NEW YORK The past two decades has seen a role reversal of sorts taking place: the traditional roles of men and women are being redefined to better reflect today's social norms. Today's American households are looking less like Donna Reed -- the paradigm for the ideal 1950s family -- and more like Mr. Mom.
Shifting norms
Since 1985 there has been a dramatic shift in the composition of male principal shoppers in the U.S. Several factors are contributing to this trend. First, the traditional family unit has multiple variations today. From two working parents to single-parent homes, a younger generation is being exposed to new norms. Second, Americans are waiting longer to get married. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2008, the median age at first marriage was 27.4 for men and 25.6 for women vs. 25.9 for men and 23.6 for women in 1988. Lastly, Americans are living longer and as baby boomers retire, the men of that generation are shopping more than their fathers or grandfathers ever did.
Today, almost one-third of men are now the principal shoppers in the household. With more men in store aisles, marketers need to better understand how to reach this growing segment of shoppers.
Increasing presence
BusinessWeek reported in a September 2006 article, "Secrets of the Male Shoppers", that "men buy, women shop: the sexes have different priorities when walking down the aisles." This is an important distinction for marketers to consider when targeting male shoppers.
Nielsen data shows that while females dominate shopping trips in all channels except convenience/gas stores, their share of trips has declined in all outlets from 2004 to 2008/2009. On the other hand, men's share of retail shopping trips has done just the opposite -- increased in all outlets. The channels with the greatest relative importance to men include convenience/gas outlets, warehouse clubs and grocery stores.
And while females outspend male shoppers per trip across all retail channels, the average basket size spend differential is not as large as might be expected. The fact that women conduct more "planned" shopping trips than men is one explanation for the higher dollar amount.
Continue to next page →
