The grocery store isn’t just for moms anymore, not that it has been for some time. But new numbers indicate that more men than ever are taking care of the family food shopping.
The Internet search engine Yahoo recently conducted a study of 2,400 men, ages 18 to 64. More than half claim to be the primary grocery shopper in their home, and roughly 60% said they control the purchase of packaged goods, clothing, and health and pet items.
Why are more men shopping for groceries? Traditional gender roles have been blurring for decades, and fewer men attach a stigma to the activity. But also, the recent wave of layoffs and downsizing has swept many men from out-of-home jobs and into more domestic duties.
This shift in target audience may require retailers and manufacturers to make adjustments to their marketing messages and change how men are portrayed in advertising for food and household products. John Badalament, author of "The Modern Dad's Dilemma," says many ads featuring men still portray them as hapless domestically. "Men," he said, "need to be something other than invisible or buffoons in advertising."
Why Should I Care? I Don't Sell Groceries!
No matter what you sell, you should ask yourself if your current or potential audience is changing due to the economy, the continuing "gender equalization" of the marketplace, or other societal factors. If so, you may be missing opportunities to connect with new customers because your message is misdirected and/or misplaced. Don't assume you should focus on the same demographic your company or industry has always addressed. Make the effort to learn who your buyers truly are - or could be - today. It might be the difference between your company merely surviving and thriving well into the future.
(This post was inspired by and includes content from an article in AdAge.com. Read it here.)
