Danielle Pinnington talks male shopping patterns

With new technology currently seeing a reshaping of the fashion landscape including consumer patterns, ShopperCentric – the research consultancy – have launched a full blown report on shopping behaviour. Focusing on the newfound

growth of male shopping and their tendencies, research highlights particular likes and dislikes and identifies key trends of the male consumer.
FashionUnited caught up with Danielle Pinnington, managing director at Shoppercentric to find out more and how retailers need to work with these results.

FU: Why

did you decide the time was right to look into men's shopping patterns?
We've becoming increasingly aware that men are out and about doing more shopping - whether for the home or for themselves. Yet there are few examples of retailers who genuinely create environments or experiences that suit men. So we wanted to understand more about the old stereotypes, and what new patterns were emerging.

FU: Why do you think men's shopping has seen such phenomenal growth?
For a start the traditional roles are changing. Many men at least share responsibility for the household shopping, and brands have woken up to the fact that men do buy products other than boys toys. So men are getting more involved in shopping, and seeing marketing that is more targeted at them - from categories beyond the classic boys toys. The growth in men’s magazines is also helping to generate real interest in shopping among men, and the under 35’s in particular are reflecting the coming together of these various changes. One stereotype that needs to be challenged for once and for all is that men hate shopping - this is now so far off the mark that retailers who continue with this belief are missing a huge opportunity.

FU: How do men approach shopping differently to women?
The biggest difference between men and women is that men are more functional in their shopping - they know what they want, and they are focused on making the purchase as quickly as possible. So they tend to visit fewer stores, and like stores that are cleanly merchandised so they can see and select quickly and easily. In comparison women are more emotional about shopping, they enjoy the whole process, browsing multiple stores, back-tracking, and being open to the cluttered merchandising of typical fashion stores. As a result, men have a greater propensity to being loyal to particular stores. If they find a fashion store that not only suits their dress-sense, but also delivers the store experience in a positive way, they will keep coming back for more. Interestingly, the younger generation are starting to show slightly more feminine approaches to their shopping - seeing shopping as more of a leisure pursuit than their Dads - and this is something for retailers to be thinking about. That said, we'd still suggest that many fashion stores selling to men are merchandised with a female shopping mindset, rather than a male shopping mindset in mind.

FU: How do you think retailers (both on and offline) need to best cater for this?
The key thing is to cut the clutter. Online is able to do this more effectively than in-store because of the ability to filter searches, and this is why online is such an appealing shopping channel for men. Men want ideas from the stores they use, but in many respects this should be done through staff (or online suggestions) rather than through visual merchandising. Because men tend to be so focused on the key item they want to buy, they find visual merchandising too overwhelming, so clean store lines are important. They are still open to impulse purchasing, but the crucial point is presenting new ideas in a manageable way, so that the shopping experience remains calm and orderly. Long queues are a big no-no - something the likes of Hollister and AF ought to think about!

FU:How do you see the future of menswear?
There is a real opportunity for menswear stores/departments to do things differently. In the USA there is a trend of creating store environments that are far more male orientated, even having bars in them. That might seem to play up an old stereotype, but in fact it demonstrates an understanding that for men the shopping process is not their favourite part of buying clothes. Their favourite part is leaving the store with a purchase. Staff can also play a key role, and are doing so in the independent sector. Local stores who survive because of excellent service delivery really appeal to men, and the chains have a lot to learn from this area of the market. All in all, the successful future of menswear requires a better understanding of the specific needs of male shoppers, and delivering an in-store or online experience that meets those needs.