February 2011 – Although I have not personally conducted studies to confirm my observations, I have seen an increasing number of men shopping at grocery, drug and mass stores. As household and social dynamics change, men are doing more of the shopping. Savvy retailers and product manufacturers recognize the new opportunities within this shopper contingent.
According to David Mick, PhD, professor of marketing at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and president-elect of the Association for Consumer Research, this is not a new trend. Quoted in Prepared Foods magazine as long ago as 2006, Mick said, “Men are more often going into grocery stores and buying categories of things they would not have bought a generation ago. It has been going on for the last 20 years, and has been steadily rising.”
What makes the male shopper tick — or ticks him off?
According to NPR’s story, “In Search of the Elusive Male Shopper,” men exhibit certain behaviors when shopping, notable among them...
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