Millennial Men Show Their Shopping Savvy

By Pete Rizzo (@pete_rizzo_)

“U.S. men are spending more of their lives as the primary shopper in their households and digital is helping them along.”

This was the conclusion of a new eMarketer report released on September 23 that bucked decades-old perceptions that have defined how marketers target men and women. It found that men ages 18 to 64 years old are now more likely to embrace shopping due to the technological advances that are removing pain points from the consumer experience.

Using data from DDB Worldwide, eMarketer illustrated how the shift is most pronounced among Millennials. For example, Millennial men were more likely than female respondents to shop on auction sites, use retail store apps and comparison shop with their mobile phone.

Evidence also suggested that as technology advances, Generation X and Baby Boomer men are becoming increasingly inclined to shop with the help of technology.

In this PYMNTS.com Data Point, we break down the data to expose eMarketer’s top findings from the report.

Young Men Are Driving Online And Mobile Shopping

EMarketer revealed that across all the surveyed demographics, men were 4 percent more likely to report that they would prefer to make all of their purchases online. Men between the ages of 18 and 34 years old were the most apt to report this sentiment.

As this chart illustrates, young men are more likely to prefer online shopping and also engage in mobile shopping than their female counterparts.

Older Men Embrace Tech-Powered Shopping

Men between the ages of 35 and 64 years old also displayed a preference toward online and mobile shopping. Twenty-nine percent of DDB study respondents in this age group said they would buy everything online, compared to only 26 percent of women.

As evidenced by this chart, eMarketer showed that men are increasingly embracing more niche shopping behaviors as well, including using retail store apps, comparison shopping and requesting price matches.

Are Men The Future Of Shopping?

Men led women in the DDB study across all categories, except one. Women aged 35 to 64 years old were more likely to identify as extreme couponers. Still, young men were more likely than females of the same age to report identifying with this label.

While potentially surprising, the findings are supported by past research from NCH Marketing that has suggested technology is helping engage more men in loyalty programs.

In painting men as the drivers of eCommerce and mCommerce, however, the report runs counter to recent research from Nielsen.

For more on why Latinas may be the most coveted demographic for major brands in the coming years, read “Latinas Control Lion’s Share Of $1.2T Hispanic Spending.”