Men in the Aisles

Traditionally, it used to be that women did 80% of the grocery shopping. With the leveling of male and female roles, an increase in single parent households and unemployment from the recession hitting men a little harder than women, men are now doing more of the grocery shopping. To cash in on this now more frequent shopper, you need to have your customer service prepared, a new plan for your aisles and keep your employees current on what’s on sale. Here are some ideas on how to do just that.

Bringing in the Male Shopper

Manufacturers and marketers are packaging items in more gender-neutral ways. You can actually have “man aisles.” A man aisle is more than chips and beer, it can be about informing men about health, and nutritional needs, for example, which vitamins would help prevent prostate cancer or a shampoo to thicken hair.

Men are cooking more, so getting them into the food aisles can help sales. Make sure your produce manager, meat manager and employees are well versed on what’s on sale and can answer any questions that men shoppers may ask. Have aisle displays clearly marked and items which are on sale prominently displayed.

Some Differences Between Men and Women Shoppers

There are some differences between men and women shoppers. Being aware of these differences can make both your customers happy. Single men have a more difficult time because most men aren’t taught to shop. Also, like driving, they’ll go up and down the aisles looking for something instead of asking for assistance. Have your employees be aware of shoppers looking as if they are having a difficult time finding something and have them offer to help. Make sure your cashier asks if there are any coupons or store-value cards that are going to be used with the order. Some men don’t really like to use coupons but will if they’re reminded. Men spend less money shopping than women do generally, but they shop more often. Men also tend to shop faster than women do, they want to get in and get out, and they aren’t attracted to fluff and extras. Some men prefer to shop from lists, some are impulse buyers and are attracted to cross-merchandising, such as placing bar-b-q sauce next to the ribs.

Making Your Store More “Man-Friendly”

You may want to place more male-driven products, such as sports drinks, in prominent places in your store. Put a men’s toiletry aisle with the needed products in one place. With men being more attracted to cross-merchandising, place items which go together well near each other and more likely than not, they’ll buy both items. They like streamlined and no-hassle shopping; they usually don’t like to linger.

As more men do the grocery shopping, you, as a merchant, will need to start doing more to target them. By catering to the new kind of customer you have, fine-tuning your customer service, and having products in a specialty aisle just for them, you will garner repeat customers.

Photo courtesy of Bill Longshaw / freedigitalphotos.net