Spring 2007

What Men Want By Mike Scott

Men and Shopping Do Mix

Sure, word on the retail floor might be that men and shopping don’t mix, but Candace Corlett, principal of WSL Strategic Retail, a retail strategy consulting firm in New York City, says it’s time to debunk that myth. A recent report published by her company found that innovative gift shops that cater to men, especially young men, with a comprehensive array of services are doing astonishingly well, and that they comprise one of the fastest-growing segments in gift retail today.

“We have a generation of men around 18 to 35 who grew up in a household with a working mom, and now are dating or married to working women, who have been buying items for themselves for years,” Corlett says. “But many retailers still view that male shopper as the guy sitting outside the dressing room waiting for their spouse to finish trying on clothes.”

While this feature concentrates primarily on men shopping for themselves, Doug Fleener, president and managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group, a retail-consulting firm based in Lexington, MA, says retailers could use a few tips selling to guys buying products both for themselves and others.

Fleener encourages retailers to get their products into men’s hands as much as possible. “The best way to sell [to] a guy is to physically engage him with the product. Get it into his hands. Whatever it does, have the guy doing it,” he says.

On the other hand, Fleener says, if a guy is buying something for the woman in his life, the experience is completely different. “We have one goal: get it bought. Whether it’s a present for the wife or a quick trip to the store with our given list, we don’t want control,” he says. “We don’t like small talk; we want to be told what to buy. We don’t want choices, we want suggestions.”

Corlett agrees. “Men have distinctly different buying patterns than the majority of female shoppers; they don’t enjoy browsing for long periods of time, or ‘hunting and pecking’ for items,” she says. “Men want to make quick decisions and be in and out of a store,” she says.

Corlett says this means that sales associates and owners of gift shops should be more attuned to the needs of men and understand that while they are less likely to ask for help, they often are more in need of answers to one or more questions.

“Men are largely afraid to ask a question, so it is important for a [retailer] to approach them and put them into their own comfort zone, so that those men will have a positive shopping experience,” Corlett says.

Fleener’s advice? Train employees to promptly assess the guy’s shopping needs and to make product recommendations. “The faster the buying process is, the happier the guy will be,” he says.

Fleener points out that men buying for others are also open to suggestions for add-on items that can increase your sales.

Mike Scott

Mike Scott is a freelance writer who has contributed to more than 80 national and local publications. He lives in White Lake, MI.