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When it comes to consumer behavior, the way men and women approach shopping is more similar than different. In fact, Azira’s recent survey of 2,048 global consumers revealed that gender was far less of a factor in shopping preferences and behaviors than age. Azira’s recent report, the Great Generational Shopping Divide, goes into the generational differences in shopping behaviors in detail – from how they use omnichannel shopping to how they look for deals.
However, while the differences between men and women were more subtle than those across generations, there were a few interesting contrasts between men and women’s shopping behaviors to highlight.
Women Are Feeling the Effects of the Economy More
Women were more likely to say that the state of the economy was affecting their holiday spending plans a lot this year (41% vs. 36% of men). Due to this, women were more likely to be using several tactics to find deals. Here are the top deal-seeking tactics for women versus men:
Women’s Top Deal-Seeking Tactics:
Shopping during sales
(e.g. Black Friday, Cyber Monday)
Using
coupons
Shopping at
bargain retailers
Men’s Top Deal-Seeking Tactics:
Shopping at
bargain retailers
Shopping during sales
(e.g. Black Friday, Cyber Monday)
Delaying my purchase
while I wait for a deal
In line with their top deal-seeking tactics, women were more likely to plan to shop during sales over Black Friday weekend through Cyber Monday – 35% of women respondents were planning to shop over that weekend compared to 30% of men. Meanwhile, men were more likely to delay their shopping to the last few weeks before the holidays, with 30% planning to shop post-Cyber Monday compared to 25% of women.
Women Are More Interested in Engaging With Shopping Centers
In addition to differences in deal-finding during holiday shopping, men and women showed different levels of interest in engaging with their favorite shopping centers. 78% of women expressed interest in engaging with shopping centers in one or more ways. The most popular option was participating in a shopping center loyalty program, with 48% of women and 46% of men expressing interest in participating. However, when it came to social media the genders were more divided – 36% of women were interested in following their favorite shopping center on social media, compared to just 26% of men.
Overall, How Men and Women Approach Shopping is More Similar Than Different
When looking at how men and women approach the shopping journey, their approaches were strikingly similar. Women were more likely to turn to online shopping (51% of women versus 46% of men), while men were slightly more likely to go in-store (61% of men versus 59% of women). Men were also somewhat more likely to shop in-app (23% of men versus 20% of women). The sexes are equally likely to engage in omnichannel shopping, where the shopper uses more than one channel in their purchase journey. Omnichannel shopping can take many shapes, including where a shopper researches online before going in-store to see a product and or pick it up, as well as where a shopper first sees a product in-store before going online or in-app to buy later.
When shopping for a product, how do you approach the shopping experience?
Winning Across Demographic Groups
To succeed in appealing to a diverse spectrum of consumers across both generations and gender, retailers need to:
- Leverage consumer behavior data to craft precise audience segments based on demographics, places frequented, brand loyalties, and other key factors.
- Tailor marketing strategies to align with the preferred deal-hunting methods of both men and women.
- Connect store visits and other actions to individual consumers who engaged with ads or visited the retailer’s website.
- Embrace personalized approaches, utilizing comprehensive consumer behavior data encompassing shopping trends and demographic insights.
- Comprehend the interplay between visitation trends and demographics, optimizing store locations and layouts accordingly.
By comprehending the distinct shopping behaviors and preferences across different age groups and genders, retailers can forge targeted marketing campaigns and shopping experiences that deeply resonate with their audience.
Study Methodology
This survey was conducted between July 7-19 2023, with a total of 2,048 global respondents in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, census-weighted by age, gender, and geography
