Men at the Mall: Are Shopping Patterns Really Changing?

It used to be said that the way to a man’s wallet was through his wife. And that’s probably why women have been a primary marketing focus of retailers over the years; however, lately men have become more hands-on when it comes to shopping – and not just in traditionally male-dominated categories.

Questions linger, however: Have things really changed all that much from years past? Have two-career families truly altered the gender balance at the check-out counter? Are the bastions of existing male-dominated categories doing anything new or different to cater to their male customer base or find new ones?

NPD Insights asked NPD’s industry experts to weigh in on the ways men’s roles are changing in relation to shopping. Their answers may surprise you.

Make Way for Men -- Fashion and Beauty Are Not Just for Women Anymore

What a difference two decades can make. Seventy percent of all men's apparel in 1985 was purchased by women. That percentage has declined to just 34 percent today. Not only have the numbers of women shopping for men declined, but men have been forced to shop differently for themselves, as well. When “casual Fridays” morphed into “casual-dress” offices, men could no longer hide behind the safety of the suit. They had to buy clothing that worked in a professional environment, yet still carried with it a casual air.

“We’re noticing these days that men are much more amenable to discussing fashion among themselves, so they get it right,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group. “They’ve become more conscious not only about their own dress, but also how others are dressing. They’re trying to find ways that they can elevate their status with fashion today.”

A similar shift is seen in the prestige skincare category. As retailers continue to seek avenues to differentiate their assortments and build incremental business, men's prestige skincare products become an increasingly attractive option. Recent growth in the market illustrates that any stigma regarding men having a complete beauty regimen is quickly evaporating, as new players revitalize and reshape the look of the men's skincare market.

“Steadily gaining momentum from its flat performance in 2001, men's skincare posted a 10 percent growth in 2003,” said Timra Carlson, president, NPD Beauty. “Helping fuel growth in this category is the excitement being added by a host of new and developing brands. In the overall prestige skincare market, new and developing brands offer novelty, innovation, and expertise. Men are fast expanding their presence in this market and are helping to reshape the brand landscape.”

It’s Not “What’s For Dinner?” Anymore – Now, It’s “Who’s Cooking It?”

Well before men started getting more interested in fashion and skincare, they were making waves in the kitchen by cooking more meals. During the late 1990s, there was a gradual movement toward more meals being cooked by men; however, just a couple of years ago, men finally began to understand what women have known all along: Cooking is a hard job—and one best left to the professionals; hence, the rise in out-of-home dining and carry-out.

Despite the fact that more people are eating more meals outside the home, the number of male cooks, particularly young ones, is on the rise. Nearly half of all young males between the ages of 18 and 25 who are married or living with somebody else will prepare at least one of the next 10 suppers made in-home.

“Men’s relationship to cooking in the home is very intriguing,” said Harry Balzer, NPD vice president. “While each generation of young men might approach cooking differently with regard to the dishes they prepare or the gadgets they use to cook with or the beverages they concoct, their numbers alone will always keep this as an important market for the food industry.”

Still a Man’s World: Home Improvement, Automotive and Video Games

For the most part, men exert as little influence today on the housewares retail sector as they have in the past, de-bunking the notion that men are encroaching on women’s shopping primacy as it relates to this particular market. With home improvement being the sole industry exception, the greatest influence on the aforementioned industries continues to come from women, a trend that shows little evidence of changing in the near future.

“Home improvement is the sole segment in the home related categories in which marketing machismo does have a strong influence on retail,” said Peter Greene, vice president of NPD Houseworld. “This is by no means a new trend, as home improvement has traditionally been a male-dominated industry.”

The same is true in another male-dominated retail category: video games. According to recent NPD consumer data, men represent more than 84 percent of the sales for the video games industry.

“While the industry struggles to find that ‘killer app’ for women, the best case is still niche performance,” said Richard Ow, senior industry analyst for NPD Funworld. “Since the inception of the Next Generation Platforms, namely the PS2, Xbox and GameCube, gaming for males has risen to a new level. High-tech, life-like graphics, surround sound, online and DVD playback have added to the compelling value proposition to both core gaming and mass market gamers alike.”

The automotive aftermarket is yet another category that has been traditionally dominated by the male shopper – and continues to be today. That said, marketers of automotive products are finally taking notice of the buying power women have traditionally held in other markets such as fashion, and have long sought ways to make their products and retail environments more appealing to women. While other retail trade channels are noticing an increase in male shopping, the latest research from NPD shows that the opposite is the trend in automotive products. In fact, as of April of 2004, the percentage of female automotive product consumers had increased more than four percentage points since 2002.

“In the past, men were typically responsible for all automotive care and maintenance, including fuel purchases, but that primacy is rapidly declining.” said David Portalatin, NPD Automotive industry expert. “Part of the change can be explained by changing social structures, such as the increase of single-person households, but it also reflects a conscious effort by product marketers to tap into lucrative female buying power.”