Brandscape

Shopping habits amongst men and women are widening, according to a study conducted by the international customer experience platform Voyado.

The research aggregated over 410 million purchases discovered that women aged 26 to 35 now shop 59% more often than men. Despite this, male consumers spend on average 47% more on purchases while at the same time driving a rise in receipt sales, spending an astronomical 75% more in-store.

Interestingly the data also revealed that the purchase frequency amongst female consumers aged 18 to 25 plummeted in 2021. One reason for this could be the trend amongst this age group to move away from consumerism and ‘fast fashion’ as they become more environmentally aware – their landscape has been altered by the lens of social media campaigns, and more sustainable consumption is the primary consideration. Many large brands embrace this and tap into that consciousness – promoting their use of eco-friendly manufacturing processes and recycled materials. Younger consumers love this, are more minimalistic, and are into vintage recycling, swapping, and exchanging, as it makes them feel good to know that they can still look great and do their bit for the planet.

Over the past couple of years, some of the changes in shopper habits have been subtle; understanding the subtleties in different demographics will help inform and direct a brand to how it communicates back to the consumer and sets brand positioning. The channel or form of communication for males may need to differ from those for females as both groups could potentially interact with a brand from a different direction or start point; of course, this is also true of generational groups. Information shared can be tailored to match the specifics of that audience for them to understand and engage with a brand’s purpose.

In conclusion
Without a doubt, Covid has challenged many conventional shopping habits and taught us to live without reward shopping, destination shopping and retail therapy. There’s been a definite change in mindset.
But haven’t there always been challenges with brand implementation, whatever the routes to market are?
Brands need to continually work hard to remain current and relevant to their audience. Being aware of the appropriate channels, trends and shifts in shopping habits will help a brand attract new customers and retain the brand loyalty of others.

Wow Me Design is the Cheltenham-based brand stewardship agency creating brands people want. We would love you to get in touch at hello@wowmedesign.com