7/5/13
Women make more than two-thirds of all shopping trips to mass merchants, dollar stores, supercenters, and drugstores in the U.S., according to Nielsen. Men account for more than half of trips to convenience stores/gas stations, but in no other retail channel do they make the majority of trips.
Women spend more than men do on a typical shopping trip in any retail outlet. Although some of the spending differences are minor, women drive larger stock-up shopping trips, spending $14.31 more than men per trip when shopping at supercenters and $10.32 more per trip to the grocery store.
Two-thirds of women who are the primary shoppers for their households say they do 75% or more of the shopping for their households, according to GfK Custom Research for the Private Label Manufacturers Association. [Note: “Primary shoppers” are defined as those who say either they or they and another person do most of the grocery and household shopping.] Women also say they’re the ones who do most of the laundry, housecleaning, shopping for items other than groceries, and keeping the medicine cabinet stocked.
More than eight in 10 women (84%) say they’re the ones who most often prepare the meals in their households, while 8% say a spouse or other cohabiting adult does so. Six in 10 women (61%) say they prepare meals at home five times a week or more, and another 23% prepare meals three to four times a week.
The majority of women (83%) believe that there are gender differences in shopping behavior. Specifically, they think women are more likely than men to plan their shopping ahead of time, to use coupons and smartphones when shopping, to buy store brands, to choose healthy items, and to be influenced by friends’ choices. They believe men are more likely than women to stick with familiar products and brands, to prioritize saving time, and to make impulse purchases when shopping for groceries.
Although women still account for the majority of shopping trips-making up about 70% of people entering supermarkets-“the number of men who have become the dominant purchasing agents for their households is growing with each passing month,” says Paco Underhill of consumer behavior research firm Envirosell.
Among lower-income households, as well as black or Hispanic families, men are taking a more active role in shopping. In families where there’s a combined income paycheck, says Underhill, the whole family shops and makes choices together.
It’s often difficult to determine who the primary decision-maker is, especially when couples are entering the store together. Even when examining the purchasing decisions of a solitary shopper, a consumer’s recollection of her behavior often differs from that observed by a researcher, says Underhill.
The rise in households in which women are the dominant breadwinners is having an impact on Americans’ shopping patterns, as well [see Research Alert June 21, 2013].
“The role of the woman as the purchasing agent for the family is under stress because she is multitasking,” says Underhill. Much of online grocery shopping is driven by female heads of household, says Underhill. While online grocery retailers that offer home delivery are less popular in the U.S. (often because, in a two-income household, there’s no one home to take delivery of the order), companies that offer in-store pickup of online orders are becoming popular in other developed countries, says Underhill.
“The driving factor in modern shopping is still convenience … the world of retail has gotten much more local than ever before,” says Underhill. Rising gas prices are part of this equation.
SOURCES: “U.S. Women Control the Purse Strings,” April 2013, Nielsen, Meg Chari, Communications Analyst, Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail, 85 Broad St., New York, NY 10004; 800-864-1224; meg.chari@nielsen.com; www.nielsen.com. Price: Available online at no charge.
“Today’s Primary Shopper,” April 2013, GfK Custom Research North America for Private Label Manufacturers Association. Private Label Manufacturers Association, Brian Sharoff, President, 630 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017; 212-972-3131; research@plma.com; www.plma.com. Price: Available online at no charge.
GfK Custom Research, 75 Ninth Ave., 5th Fl., New York, NY 10011; 212-240-5300; www.gfk.com/us.
Envirosell, Paco Underhill, President, 907 Broadway, New York, NY 10010; 212-673-9100; sales@envirosell.com; also, Deborah Geiger, Marketing and Communications Manager; deborah@envirosell.com; www.envirosell.com.
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