Grocery stores are increasingly featuring men in their ads…. the consumer behavior question is… why? There are lots of social and cultural trends going on, plus grocery marketers need to replace online shoppers and bring in more revenue. In-store grocery shoppers will spend more money in the store than online shoppers…. men make more impulse purchases and prepared hot foods. Promotions, proper labeling and in-store promotions can really impact both top line and bottom line store sales.
Some considerations:
Gender roles around household tasks continue to shift.
More women are working full time
There are more stay at home dads
People aren’t getting married or are marrying much later in life, so more men live alone longer.
When women shop, they usually create a shopping list and stick to that list. Men feel they need to reward themselves for doing this “chore” and they buy whatever catches their eye or whatever they feel is a good reward.
Many men don’t like to cook and clean up afterward so more expensive, hot/ready to eat and deli counter foods/meals are very appealing.
Men are less concerned with price than women and will pay more for items that appeal to them
Men food shop differently than women, preferring to buy just enough for the next couple of meals and sticking to brands they know, regardless of price. Could this be a lack of confidence in the kitchen or brand loyalty? Could it be emotional connections with products they grew up seeing in their homes?
As men are doing more grocery shopping, a task which has traditionally been left to women, are there other areas in the household where men are taking a greater responsibility as well?
Housework?
Child care?
Other?
If men are taking more responsibility in the household, why do you think this is so? Is it changing male values or essentially trying to help overworked wives and girlfriends?