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1.2.2011 The perfect habitat for male shoppers

The traditional view that men are reluctant shoppers is well past its sell-by date, but many retailers are failing to connect with male consumers and make them feel welcome in-store It has been a bleak midwinter for the retail sector. While retailers can justifiably blame the poor weather for lacklustre Christmas trading, a new report claims that many brands continue to underperform in an area that does lie within their sphere of influence.

The study from Saatchi & Saatchi X argues that marketers are consistently failing to connect with the hearts and minds of male shoppers. Men are shopping more than ever, but the ad agency's research suggests that 40% of them feel unwelcome in stores. 'The very act of shopping has for many years been categorised as a more female activity,' says Simon Goodall, Saatchi & Saatchi X director of strategy. 'This is an outdated way of thinking. The number of male shoppers is going up all the time.' Men's emotional needs are different from those of women when it comes to shopping, adds Goodall, which means that retail marketers need to think differently about how they try to connect with them. 'Men love doing things they can do well. They like opportunities to demonstrate mastery, which means they like to go into a shopping environment already knowing the answer to questions they might want to ask,' he contends.

Some retailers, then, are thinking more creatively about how they can be more appealing to men. Design 4 Retail recently installed a dedicated area for Adidas at a JJB store in Leicester. Dubbed the Adidas House of Football, it features dugout-style seating where shoppers can try on football boots. 'You're really getting into the mind of the consumer, so while he's thinking about what boots he wants to wear on a Saturday afternoon on the park, he's also got in mind the hero he sees playing in the Champions League,' Style alone, however, is not enough to convince men to part with their cash. The Saatchi & Saatchi report suggests that products have to deliver on a functional level as well as an emotional one. This idea has been embraced wholeheartedly by the male-grooming sector, where testosterone-fuelled descriptions of moisturisers focus on protecting, rather than softening, skin.

B.L. 1.2.2011