| No Gender-Based Shopping Gap |
By WSL Strategic Retail
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Today's men 18 to 34 shop more like women their age than like older men.
There is no longer a gender-based shopping gap between younger men and women, according to WSL Strategic Retail's study, How America Shops™ 2002.
Shopping Gap Key Findings:
- Younger men
make 3.6 shopping trips a week, compared to 4.1 by younger women.
- Younger men
visit an average of 1.6 stores, nearly as many as visited by younger
women (1.9).
- 29% of these
men report that they are shopping more in malls than a year ago, well
above the 18% of younger women who do.
- 22% of men
18 to 34 shop more in department stores, in comparison to only 16% of
younger women.
- 37% of both groups say that they are shopping more in specialty clothing stores than last year.
The Key Question
Whether or not younger men will maintain their new behavior and attitudes towards shopping as they mature. If they do, the retail landscape will change forever.
Young Men Are the New Generation of Untapped Shoppers
These young men were the first to grow-up in households with working, liberated moms who did not have time to do all the shopping for them. Mom sent them to the mall to get their own jeans and sneakers. Mom delegated grocery shopping and errands. They received shopping gift cards from Old Navy and Gap.
Men are marrying later in life and shopping for their own apartments without female help. When they do marry, they are active participants in the selections that go into the bridal registry. Stores see couples more than moms and daughters at the registry.
Young men are the target for Abercrombie and Fitch, Express for Men, Hot Topics, Burberry, and the new and improved Brooks Brothers. They choose their own hair gel and shampoo. L'Oreal Feria hair color targets them. Neutrogena and Nivea have launched skin care for men into mass retail outlets.
Young men now shop
like young women, given
their heritage this makes sense.
Methodology:
How America Shop™ 2002
A nationally representative sample of 652 respondents (453 women, 199 men
ages 18 to 70) reported their shopping behavior and attitudes in telephone
interviews.
About the Author
WSL Strategic Retail is a global marketing and retailing consultancy that since 1986 has helped US and international clients to build distinctive brand strategies and execute them at retail. The How America Shops™ studies were first published in 1989 and have become a respected barometer of evolving consumer shopping behavior and its impact on American business. Visit: www.WSLStrategicRetail.com
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