March 26, 2015
Are supermarkets in danger of losing male shoppers?
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from the monthly e-zine, CPGmatters.
Men now make up 43 percent of primary shoppers and are shopping more frequently, making just as many monthly store visits as women, according to a new report, "Food Shopping in America 2014."
According to the study jointly developed by The Hartman Group and food and nutrition marketing agency MSLGROUP, U.S. grocery buyers on average shop three channels per week, including visits to grocery, specialty, mass merchandise, club, convenience, dollar and online. This results in 15 visits a month with 52 percent shopping at two or more stores per trip. Unlike past years, both sexes are shopping the same amount, but you’ll find them at different locations.
"You can no longer ignore the male shopper," said Steve Bryant, MSLGROUP director of food and beverage. "With such a strong contingent of primary shoppers being men, today’s male consumers need to be considered in product innovation, merchandising and other marketing efforts."
The survey found that men are still less likely to be the biggest spender in the household. However, more and more are now helping their partners by sharing grocery shopping responsibilities.
Mr. Bryant shared several observations and advice:
Be flexible with the changing landscape: Expansion of the food department in non-traditional channels has given grocery shoppers considerably more options on when and where they shop. Men — unlike women — can be more often found in club (34 percent), convenience (21 percent) and online (six percent) retailers for food and beverage.
Convenience is key: Men prefer club, convenience and online stores because these channels allow them to easily find everything they need. With their higher household income and spending power, men are less price sensitive than women. Instead, convenience is priority.
Accommodate the male "search and receive" mode: Men prefer to simply "search and retrieve" the few items they need rather than browse. Search and retrieve is all about getting in and out of the store as quickly as possible. And what are they buying? Their baskets are full of meat and alcoholic beverages more than women’s are, but there is still a fair amount of produce, sweets and snacks.
"Don’t mistake their lack of planning for lack of caring or think they are willing to accept items of lesser quality with higher price tags," says Laurie Demeritt, president and COO of The Hartman Group. "To engage with male shoppers, brands and retailers should offer tools and services to help them quickly and effortlessly locate and buy items."
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Are men’s preference for club, convenience and online stores a threat to supermarkets? What further adjustments should be made or opportunities pursued with men becoming bigger household spenders?
Poll
Absolutely. Supermarkets with almost 50,000 SKUs and countless aisles make it difficult for any shopper and more so for shoppers not familiar with the contents and store layout. Couple this with the fact that 99.3 percent of all products available in the store are ignored and it is no wonder males prefer club, convenience and online stores.
Going forward the mobile phone may be the solution to the male shopper supermarket dilemma. Supermarket apps can help in the search, shop, buy, pay and share process, making the supermarket trip more convenient and rewarding. The key is to offer mobile solutions that are interactive, engaging and efficient, not simply for men but for all supermarket shoppers.
As supermarkets fill their stores with non-grocery items, male shoppers are turning away. Items become too hard to find, there are too many choices in a category and it takes too long to shop the typical supermarket. Club, dollar specialty stores and stores like Trader Joe’s make it easier to get in, find what you need and get out. Grocers should make their stores easier to shop, reduce endless brand line extensions and save consumers’ time. How many types of yogurt or toothpaste are really necessary? It’s so much easier to shop Trader Joe’s or Costco.
Perhaps the male shopper is the missing link the industry is looking for to accelerate the use of in-store shopping apps and location-based targeting. Having said that, improvements in content, targeting accuracy and consumer ergonomics (ease of use) are still going through much needed refinement which need to happen before we see critical mass engagement.
As the incidence of male shopping increases, given male shoppers’ tendency to “search and receive,” the importance of store layout, product adjacencies and store size will become more critical to success. To date we have only scratched the surface of the opportunity represented in optimizing the store for the shopper, irrespective of gender.
OK, I admit it. I am a search and retrieve shopper. In and out is my goal. Rarely do I browse. And rarely, if ever, is there an almost equal number of men in the stores doing the shopping. Most of us are pushing the cart as our wives fill it.
My instructions for today are to go to a club store to get those items best purchased there. Tomorrow we go to the local chain store for the items my wife prefers to purchase there. My main question is: Why am I going?
The problem that traditional grocers must solve for men is essentially about the value they place on their time. A typical guy has no problem browsing at Dick’s, but when he’s in a Harris Teeter, look out. He’s on a stopwatch!
Grocers should pay much closer attention to the male basket and try organizing products that enable the trip to meet their speed expectations. What would be so wrong with a “man aisle?” I’d even go so far as to say smart grocers could enroll men to actually help them stock the aisle.
I can picture an event where men would show up and help stock the shelves for a test run of a special aisle. This is a time for standard retailers to get brave and try new things. The idea of expecting better results from the same actions is OVER in the shopper’s mindset.
Can you “lose” something you never “had”? At the risk of furthering stereotypes—a la “Amazon Mom”—this sounds very much like traditional behavior. Women do most of the “family” shopping, while men pinch-hit, or shop for themselves (particularly if they live alone…duh!). Mostly what the data points up is the limitation of metrics like “number of visits,” since a once-a-week $200 trip is certainly different—but by no means less important—than 3-4 $10 ones.
Grocers and retailers have been taking notice that more men have been in the aisles, and some have fumbled initial attempts to reach out to them. As Lynne mentioned, grocers should review the data on their male shoppers carefully to cater to their needs, rather than assuming that they just buy meats, alcohol and processed foods.
When LoyaltyOne asked 1000 U.S. consumers if they would pay an additional fee for a recurring subscription of routinely purchased items to be ready for pickup in store, men (36%) were twice as likely as women (17.8%) to respond favorably, indicating that retailers and grocers that can cater to the need to simply retrieve the items from the front of the store, rather than search for them, will be favored by the male shopper.
Many men began shopping for their families during the recession, which cost more male jobs than female. As the economy has improved, many men have returned to work, but found they enjoyed grocery shopping and involvement in meal prep. Grocers should keep this in mind and offer opportunities to engage the male shopper further.
For instance, when LoyaltyOne asked 1,034 U.S. consumers in a separate survey, well over half of men (64%) indicated that a session with a chef or nutritionist would motivate them to shop more with a grocer hosting such an opportunity. Offering men the chance to become more competent in the kitchen creates a unique engagement opportunity the male shopper will value. It could provide the edge needed to win his loyalty over a club or convenience store.
Hmmm… I fit the description quite well—probably for a different reason. For example, experiences with our local Whole Foods has caused us to buy more products online, from smaller competitors, driven by me, the male. Their inability to notify us of special orders we’ve placed, causing us to lose the items, made me think that there has to be an easier way, and there is. Not sure if it’s a male propensity to avoid shopping hassles or a logical response to failed customer service, but it has now shifted our grocery shopping habit permanently.
As the world gets more clogged with non-male or real men shoppers, the supermarket will become a sub-vertical version of the man-cave. Clubs are too many kids and so much walking. Convenience stores are for beer. Supermarkets are a place where us guys can get the things we need and wander and take off. Also a great place to run into friends or meet people.
Key is the store layout and making things easier to find—like pancake mix and syrup should be grouped, even if syrup is in 2 places within the store.
I enjoy my too many trips to the grocery. I read magazines, go thru discount stuff, and the 2-day old discount bread rack, and talk to people. It is my escape from the house. Our one Fry’s (Kroger) store also has a full bar on one racetrack side. Always busy.
TRedd – the MAN drives the cart (if the wife tags along). Never give up as cart driver. Own the wheels!
Richard hits it on the head with the first comment. This isn’t a problem just for men, it should be addressed for all shoppers.
The home improvement stores have solved some of this already, by being able to provide an aisle and bin location for pretty much every item they sell. When I search on any item it tells me exactly where in the store I can find the item.
If grocers could do the same thing and even prepopulate my shopping list with my frequently purchased items and let me know exactly where in the store I can find the items, that would go a long way to helping the shopper that has a list and needs to get in and out quickly.
Not every trip will need to be done this way; some times I need to get in and out, other times I will want to take time and browse. However, the grocer that provides me with the service I need will be the one I frequent for most all of my trips regardless of purpose.
The first danger is to consider that all men are alike when shopping for food. We are as diverse, if not more so, as women. You have to cater to the “quick meal” fans, foodies, health nuts, etc. And, there are components of each group within the others. Bottom line, listen to your shoppers’ comments, both female and male, and online and offline. Take these comments to heart. These are your consumers talking. I think traditional and specialty supermarkets, alike can thrive with men shopping their stores, as long as the merchants are agile, aware and innovative.
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Absolutely. Supermarkets with almost 50,000 SKUs and countless aisles make it difficult for any shopper and more so for shoppers not familiar with the contents and store layout. Couple this with the fact that 99.3 percent of all products available in the store are ignored and it is no wonder males prefer club, convenience and online stores.
Going forward the mobile phone may be the solution to the male shopper supermarket dilemma. Supermarket apps can help in the search, shop, buy, pay and share process, making the supermarket trip more convenient and rewarding. The key is to offer mobile solutions that are interactive, engaging and efficient, not simply for men but for all supermarket shoppers.
As supermarkets fill their stores with non-grocery items, male shoppers are turning away. Items become too hard to find, there are too many choices in a category and it takes too long to shop the typical supermarket. Club, dollar specialty stores and stores like Trader Joe’s make it easier to get in, find what you need and get out. Grocers should make their stores easier to shop, reduce endless brand line extensions and save consumers’ time. How many types of yogurt or toothpaste are really necessary? It’s so much easier to shop Trader Joe’s or Costco.
Perhaps the male shopper is the missing link the industry is looking for to accelerate the use of in-store shopping apps and location-based targeting. Having said that, improvements in content, targeting accuracy and consumer ergonomics (ease of use) are still going through much needed refinement which need to happen before we see critical mass engagement.
As the incidence of male shopping increases, given male shoppers’ tendency to “search and receive,” the importance of store layout, product adjacencies and store size will become more critical to success. To date we have only scratched the surface of the opportunity represented in optimizing the store for the shopper, irrespective of gender.
OK, I admit it. I am a search and retrieve shopper. In and out is my goal. Rarely do I browse. And rarely, if ever, is there an almost equal number of men in the stores doing the shopping. Most of us are pushing the cart as our wives fill it.
My instructions for today are to go to a club store to get those items best purchased there. Tomorrow we go to the local chain store for the items my wife prefers to purchase there. My main question is: Why am I going?
The problem that traditional grocers must solve for men is essentially about the value they place on their time. A typical guy has no problem browsing at Dick’s, but when he’s in a Harris Teeter, look out. He’s on a stopwatch!
Grocers should pay much closer attention to the male basket and try organizing products that enable the trip to meet their speed expectations. What would be so wrong with a “man aisle?” I’d even go so far as to say smart grocers could enroll men to actually help them stock the aisle.
I can picture an event where men would show up and help stock the shelves for a test run of a special aisle. This is a time for standard retailers to get brave and try new things. The idea of expecting better results from the same actions is OVER in the shopper’s mindset.
Can you “lose” something you never “had”? At the risk of furthering stereotypes—a la “Amazon Mom”—this sounds very much like traditional behavior. Women do most of the “family” shopping, while men pinch-hit, or shop for themselves (particularly if they live alone…duh!). Mostly what the data points up is the limitation of metrics like “number of visits,” since a once-a-week $200 trip is certainly different—but by no means less important—than 3-4 $10 ones.
Grocers and retailers have been taking notice that more men have been in the aisles, and some have fumbled initial attempts to reach out to them. As Lynne mentioned, grocers should review the data on their male shoppers carefully to cater to their needs, rather than assuming that they just buy meats, alcohol and processed foods.
When LoyaltyOne asked 1000 U.S. consumers if they would pay an additional fee for a recurring subscription of routinely purchased items to be ready for pickup in store, men (36%) were twice as likely as women (17.8%) to respond favorably, indicating that retailers and grocers that can cater to the need to simply retrieve the items from the front of the store, rather than search for them, will be favored by the male shopper.
Many men began shopping for their families during the recession, which cost more male jobs than female. As the economy has improved, many men have returned to work, but found they enjoyed grocery shopping and involvement in meal prep. Grocers should keep this in mind and offer opportunities to engage the male shopper further.
For instance, when LoyaltyOne asked 1,034 U.S. consumers in a separate survey, well over half of men (64%) indicated that a session with a chef or nutritionist would motivate them to shop more with a grocer hosting such an opportunity. Offering men the chance to become more competent in the kitchen creates a unique engagement opportunity the male shopper will value. It could provide the edge needed to win his loyalty over a club or convenience store.
Hmmm… I fit the description quite well—probably for a different reason. For example, experiences with our local Whole Foods has caused us to buy more products online, from smaller competitors, driven by me, the male. Their inability to notify us of special orders we’ve placed, causing us to lose the items, made me think that there has to be an easier way, and there is. Not sure if it’s a male propensity to avoid shopping hassles or a logical response to failed customer service, but it has now shifted our grocery shopping habit permanently.
As the world gets more clogged with non-male or real men shoppers, the supermarket will become a sub-vertical version of the man-cave. Clubs are too many kids and so much walking. Convenience stores are for beer. Supermarkets are a place where us guys can get the things we need and wander and take off. Also a great place to run into friends or meet people.
Key is the store layout and making things easier to find—like pancake mix and syrup should be grouped, even if syrup is in 2 places within the store.
I enjoy my too many trips to the grocery. I read magazines, go thru discount stuff, and the 2-day old discount bread rack, and talk to people. It is my escape from the house. Our one Fry’s (Kroger) store also has a full bar on one racetrack side. Always busy.
TRedd – the MAN drives the cart (if the wife tags along). Never give up as cart driver. Own the wheels!
Richard hits it on the head with the first comment. This isn’t a problem just for men, it should be addressed for all shoppers.
The home improvement stores have solved some of this already, by being able to provide an aisle and bin location for pretty much every item they sell. When I search on any item it tells me exactly where in the store I can find the item.
If grocers could do the same thing and even prepopulate my shopping list with my frequently purchased items and let me know exactly where in the store I can find the items, that would go a long way to helping the shopper that has a list and needs to get in and out quickly.
Not every trip will need to be done this way; some times I need to get in and out, other times I will want to take time and browse. However, the grocer that provides me with the service I need will be the one I frequent for most all of my trips regardless of purpose.
The first danger is to consider that all men are alike when shopping for food. We are as diverse, if not more so, as women. You have to cater to the “quick meal” fans, foodies, health nuts, etc. And, there are components of each group within the others. Bottom line, listen to your shoppers’ comments, both female and male, and online and offline. Take these comments to heart. These are your consumers talking. I think traditional and specialty supermarkets, alike can thrive with men shopping their stores, as long as the merchants are agile, aware and innovative.