Men are from Best Buy. Women are from Victoria’s Secret.
“Retailers learned this weekend that men are willing to get out of bed for a good deal,� said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy for BIGresearch. “While women seemed to take a more casual approach to Black Friday shopping, men went out on the hunt and then went back home to bed.�
I have been thinking about the new statistics released by the National Retail Federation that said that men got in line earlier and spent more than women on Black Friday. Just this morning I heard this being discussed on a popular news network. So, I started thinking about just where these differences come from.
According to the Relationship Institute there are several key differences (besides the obvious) between the sexes. I will look at those and, just for fun, make my own assumptions about how that might affect shopping behavior.
A man’s sense of self is defined through his ability to achieve results, through success and accomplishment. Achieve goals and prove his competence and feel good about himself.
“It doesn’t matter how much it costs*. Just go to the store, get it and get out.”
A woman’s sense of self is defined through their feelings and the quality of their relationships. They spend much time supporting, nurturing and helping each other. They experience fulfillment through sharing and relating.
“I think everyone will love what I got them! And I got such great deals I had to tell my friend about it!”
Men hate to ask for information because it shows they are a failure.
“I went there and looked around. Couldn’t find it. They must be out.”
For women, offering help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength; it is a sign of caring to give support.
“I told my girlfriend about this shop because they have great stuff at a good price and the salespeople are not rude like that other store.”
Men are more logical, analytical, rational.
“She asked for X, she’s getting X.”
Women are more intuitive, holistic, creative, integrative.
“He mentioned that he liked X, but I really want to surprise him, so I’m thinking of getting him Y.”
So, what does this mean? I say men are from Best Buy because it’s a no-nonsense, product-driven atmosphere, where men go in, find what they want and buy it. Victoria’s Secret is a retail environment meant to appeal to women’s sense of aesthetics, but also to inspire creativity.
What do you think?
*Men outspent women by 38.1% on Black Friday. NRF
Note: According to the Relationship Institute, “These are generalizations! Individual differences exist; we all have some of these qualities.”
National Retail Federation, Best Buy, Victoria’s Secret, Differences Between Men and Women
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