What do men want?
Insights for websites with predominantly male customers
82% of our customers are men, according to an analysis of 350 incoming leads and enquiries on the StarClinch website.
As of 2015, 65% of online shoppers in India were men. This skew towards men is higher with increase in age, meaning older women in India shop less online compared to younger women. Men also tend to take the final call on higher ticket value items, and in general spend upto 1% more than women on a average per order. So not only do women in India tend to shop less online, they spend even lesser.
At StarClinch, we provide customers the opportunity to book any artist of their choice. Our minimum order value for B2C customers can be no less than Rs.1,000, which is nearly double the average order value of any product-based e-commerce portal in India today. As a result, there is a clear skew of more enquiries and bookings by men compared to the fairer sex.
Look at a Man shopping
He walks in, takes a quick look around, and goes straight to the rack of shirts he wants. It could be a striped one for work. He picks between 1 and 3 shirts, usually in his favourite colour and style, after checking for size. If it’s a shop he’s been to before, he picks a style he’s familiar with too, and not bother with three — you’ll see him choosing the one and heading to checkout. If it’s a new store to him, he tries on 2 or 3, chooses one based on the fit and style, and heads on out to pay. The shorter the line at the cashier, the happier he is.
He won’t go to another shop to find something new, if he’s happy with what he’s purchased. There’s a good chance he will come back and buy the same style shirt in a different colour if someone compliments him at work.
What Men want
Value, not Deals
Men are not as attracted to sales and discounts as women. What they want is value for the money they shell out. Messaging about the latest offer won’t attract them as much as the latest product launch that fulfils their needs better.
Search, not Discovery
Men want to go straight to the counter that has their required product, rather than browse through a site to find it. Clear filters and search options work better than options left to chance and discovery. The sooner they can find what they are looking for, the sooner they stop looking and head to the checkout.
Details, not Design
Men want to see the relevant details on the product profile. Price, availability, form and function, clearly stated and easily readable — this is what helps them shop faster and more efficiently. Colours such as blue, green, red and black are preferred to pastels and lighter shades; remember that 8% of men are colour blind.
Points, not Paragraphs
The man at the clothing store wants the details about the product to be succinct and in short, easily readable points. A long winded paragraph will seldom be read and even more rarely processed.
Evidence, not opinions
“How many people have tried the product? How many liked it? How many people are talking about it? Can I compare it to other products easily?” This is what men care about. The more reliable the source of this information, the more likely he is to trust it.
Clarity, not clutter
A smooth and spacious UX is critical to increase engagement and conversions from the male customer on a website. Simple straight lines, highlighting what’s relevant, enough options without it being too many. Give your customer space to read what he needs to, and discard what he doesn’t need to see. The word “Minimalist” comes to mind.
Conclusion
A customer’s journey, from the moment he enters your store to purchase completion, needs to be as short and smooth as possible. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am, and the customer leaves with a smile on his face. Keeping the product quality high ensures he comes back again and again. Delivering value for the price charged, and he won’t even mind paying a premium just for the quality and service. Eliminate a click here, a redirect there, a few seconds loading the page. Every little optimization increases the chances that the customer moves to your payment gateway and completes his purchase.
