| When it comes to shopping, men have gotten a bad rap.
Countless articles, books and “industry surveys” have suggested that women possess better shopping skills than men. If
women really are from Venus, the surface of that planet is obviously covered by sophisticated networks of shopping malls—
while the neighborhoods on Mars are comprised of sports bars,
garages and golf courses.
As a self-appointed representative of the male
consumer, I’d like to
point out the problem is
not a lack of skill but a
lack of will. Unless the
item to be purchased is a
car, piece of electronic
gadgetry or a new grill,
the average man just
doesn’t enjoy the process
of shopping as much as
his female counterpart.
Males tend to view shopping as a “means to an
end” (which means the
sooner we get to the end the better).
Of course this doesn’t
mean that all men are
average but ….
This explains why most
retail industries (including
retail ophthalmics) direct
most of their efforts to
the female consumer. After all, why should a store owner waste
time appealing to someone who doesn’t really want to be there in
the first place? The answer to that question is hopefully obvious—
while men may not enjoy shopping, we do shop (and we spend
money). In fact, there are several shopping habits which are peculiar to male consumers that should make men shoppers quite
attractive. Retailers who have taken the time to understand the
shopping habits of men have cashed in big time in recent years
(consider the rise of The MensWearhouse—a clothing store exclusively for men).
So, prepare to dive into the peculiar (and sometimes frightening) habits of the male consumer. While all generalizations, including these, have exceptions, the following should help the savvy
eyecare provider capitalize on his/her male eyewear consumers.
MALE CONSUMER HABIT #1 —
MEN ARE FAST SHOPPERS
Men spend less time looking for the things they buy. In fact,
observation of male shopping patterns (according to the book
“Why We Buy” by Paco Underhill) suggests a man who cannot
quickly find what he is looking for will simply give up and leave.
This habit has two ramifications for the eyecare practitioner
(ECP). First, since “shopping” for eyewear generally occurs at
the conclusion of a visit to an ophthalmic retailer, any “selling”
should be accomplished earlier in the visit, because a man will
not feel comfortable spending a lot of time in the dispensary.
With some exceptions, most men shoppers will not sit through
lengthy explanations of the various materials and options available for their lenses. Therefore, the best time to “sell” a man on
the advantages of AR, photochromics or high index is during
the pre-exam and the examination. Time spent in the dispensary should be constrained to selecting a frame and summarizing what has been purchased.
Second, the frame selection process itself should be made as
efficient as possible. This is accomplished by having a defined
and clear area of men’s frames. Sending a male to search through
a dispensary with a large area of “unisex” frames will often result
in a confused consumer. In the U.S., the typical dispensary has a
considerable sized selection of “women’s frames,” a relatively
small area of “men’s frames” and an area of “unisex frames.”
However, as our male consumer looks through the selection of
unisex shapes (oval and rectangular), he is likely to notice various pastel colored frames—as well as several woman-oriented
brand names. At this point, our male consumer is now confused
regarding which “unisex” frames are for men and which are for
women (every male shopper has experienced the horror of picking up a shirt or pants and then discovering they are holding a
garment intended for a woman). Spare his confusion with brand
names targeted specifically to men. Do not show a man frames
with a brand name commonly associated with women’s fashion.
Offer brands that are evidently male-oriented.
One of the best things about the male consumers is they tend
to buy the “first thing that fits.” Given the busy nature and staff
stretching common to most offices, the “veni, vidi, vici” approach to shopping taken by many men means the average
male shopper will consume little of your time. In fact, if the lens
options have been pre-sold, the male consumer may spend only
a few minutes to find a “frame that fits.” In a study of clothing
shoppers that appears in Underhill’s book, men who took a
garment into the fitting room purchased the garment 65 percent of the time (women purchased only 25 percent of the garments they tried on). Once a male consumer has decided a garment or other item meets his needs, the only thing that will
keep him from purchasing it is if it doesn’t fit. In fact, many
males purchase clothing without even trying it on.
MALE CONSUMER HABIT #2 —
MEN HATE TO ASK DIRECTIONS
Men shop like they drive. They want to set their own direction
without having to ask for help, according to Underhill.
Again, this habit has a couple of ramifications. In the dispensary, if a man can’t quickly find the frame he likes, he is very
likely to hide his frustration behind a vague statement such as
“I’ll have to come back with my wife (girlfriend, mom or any
other female).” This statement is not made because he really wants to make a second trip to the dispensary (after all, this will
take additional time), or even particularly values the input of
the person he will return with (after all, since she enjoys shopping, he is almost assured of spending more time finding a
frame with her help than if he were able to select one himself).
Rather, this statement is a product of his uncertainty and fear
of making a poor decision. According to the book “The Paradox of Choice—Why More is Less” by Barry Schwartz, studies
indicate people put off decisions when they are afraid of making a poor choice. To assure a male consumer that he has “chosen wisely,” ensure that a female member of the staff is always
nearby to confirm the frame fits and looks good. This may
seem like a sexist statement, but, in reality, for most males the
ultimate judge of whether a frame “looks good” will be a
female member of his family.
The ECP who understands most men hate asking others for
information will also realize that written product information
should be made available to the male consumer. As mentioned
above, the time to “sell” a man on products is during the early
parts of the visit. The method of communication should, whenever possible, be in written (or other visual) form. During the
typical visit to an ECP, the consumer has plenty of opportunity
to read literature (e.g., waiting in the reception area, waiting for
the doctor in the examination lane). If a male patient complains
of difficulty with night vision during pre-exam, the technician
should supply him with pamphlets describing the features of
products such as AR lenses and PALs with wavefront technology that describe the technology behind the products and the
benefits they provide. Another effective means of communicating to male consumers is the Internet. Include a list of web sites
with information on popular ophthalmic products with the
appointment reminder card and the male consumer may sell
himself on a product before even coming to the office—which
segues into the next habit…
MALE CONSUMER HABIT #3 —
MEN “SELL THEMSELVES”
Assuming you’ve provided plenty of material on interesting
technologies, the male consumer will likely “sell himself” on any
option he thinks will improve his vision. Speaking from experience, all kinds of products around my own home attest to this
habit. For example, our stainless-steel grill has a capacity to do 32 burgers at a time (we have a family of
four), a rotisserie spit and side burner (which
I “had to have,” but have never actually
used) and electronic ignition. What was the
reason behind this “grill-overkill?” Let’s just
say Lowe’s has some really awesome
brochures describing their grills.
Want to increase AR sales to male consumers? Provide brochures that explain the
technology used to produce AR and the visual benefits it offers. Also, make sure the doctor happens to mention that AR is used on the
lenses of the phoropter to ensure optimal performance in the exam room. A brochure (or
better yet a video) describing the process used to create titanium
frames—along with depictions of the durability of these frames
will draw the attention of the male consumer (an example of a
demonstration of the corrosion resistance might involve submersing a titanium frame in a salt water fish tank). Men tend to be
more visual than females, so manufacturer-supplied demonstrators are particularly effective (e.g., a light box which demonstrates
photochromic or polarization technology).
MALE CONSUMER HABIT #4 —
MEN ARE LESS PRICE-CONSCIOUS
This seems counter-intuitive (because we always remember our
stingiest patients), but as long as he believes a product or feature will meet his needs, a male consumer is less likely to worry
about the price of an item than a female consumer. According
to Underhill’s “Why We Buy,” in a study of people shopping
for jeans, only 72 percent of the men even bothered to look at
the price tag (compared to 86 percent of the women).
This confirms what most people already know—men are less
disciplined when they shop. Anyone with any doubt on this point
should spend some time in a grocery store. Observe women and
men shopping for groceries and notice how many are carrying
lists (while virtually all female grocery shoppers carry lists, only 25
percent of men shop with lists, according to Underhill).
The ECP who understands this habit will put the entire smorgasbord of ophthalmic products in front of the male patient—
in the form of written materials—allowing him to select whatever products strike his fancy. Of course, men shoppers are not
oblivious to price, but studies of consumer
behavior reveal they are more suggestible
when it comes to options and upgrades.
Also, take advantage of the “endowment
effect.” Once you “have” something (or even
visualize yourself as having something), it’s
yours and you will not want to give it up. Basically, “top down selling” works, especially with
male consumers. In one study of automotive
consumers that appeared in Schwartz’ “The
Paradox of Choice—Why More is Less,” cars
were presented without options and a group
of consumers was asked to add the options
they wanted. Another group of consumers
were offered the car with all the options and asked to take off the
ones they didn’t want. Both groups contained consumers with the
same budget and each option cost the same for both groups, but
the group who had to remove options purchased many more
options than the group that had to add them. This is the endowment effect at work. The pain associated with deleting an item is
valued as greater than the cost associated with retaining it. Having supplied the consumer with the advantages of AR, present the
eyewear with AR included. Having considered the advantages of
having a lens that helps him see better at night, with better durability and cosmetics, the consumer will have to decide if it’s something he really wants to “live without.”
MALE CONSUMER HABIT #5 —
MEN LIKE TO PAY
Of course, this habit is far from universal, however, there is a
reason retailers refer to men as “the wallet carriers.” It may be a
chauvinistic and antiquated concept, but many men view themselves as the family “provider,” especially when purchasing
items for a child.
Returning to the grocery store, observe fathers shopping with
their children. Grocers love it when dad brings the kids,
because practically everything that makes it into the cart stays
there. The package of cookies Junior throws in the cart when
he’s shopping with dad is likely to stay in the cart. Mom is far
more likely to return such items to the shelves (after all, they
weren’t on her list). Daughters like to shop with dad too. One
interesting note from Underhill’s book, the daughter who takes dad along to shop for a prom dress is likely
to end up with a more expensive dress than
if mom was along.
Given the other habits discussed above,
every effort should be made to ensure that
fathers who bring their child to the office for
an exam should be provided with written
information on ophthalmic products engineered for children—flexible titanium
frames will stand up well to abuse, polycarbonate lenses will provide safety and AR will
make the lenses less visible and more attractive, hopefully reducing the likelihood of
teasing by classmates.
Also, when it comes to price, take advantage of the “anchoring
factor,” which is the tendency to use the first piece of data when
evaluating all subsequent data and is described in “Selling the Invisible” by Harry Beckwith. For example, suppose the first suit a consumer takes off the rack in a menswear store is $2,000. If the consumer later finds a good-looking suit in the same store for $800, he
will subconsciously consider that suit to be a “good value.” Now
suppose the first suit taken off the rack was $300. Now that same
$800 seems “expensive” or “extravagant.” Make sure the “anchor
point” is a top-end product before demonstrating mid-tier products and the perception of value will increase. In short, show your
best first.
MALE CONSUMER HABIT #6 — NOTHING KEEPS
A WOMAN FROM SHOPPING LIKE A MAN
According to Underhill, in a study conducted at a housewares
chain, women shoppers were timed. The results:
- Woman shopping with a female companion: 8 minutes 15
seconds
- Woman with children: 7 minutes 19 seconds
- Woman alone: 5 minutes 2 seconds
- Woman with a man: 4 minutes 41 seconds
Apparently, men are the antidote to female shopping. On the
rare occasions when male and female patients are shopping
together, keep this in mind and provide a diversion for the man
(who will likely select his frame in a fraction the time). Consider providing a television or better yet a technical demonstration
of some ophthalmic product such as polarized lenses. Otherwise, with his own shopping completed, he
will hover around his companion checking
his watch and saying “I dunno” every time
she asks if her frames look attractive to him.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
Here’s a list of “Dos” and “Don’ts” to keep
in mind the next time a male patient visits
your office:
DO provide him information in written
(or visual) formats, such as brochures, video
loops or Internet sites.
DO ask about hobbies, occupation or anything else that may indicate the need for ophthalmic solutions. Once a need has been identified, be sure to provide information about the appropriate product.
DO make shopping efficient and easy. Remember, this isn’t
an activity most men enjoy. Make it as painless as possible by
maintaining a very distinct area containing men’s frames.
DO show your best products first (anchor) and sell from the
“top down” first (endowment).
DO NOT assume he will ask questions. If there is anything
that may be vague regarding insurance, payment, pick-up of
eyewear or anything else, be proactive in providing the information.
DO NOT hesitate to give dad all sorts of information on the
products that may benefit his child when he brings a son or
daughter to the office.
DO NOT assume that all male patients fall into these generalizations. All generalizations are susceptible to the exception.
This has been an attempt to draw attention to some of the
peculiar traits observed in male consumers. There are likely a
percentage of men out there who enjoy asking questions and
shopping for hours on end.
Finally, DO consider purchasing the following books, all
excellent resources on retailing—to men and women. Most of
the concepts in this article came from the pages of these
authors.
“Why We Buy” by Paco Underhill
“The Paradox of Choice—Why More is Less” by Barry
Schwartz
“Selling the Invisible” by Harry Beckwith. ■
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