceptionally loyal customers once they find a store – be it online or on the high street – whose product and service works for them. When asked to challenge the notion that men don’t like shopping, Langmead’s response is telling: “Since our launch we’ve delivered to 117 countries, doubled the number of brands we stock, and sold more than 42,000 shoes. Enough said.”

Men have simple needs when it comes to shopping, and simple changes to store or online operations can help create a whole new loyal customer base. And who wouldn’t benefit from that in the current climate?