A new survey has revealed that 54 per cent of young men are now shopping online every few days. The research, which was carried out by Shoppercentric - the independent shop research group - showed that 49 per cent of men said that they only liked shopping when they knew in advance what they were going to buy. However, 30 per cent of men said that they searched online for up to 30 minutes when looking to purchase non-food products.
In line with the current economic climate, 53 per cent of the males taking part in the survey said that value was their key concern when purchasing goods over the Internet; comparing competitor prices across a number of retail sites is now the norm in the shopping patterns of males. However, only 14 per cent of the male participants said that product quality was the most important factor in their decision-making process.
Fig. 1.1. Profitero Price Comparison: Panasonic Wet & Dry Mens Shaver
While the general assumption is that men hate shopping, we do know men love gadgets - the more technology advanced the better. Now with the rise in popularity of smartphones with the “always on” functionality, young men have more access to browse retail sites while out and about; carrying out competitor research while at a bus stop or in a waiting room assists in finding the best prices online.
The news that such high numbers of men are shopping online on a regular basis is sure to be met with surprise; browsing from one’s own home or while commuting is preferred to negotiating packed stores. Retailers will look to ways of capitalising on this news by making their online channel more male-friendly.
“I like the convenience and speed of online, to avoid the hustle and bustle of the high street”, said one participant in the survey. “Why go to the high street when I know it will all be identical to what’s online?” said another. “You can shop in comfort with no sales staff to pressure you. Plus if you look around the Internet you’re bound to find loads of free samples”
“If there is one change a retailer makes, we’d recommend that it is opening up communications with male shoppers and find ways to re-connect not disconnect, said Danielle Pinnington of Shoppercentric. No business should be complacent about the opportunity that men as shoppers represent, she added.
Profitero.com monitors the prices of the latest gadgets on 2,500 retail sites such as www.amazon.com, www.dixons.com, www.pcworld.com and www.currys.co.uk on a daily basis; carrying out competitor analysis across such retail sites is guaranteed to hold the attention of thrifty gadget-loving males across the UK in these difficult economic times.
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