Men are Now Outspending Women in Retail: How to Attract Male Customers

Conventional wisdom about men and women’s spending habits have begun to change. Men are now outspending women by 13%, and the menswear market is expected grow at almost twice the rate of womenswear in the next few years. Many marketing tactics for retail are focused on women, but we’ve pulled together three ways you can attract more male customers to your business.

Don’t neglect your website.
Men are twice as likely than women to shop online. Yet 40% of people will abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load. If your site is taking too long to load, you’re losing a lot of customers. Many free online resources can help you understand what your current page load time is as well as provide solutions to trim it down. Layout and design are also important elements of your site, but no one will get to appreciate them if the load time loses their interest.

Try a new strategy on Instagram.
18% of men reportedly get their fashion inspiration from Instagram while other men take advice from friends or spouses. A great way to attract more male buyers into your retail store is to reach them through Instagram posts. This does not mean you need to change all of your content to be male focused. Rather, make it an ongoing content theme in your social strategy. Start with flatlays of full outfits for inspiration, and be sure you’re ready to help customers purchase through the platform so their experience isn’t disrupted. Share the names of pieces and prices, and use ample applicable hashtags to expand your reach.

In-store shopping.
Men are now spending more time shopping in-store as well as frequenting more stores than women. Make sure you don’t neglect the men who come into your store. Even though men are more likely than women to do extensive research before going in-store to buy a product, they still expect a knowledgeable salesperson to help them. Their second largest complaint about shopping in-store is unhelpful salespeople. During peak times, make sure that you have enough staff to help both men and women who come into your store.

As the split between spending continues to fluctuate between genders, remember that to attract the right customers to your store, regardless of gender, you need to be authentic to your brand. Once you do that, it’s a matter of finding the right audience at the right time. Try these tactics to reach more of you male audience grow a new segment of your customer base!