Join the Real Modern Family

The Emmy-winning TV series “Modern Family” features non-traditional household compositions: A gay couple adopting a daughter. An older man married to a much younger woman raised in a different culture.
     But a study released last month by advertising agency Leo Burnett Chicago indicates that the TV show is behind the curve compared to actual modern family dynamics. Since maximum retailer profitability depends on staying ahead of the curve, take note of what that report, titled “Humankind 2012: The Transformation of Aspiration,” has to say about now compared to before:

• More single parents. About 40% of children are born to an unmarried mother. This does not necessarily mean there’s no father in the home, though. About 60% of married couples had lived together before the wedding.
• More househusbands. Some of this is because men account for almost 70% of job losses in this Great Recession. Almost 80% of men have no objection to giving up the traditional gender roles. About 77% are comfortable with their wives earning more than them, and about 72% accept staying at home to raise the children.

     Husbands are doing more of the household shopping than in the past, and when a wife does do the shopping, she’s more likely than in the past to bring along family or friends. Women would prefer to be home more with their families, but in many cases, this isn’t feasible.
     The variations in preferences within the population of women and within the population of men are, in many realms, more significant than the average differences overall between men and women.
     Still, research finds that, overall, men tend to think about shopping and conduct themselves as shoppers differently than do women. Researchers at Stanford University asked samples of men and women to contemplate the task of shopping for a new wardrobe. Later, each participant was assigned to plot the route for a cross-country road trip.
     The women in the study were much more likely than the men to plot out a scenic route rather than a direct route. Male shoppers are more purpose-driven. Women are more possibilities-driven. Men tend to like sharp contrast. Women tend to like harmonious flow. Along with this, women are more likely to find emotional comfort from shopping than are men.
     Recalibrate your merchandising and patterns of salesperson-shopper interactions to turn these shopper gender trends to your advantage and to that of your modern family shoppers.

Click below for more:
Recalibrate for Shopper Gender Trends
Overcome Gender Stereotypes