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How retailers are giving men what they want

When marketing consultant Judy Hopelain conducted qualitative research for a client seeking to understand men's ideal shoe shopping experience, the results could have been lifted from a Jerry Seinfeld routine. Men, she discovered, craved a bar-like setting with young, attractive cocktail waitresses in short outfits, and plasma screen TVs on the walls showing sports. Her findings showed that if you offer up most any product or service in a Hooters-like environment, men will show up.

Could it really be that simple, she wondered? Is "Hooters plus product" the only formula for engaging male shoppers in the retail experience? That was back in 2005. After factoring in a few variables for the emergence of guy-pleasing technologies such as smartphone apps and QR Codes, successful efforts by retailers both large and small have offered little to contradict Hopelain's conclusion.

The Knockouts Haircuts for Men franchise, founded in 2007, now boasts more than 450 full-service, boxing-themed salons staffed by attractive female hairstylists in trade-marked Knockouts Girls boxing uniforms who pamper their customers in comfy leather chairs equipped with individual flat screen TVs and complimentary beer.

Typically, men view apparel shopping as a chore, and have to be dragged by their wives or girlfriends to the mall, says Patrick Groenendaal, creative director at Hampshire Group. "But we are seeing more men shopping alone or with their buddies." Some are even starting to view shopping the way women always have: as a form of recreation.

When J. Crew opened its first men's shop in New York City's Tribeca in former bar The Liquor Store, the retailer kept most of the original fixtures, creating a men's-only club vibe. Customers can even pour themselves drinks while browsing.

J. Crew may well have drawn inspiration from John Varvatos' New York store, which opened just three months earlier in what was formerly the underground music club CBGB. Staying true to the rock 'n' roll attitude expressed in much of his menswear collection, Varvatos kept the 3,300-square-foot space largely intact, including original wall graffiti, concert posters, and band fliers. The shop also features an extensive collection of memorabilia and vinyl records, and a stage for hosting performances by up-and-coming artists.

Research has identified clear gender differences in the way men and women use digital channels to shop, with women leaning more towards social and men more towards mobile. Shopper research agency Shoppercentric finds that 38 percent of men own a smartphone (compared to 29 percent of women) and 60 percent of women use Facebook (compared to 52 percent of men).

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